Bob Kelley, the longtime publisher of Kelley Blue Book, died on May 28 at the age of 96.
His family said he died in his sleep at his home in Indian Wells.
Kelly joined Kelly Carr Company (at one time the largest Ford dealer in the world) and Kelley Blue Book shortly after serving in World War II.
The dealership was founded by his uncle Les Kelley in 1918 and owned three Model T cars.
Kelley Blue Book (KBB) will be its bible.
KBB was founded in 1926, but under the leadership of Bob Kelley, the publication’s scope expanded to include foreign cars, new cars, motorcycles, trucks and RVs.
Kelley Blue Book has long been used as a vital resource by banks, dealers, and courts, becoming not only the industry’s go-to resource but the authoritative source for evaluating virtually anything on wheels.
“This guy had to be the smartest car guy in the country at the time,” said his son-in-law and former KBB editor Charlie Vogelheim. “It becomes an important tool for the industry.”
Kelly was born in Los Angeles in 1927, graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1945, and participated in the Naval Pilot Training Program at the University of New Mexico during World War II.
He joined the Ford dealership where he was responsible for evaluating and refurbishing used vehicles. Vogelheim said used cars were the bulk of the dealership’s sales because no new cars were produced during the war.
Kelley Blue Book has played an important role in the industry.
It started as a publication that listed the cars dealers wanted to buy and the prices they wanted to pay for the cars.
This is an important factor, Vogelheim said, because it gives authority and legitimacy to the prices listed in the books of banks, financial institutions and competing car dealers.
“Dealers are the biggest, they [bought and sold] So many cars,” he said. “They back that up with their actions.”
The dealership closed in 1962, but KBB continued.
With Kelly at the helm of Kelley Blue Book, the publication is taking advantage of important changes and factors in the industry to provide detailed, up-to-date vehicle values.
Kelley Blue Book is starting to include mileage as a factor, listing how trucks, colors, and even current events may affect pricing and value.
“The challenge is to have hundreds or even thousands of models in a book that fits in your pocket,” he said.
When the advent of the Internet disrupted the publishing industry, Kelley Blue Book viewed it as an industry change.
“It’s a tough business decision, but it’s also a simple decision to make information more accessible,” Vogelheim said. “It can be updated and it’s very specific. Our other competitors said, ‘No, we’re not going to do that.’ ” Again Bob and KBB saw this as practicality.
In 2010, Autotrader.com, a subsidiary of Cox Automotive, acquired KBB for more than $500 million.
“Bob Kelly was a true pioneer in the automotive industry,” Cox Automotive said in a statement. “From humble beginnings to the comprehensive online resource we know today, Bob’s impact is immeasurable.”
Vogelheim said Kelly 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 children; 12 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
“He was a very nice, wonderful guy with a great sense of humor and a quick smile,” Vogelheim said. “We miss him terribly.”
Even in his later years in retirement, Kelly was sharp and quick with numbers, eager to offer advice on business or anything else, Vogelheim said.
“You could talk to him about anything but the value of the car and you could hear him using percentages in his head,” he said. “He doesn’t have a college degree, but he’s smarter than some people who do.”
