Floyd Imports

For us, it's personal.

As more and more Springfield institutions are being absorbed by national and international corporations, Floyd Imports remains exactly what we've always been: locally owned and family operated. When ownership stays local, trust and accountability stay local too.

Headshots provided by Kari Bedford Photography.

Are you holding off on essential car repairs because of recent increases in gas prices? That can backfire (no pun intended) and lead to more expensive repairs, reduced fuel efficiency or worse.

Extend the life of your ride and save at the pump by letting us take good care of your vehicle!

Who remembers the early days? 👋

We have come a long way since Stevenson Drive, but we brought the foundation that was laid there with us.

Not literally. Don't be ridiculous.

Artwork credit: The Late, Great Bob Waldmire

In honor of Women's History Month, we are celebrating women in automotive history.

Denise McCluggage (1927–2015)

Denise McCluggage was born in Eldorado, Kansas, in 1927. She traced her love of cars to a moment when, at six years old, she saw a Baby Austin parked on the street and decided she had to have one. Alas, even a letter to Santa Claus didn’t make that dream come true. But McCluggage realized another childhood dream—a career in journalism—that was ignited when she published her own neighborhood newspaper at age 12.

After high school, McCluggage studied at Mills College in Oakland, California, where she earned degrees in economics, philosophy, and politics. She began her journalism career at the nearby San Francisco Chronicle. McCluggage moved to the other side of the country in 1954 and went to work for the New York Herald Tribune. She joined the paper’s sports department, where her assignments included reports on auto racing.

As she covered the sport, McCluggage began to take a deeper interest in racing. She bought a British MG TC and began running in small sports car club events. McCluggage didn’t have any formal lessons, but she proved a natural on the track. Her experiences in competition brought unusual insight to her reporting and—at a time when women weren’t welcomed in pits or garages—gave her better access to the male drivers she covered. McCluggage’s efforts on the track gained her greater respect in the macho world of 1950s and 1960s motor racing, and she earned a reputation as someone who did what she wrote about. (When she wasn’t writing or racing, McCluggage was often on the slopes where she became an accomplished skier—another sport she frequently covered.)

With her trademark polka dot helmet, McCluggage earned an impressive list of victories and became one of the top female racing drivers of her time. She won Nassau Ladies Races in 1956 and 1957, and she took the checkered flag at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Ladies Race in 1957. McCluggage placed first in the GT category at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1961, and she finished first in her class at the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally.

Denise McCluggage passed away in 2015. At the time of her death, she was remembered as much for her achievements behind the wheel as for her accomplishments behind the typewriter, and she was recognized as one of the trailblazing women in racing. Time has not diminished her triumphs; McCluggage was posthumously inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2022.

Mark Twain said “write what you know.” Denise McCluggage struck a similar chord in a quote published in Sports Illustrated in 2018: “Racing was something I wanted to do, so it was something I wanted to cover.” The automotive world is richer because she did both.

(Bio excerpt from Matt Henderson via The Henry Ford Museum)

🏁💜

Ellenae Fairhurst (1943-2024)

Automobile sales entrepreneur Ellenae Fairhurst was born on January 6, 1943 in Dayton, Ohio to Jack J. Hart Sr. and Ellen Nora Hart. She earned her B.S. degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1965, and her M.A. degree in social and consumer psychology from the University of Detroit in 1973.

She worked as a secretary first for Motown Records and then for a local law firm. She was accepted into the management training program at Ford Motor Company in 1968, but had the offer rescinded when she got married between her hired date and her start date.

“When I went back for my first day as a married woman, they were no longer willing to put me in the training program, thinking that I would leave soon, have a family and all of that training would not be beneficial for them,” Fairhurst recalled.

Instead, she took a job as a secretary, eventually working her way up to management. In the mid-1980s, as Ford began downsizing, Fairhurst explored other career options and heard about the company’s dealer training program. But after asking around, she learned it would not be a career path available to her as an African-American woman.

In 1986, after much persistence, Fairhurst left Ford and joined a minority dealer training program at Chrysler. Upon completing her training in 1988, she was named president and general manager of a dealership in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Several years later, she sold her shares in the business and used her life savings to purchase a Dodge dealership in Huntsville, Alabama.

As quoted in her obituary, Fairhurst once shared, “I was petrified the first time I met with all of the dealership employees, the most fear I had ever experienced in my life, but it worked out. When they realized I knew what I was doing and was willing to work harder and longer, even if it meant scrubbing the restrooms, I was accepted. I truly believed I had the ability to successfully operate a dealership.”

Believing in herself paid off. In 1999, she became the first African-American female in North America to own both Infiniti and Lexus dealerships. Other highlights of her career included being ranked several times in Black Enterprise magazine’s Auto Dealer 100 list, receiving the Daimler-Chrysler Five Star Award and achieving Elite of Lexus Status for most of the years her franchises were in operation.

Fairhurst’s success as an automotive dealership owner was widely recognized. In 2001, Fairhurst’s “autoplex” was ranked at ninety-five on Black Enterprise magazine’s “Auto Dealer 100” list. The following year, the company was ranked at number fifty-six on the list. By 2013, the “autoplex” was moved to fifty-four on the “Auto Dealer 100” list. Fairhurst has been also awarded the Daimler-Chrysler Five Star Award, and Elite of Lexus Status for most years she’s been in operation.

Fairhurst served on the board of directors for the Chrysler Minority Dealers Association, the Huntsville Downtown Rescue Mission, and the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce. Fairhurst is also a member of the National Automobile Dealers Association and the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers.

Upon her death, Fairhurst donated $550,000 to bolster The Dayton Foundation's African-American Community Fund to help African-Americans overcome adverse social and economic conditions.

(Sources: The Dayton Foundation, The History Makers)

In honor of Women's History Month, we are celebrating women in automotive history.

Bertha Benz (1849–1944): The First Long-Distance Driver

You’ve probably heard of Karl Benz, but the Benz Patent Motorwagen might never have gained traction without Bertha Benz’s ingenuity and determination. While Karl invented the world’s first automobile in 1886, it was Bertha who recognized its commercial potential. She financed its development and, in 1888, embarked on the first-ever long-distance road trip to promote the car.

Her daring 66-mile drive across Germany not only gained public attention but also highlighted mechanical issues, which she solved en route. For example, she created the first “brake pads” by covering the wooden brakes with leather. Bertha’s contributions earned her a rightful place in the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2016.

Bertha Benz was not allowed to study in the Grand Duchy of Baden, and her financial and practical engineering contributions have long been overlooked until the 21st century.

At Floyd Imports, we recognize and appreciate the women on our own team and in our community who continue to drive the industry forward every day.

Go the extra mile for the ones you love. ❤️🚙🔧

Galentine's Day is approaching. Treat yourself. 😍

Our New Year’s resolution is simple: keep doing right by our customers and honoring the trust you’ve placed in us. Thanks for being part of our story!

Happy New Year! 🥳🚙🔧🎉