Bob Kelley, the former editor of Kelley Blue Book who oversaw the publication as it became an indispensable resource for consumers and the automotive industry, died May 28 at the age of 96.
He died at his Indian Wells home in his sleep, his family said.
Kelley joined Kelley Kar Co., at one time the largest Ford dealership in the world, and Kelley Blue Book shortly after serving in World War II.
The dealership was founded by his uncle, Les Kelley, with three Model Ts in 1918. But the dealership, located in the heart of Los Angeles on Figueroa Street, was instrumental to what would become a flourishing car culture in the South. California.
The Kelley Blue Book, or KBB, would be your bible.
The KBB was started in 1926, but it was under the leadership of Bob Kelley that the publication would expand to include foreign automobiles, new vehicles, motorcycles, trucks and recreational vehicles.
Long used as a vital resource by banks, dealerships, and courts, Kelley Blue Book would become not only a go-to resource for the industry, but also the authoritative source for valuing almost anything on wheels.
“That guy must have been the smartest car expert in the country at the time,” said his son-in-law and former KBB editor, Charlie Vogelheim. “He became an important tool in the industry.”
Born in Los Angeles in 1927, Kelley graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1945 and then attended the University of New Mexico's naval aviator training program during World War II.
He joined the Ford dealership and was in charge of appraising and reconditioning used cars. Used cars were an important part of the dealership because new cars were not made during the war, Vogelheim said.
The Kelley Blue Book had already assumed an important role in the industry.
It started as a post listing the cars the dealer wanted to buy and the price they would pay for the vehicle.
That was an important factor, Vogelheim said, because it gave authority and legitimacy to the prices listed in the book with competing banks, financial institutions and car dealers.
“The dealership was the largest and [bought and sold] “So many cars,” he said. “They backed it up with his behavior.”
The dealership closed in 1962, but KBB lived on.
With Kelley at the helm of Kelley Blue Book, the publication began using important changes and factors in the industry to provide detailed, up-to-date values for vehicles.
Kelley Blue Book began including mileage as a factor, listing trucks, colors, and even how current events could affect prices and values.
“The challenge was to have hundreds, and then thousands, of models in a book that fits in your pocket,” he said.
When the Internet emerged, revolutionizing the publishing business, Kelley Blue Book saw it as a change that transformed the industry.
“It was a difficult business decision, but also an easy decision to facilitate access to information,” Vogelheim said. “It could be updated and very specific. Our other competitors were saying, “No, we're not going to do that.” Again, Bob and KBB saw it as something practical.”
In 2010, Cox Automotive's Autotrader.com purchased KBB for more than $500 million.
“Bob Kelley was a true pioneer in the automotive industry,” Cox Automotive said in a statement. “From his humble beginnings to the comprehensive online resource we know today, Bob's impact has been immeasurable.”
Vogelheim said Kelley had been in hospice for several years, but his children and grandchildren were able to see him the weekend before his death.
He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Wanda; his sister; five boys; 12 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
“He was a very nice and wonderful man, with a great sense of humor and a quick smile,” Vogelheim said. “We miss him terribly.”
Even in his later years after retiring, Vogelheim said, Kelley was sharp and quick with numbers, eager to offer his advice on business or anything else.
“You could talk to him about anything beyond car values and you could hear him use percentages in his head,” he said. “He didn't have a college degree on the wall, but he was smarter than some of the people who did.”
