http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/06/22/story2.html?b=1245643200^1847163 New sports car company opens headquarters in PompanoSouth Florida Business Journal - by Paul Brinkmann South Africans Dean Rosen and Ian Grunes are bringing the $100,000 Rossion Q1 supercar to the United States with a new company based in Pompano Beach. If you see a unique sports car hitting 60 mph on a hairpin turn in Pompano Beach, it may be someone test-driving a Rossion Q1. Two South African entrepreneurs have opened the first and only dealership of Rossion Automotive in the former Avex Home Theater warehouse in Pompano. Rossion has been touted in the industry as one of the worlds most exciting new car companies. Reviews by some auto magazines already dubbed the Rossion Q1 an excellent supercar (Auto Aficionado) or a sultry beauty (Luxury Auto Direct). The car has noble lineage, literally. Owners Ian Grunes and Dean Rosen bought the rights to the previous Noble M400, a British supercar, after Noble announced plans to develop a new model. At a retail price of $100,000, the car is being positioned to compete as an American alternative to Ferrari and Lotus. We want to brand this as an American car, and we wanted to be from South Florida, Grunes said. The goal is to slowly take this into the global market and turn it into a recognizable brand. The Rossion Q1 made its public debut at the 2008 Festivals of Speed Ritz-Carlton in Orlando. The Q1 was displayed along with Ferrari Enzos, Bugatti Veyrons and the Koenigsegg CCX. So far, 40 Q1s have sold. Grunes, 40, and Rosen, 42, grew up in South Africa, where Rosens father owned a Ford dealership. Grunes originally worked in finance and accounting, while Dean was in insurance. Sharing a passion for cars, the two eventually became business partners in the Noble distribution network for the United States and moved with their wives, Adrianne Grunes and Samantha Rosen, to Cincinnati. But they decided Ohio was not the right location to launch a new luxury sport car brand. Company launched in 2006 Today Rossion has seven employees, including Adrianne and Samantha. Grunes is president and Rosen is marketing director. The car is manufactured in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, alongside Nissan, Hummer and BMW. Final assembly occurs in Florida. Grunes said the company launch in 2006 was entirely self-funded at less than $10 million. Hes hoping for a five-year return of at least 20 percent. The companys banking is mostly done with J.P. Morgan Chase in Cincinnati. Grunes and Rosen oversaw the redesign and reengineering of the car I certainly hope to exceed any return youd expect from the stock market, he said. Rossions owners acknowledge this recession is a difficult time to launch a new luxury sports car. But they quickly point out that several customers have already come in looking for a value buy trading in more expensive cars. One of their first customers is Roger Rex, CEO of Pass International construction company in Deerfield Beach. Rex had already owned two Nobles. I used to drive Ferrari 360s. This blows the 360 out of the water for performance, Rex said. Its also easy to maintain. If you pop a motor, you can replace this for under $5,000. Craig Spuhler, technical engineer, works on the Rossion cars in the Pompano warehouse and showroom. He also takes customers on test drives. His favorite demonstration is taking the cloverleaf entrance ramp to Interstate 95 at Atlantic Boulevard at relatively high speeds. The G-force flattens a passenger into the seat behind him. Asked why they can succeed without any particular background in developing sport cars, Rosen and Grunes say the thrill of being part of a new venture can be powerful in the auto world. Some day they hope to establish a dealer network, sell t-shirts, hats and driver paraphernalia with the Rossion logo, and sponsor road trips with owners. Rossion used an outside, U.S. design team and CAD modelers. Grunes said fewer egos involved in the process helped to ensure a cohesive design. We have the entrepreneurial spirit, the passion and the ability to identify the right partners, Rosen said. ROSSION AUTOMOTIVE President: Ian Grunes Web site: www.rossioncars.com Address: 920 SW 2nd Place, Pompano Beach Phone: (866) 612-6625, (954) 788-1001 Email: [email protected]
Yep, they moved here last year (into the former AVEX building on the corner of I95 & Atlantic) .......and were sponsors of the Toy Rally! Ian, Dean, and Craig are great guys, and serious car enthusiasts. The Noble was a stellar performace car, and the Rossion is leaps and bounds beyond that. For anyone who wants an introduction or would like to schedule a test drive, let me know and I will make sure they take care of you.
Tell me about it, saw him @ least 4 times @ I95, that car is as low as my nsx, very nice .. last time it was embarrassing though ... he passed by while I was getting a ticket ... he passed ........ so slowwwwww it hurt LOLOL
I caught that edit and am in whole-hearted agreement. I'm left wondering if the move has to do with putting distance in past relationships.
No, nothing to do with distancing past relationships, other than reinventing the car and the company to make both even better than they were before. They were previously located in Ohio, which wasn't a huge marketplace for the cars and also didn't provide the infrastructure to launch Rossion. The logical options for the marketplace were California or Florida. Because of the relationship they had with American Speed Factory in Hallandale, and some other factors, Florida was the winner.
