Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Ford/Hot Wheels World Record Feature Story
Ford ran circles around the old Hot Wheels® record loop as part of this
year’s Take Your Child to Work Day. When the effort was complete, Ford
had made a world record attempt with a Hot Wheels car track loop that
exceeded 12 feet tall.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Jay Leno and 2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang Help Raise $885,000 for U.S. Veterans at Gooding Auction in Monterey
Jay Leno teamed up with Ford Motor Company to raise $885,000 with the sale of a preproduction 2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang, driven and signed by former President George W. Bush, at the Gooding & Company auction Aug. 15 as part of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The $700,000 hammer price grew to $885,000 with additional donations from auction guests. All proceeds will benefit George W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative, which helps foster a successful transition and reintegration from military service to civilian life for veterans post-Sept. 11, 2001.
“We appreciate the opportunity to work with Jay Leno as a part of his efforts to increase awareness and raise funds for the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative,” said Henry Ford III, global marketing manager, Ford Performance. “We’re indebted to the courageous men and women who have fought to preserve our freedoms. Providing this Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang – which President Bush drove and signed – is a small token of our gratitude for their sacrifices.”
Ford allocated the 2016 Shelby GT350 preproduction unit to Leno through Gordon D. Sondland and Katherine J. Durant Foundation in support of the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative. In June, Henry Ford III joined President Bush for a walk-around of the car at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. President Bush drove the Shelby GT350 and signed the car’s dash.
Leno drove the Shelby GT350 onto the auction block and, with Henry Ford III, helped amp up the bidding excitement. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Miguel Howe, director of the Military Service Initiative, was also on the auction block and carried out his offer to perform push-ups for additional funds donated. Bidding for the Shelby reached an impressive $700,000, which was increased to $885,000 by donations from auction guests.
The 2016 Shelby GT350 Mustang features Ford’s latest 5.2-liter flat-plane V8 engine – the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in the company’s history. The car is equipped with a Track Pack featuring MagneRide suspension, stiffer springs, an engine oil cooler and transmission cooler.
“Our Ford Performance team did not hold back in the build of the 2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang,” said Dave Pericak, Ford director, Global Performance Vehicles. “We not only wanted to showcase Ford’s cutting-edge performance and design capabilities, but build a vehicle that is true to Carroll Shelby’s original GT350. I’m grateful Jay Leno included Ford in his efforts to support our nation’s greatest heroes with the auction of the Shelby Mustang. I’m confident Carroll would be very happy his legacy of performance vehicles and helping our veterans continues today.”
George W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative honors the service and sacrifice of veterans and military families post-Sept. 11, 2001, by improving their well-being and helping unleash their potential. For more information about the organization, visit www.BushCenter.org.
“We appreciate the opportunity to work with Jay Leno as a part of his efforts to increase awareness and raise funds for the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative,” said Henry Ford III, global marketing manager, Ford Performance. “We’re indebted to the courageous men and women who have fought to preserve our freedoms. Providing this Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang – which President Bush drove and signed – is a small token of our gratitude for their sacrifices.”
Ford allocated the 2016 Shelby GT350 preproduction unit to Leno through Gordon D. Sondland and Katherine J. Durant Foundation in support of the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative. In June, Henry Ford III joined President Bush for a walk-around of the car at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. President Bush drove the Shelby GT350 and signed the car’s dash.
Leno drove the Shelby GT350 onto the auction block and, with Henry Ford III, helped amp up the bidding excitement. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Miguel Howe, director of the Military Service Initiative, was also on the auction block and carried out his offer to perform push-ups for additional funds donated. Bidding for the Shelby reached an impressive $700,000, which was increased to $885,000 by donations from auction guests.
The 2016 Shelby GT350 Mustang features Ford’s latest 5.2-liter flat-plane V8 engine – the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in the company’s history. The car is equipped with a Track Pack featuring MagneRide suspension, stiffer springs, an engine oil cooler and transmission cooler.
“Our Ford Performance team did not hold back in the build of the 2016 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang,” said Dave Pericak, Ford director, Global Performance Vehicles. “We not only wanted to showcase Ford’s cutting-edge performance and design capabilities, but build a vehicle that is true to Carroll Shelby’s original GT350. I’m grateful Jay Leno included Ford in his efforts to support our nation’s greatest heroes with the auction of the Shelby Mustang. I’m confident Carroll would be very happy his legacy of performance vehicles and helping our veterans continues today.”
George W. Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative honors the service and sacrifice of veterans and military families post-Sept. 11, 2001, by improving their well-being and helping unleash their potential. For more information about the organization, visit www.BushCenter.org.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Ford Fiesta Named One of Kelley Blue Book KBB.com 10 Best Back To School Cars of 2015
A small, fuel-efficient vehicle is perfect for college students and we're thrilled that our Ford Fiesta was recently named as one of the top 10 back-to-school cars by Kelley Blue Book.
Here is what the article had to say:
"Every parent knows that a good back-to-school car is practical, functional, safe and affordable. And every student knows it's far more important to have something fun and stylish. Our annual list has something for everyone, including cars that both sides can agree on. Every entry here features a starting Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price of around $20,000 or less."
"Ford's small hatchback and sedan have been on the market for a few years now, proving to be a good mix of sprightly sporty car and sensible smart car. The Fiesta is responsive and handles well, but also nets up to 43 highway mpg. This car may be small, but it's filled with safety and connectivity tech, including the newest version of SYNC, called SYNC3, with an available swipe and pinch-to-zoom touch screen."
Click here to see the full article on www.kbb.com.
Here is what the article had to say:
"Every parent knows that a good back-to-school car is practical, functional, safe and affordable. And every student knows it's far more important to have something fun and stylish. Our annual list has something for everyone, including cars that both sides can agree on. Every entry here features a starting Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price of around $20,000 or less."
"Ford's small hatchback and sedan have been on the market for a few years now, proving to be a good mix of sprightly sporty car and sensible smart car. The Fiesta is responsive and handles well, but also nets up to 43 highway mpg. This car may be small, but it's filled with safety and connectivity tech, including the newest version of SYNC, called SYNC3, with an available swipe and pinch-to-zoom touch screen."
Click here to see the full article on www.kbb.com.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
First Responder's Day to Held at Hilbish Ford September 3, 2015
On September 3, 2015 from 5:00pm-7:00pm, Hilbish Ford will partner with the Chamber and other local businesses to host First Responders Day, an appreciation event for EMTs, firefighters, police officers, sheriff's and their families. The event will be held at the Hilbish Ford dealership in Kannapolis, NC.
This day will include fun family activities such as face painting, bounce houses, corn hole and more! Door prizes will also be given to local first responders. Dinner will be provided to the families during which we will have a brief program to thank these individuals for their service.
"Who in the community are more important? Who do we call when we need immediate help? How about our Police, Fire Fighters, EMS personnel! When do we show them how much we love and appreciate THEM and their FAMILIES who worry about them coming home safe after each and every shift? This is a small way to have a PARTY in their honor. Feed them and their families. Have really cool activities for the kids to participate in...all brought to them by great local companies who want to give back to these everyday hero's. You cannot imagine how many of them tell us over and over THANKS for doing this for them and THIS IS WHY WE DO IT! " - Tim Vaughn, Hilbish Ford
If you are a business and would like to help support this event, click here to learn more about how you can help.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Employee Spotlight: Eric Costin, Service Advisor
Eric Daniel Costin was born on June 4, 1982 in Miami,
Florida. He joined the United States Army in 2006 at the age of 23. He served
overseas in Iraq and Okinawa, Japan and has been stationed in multiple
locations around the world. Eric was Honorably Discharged from the U.S. Army in
2013 after 7 years of service.
When he returned, he attended the Nascar Technical Institute
in May 2013 and graduated in July 2014. Eric has numerous Automotive Technician
certifications, as well as 11 Ford credentials. He was an automotive technician
for just over one year before moving to the position of Service Advisor for
Hilbish Ford.
Eric has been married to Jacquelyn Costin for 9 years and they
have 2 dogs and 1 cat. Eric and his wife currently reside in Landis, NC.
Eric is such an asset to our service department. See what
some of our customers have to say about Eric and our service department.
“I continue to be amazed at the friendliness, honesty,
integrity, and genuine customer satisfaction focus found at the Hilbish Ford
Service garage. These guys went out of their way to correct my service problem
quickly and professionally. I trust these people implicitly and cannot praise
enough how well they treated me and my vehicle. I would use them much more often,
but frankly, I seldom need repairs on my Fords. Thanks for doing so well and
please don't change a thing.” – Stephen A. (7-20-15)
“Eric Costin was extremely nice and helpful. He explained
the problem in easy to understand terms. Please give him my THANKS!!” – Theodore
D. (7-21-15)
“Eric Costin was awesome he took care of my vehicle and I
needed tires and he discussed it in a compassionate way.” – Fatena B. 7-18-15
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Overcash Celebrates 60 Years with Hilbish Ford
In today’s busy world of switching jobs to climb the corporate ladder, Billie Overcash is a rarity. His first job was with Hilbish Ford (then Hilbish Motor Company) in 1955 and he has never left! He has been both a car salesman and the sales manager, but it has only ever been with one company and the same boss. To say he is loyal, would be an understatement.
This August, Billie will celebrate 60 years of service to Hilbish Ford and he has no thoughts of leaving anytime soon. “I’ve thought about it,” he said. “But what would I do?”
Not surprising that Billie would feel that way, since he still works on his families’ dairy farm, where he cares for horses and cows, cuts hay, and rides a bike every morning. There is no slowing him down! He has been married to his wife, Peggy, for 61 years, and they have a daughter Teresa Kincaid and granddaughter Madison.
Sixty years ago, Overcash was a young Hilbish Motors car salesman, only 20 years old, and he admits he was scared. Back then, salesmen went door to door trying to find customers and it was intimidating. “It was a mandate,” he said. Car salesmen also had bad reputations back then, so he had that working against him as well.
Overcash pointed out that there was so much excitement that existed around cars back when he first started. People had spendable income because everyone worked in the mill. “People were car crazy,” he said. “They would put a new car in front of everything else, and the dealership was where you would get a glimpse of the latest models.”
“We had Show Days where we would reveal the latest car,” said Overcash. “People would surround the dealership just to see it. The whole town would come out once a year for these shows.” In fact, Overcash used to hide the cars on his family farm so people couldn’t see them before the Show Day.
Hilbish Ford’s first dealership was in uptown Kannapolis on Chesnut Street and had a tar and gravel lot. He said he used to wear out a pair of shoes every couple of weeks.
He remembers moving to the current location on September 5, 1968. “It was my birthday and I had to work,” he said. “We always had Labor Day weekend off, but not that weekend.” Hilbish actually combined the Kannapolis dealership with Concord Motors and moved both to the new location.
Over the years, he has sold everything from highway tractors, to police cars, to school buses, as Ford used to make the bus chasses. He even helped run a leasing company at the dealership for about 30 years.
When asked what his secret to selling is, he says that honesty has always been his best policy.“I tell it like it is,” said Overcash. He also pointed out that he used to read the original selling manuals that Ford Motor Company provided. In fact, he still has them in his desk drawer. He also proudly shares his Ford stock certificate, purchased in 1966 which was signed by Henry Ford himself. Even when the automobile market dipped, he never thought of selling it. He’s loyal, remember.
He even shared an interesting story about how he helped with the sale of a bus to the Church of God Home for Children that desperately needed one. Back then, S&H Grocery gave out green stamps and Church of God congregations from all over collected enough to purchase the bus. The orphanage owned 2,555 books of the stamps which turned into $5,077 for the purchase.
“He has served generations of customers and I hear his customers say all the time…you have sold my grandparents, parents, us and our children vehicles over the years,” said Tim Vaughn, General Manager of Hilbish Ford.
Overcash has also been an active citizen in his community too. While a lot of his peers left town for other things, he stayed in Kannapolis and has been a lifelong member of Bethpage Presbyterian Church and a 30 year member of the Kannapolis Rotary Club. He also proudly served in the North Carolina National Guard for 10 years.
Hiblish Ford and Billie Overcash both have a deep history and commitment to the Kannapolis community and to Ford cars. Here’s hoping Billie keeps selling them for a long time to come.
 |
| This ad from a newspaper from 1956 is framed and displayed outside of Billie's office. |
Not surprising that Billie would feel that way, since he still works on his families’ dairy farm, where he cares for horses and cows, cuts hay, and rides a bike every morning. There is no slowing him down! He has been married to his wife, Peggy, for 61 years, and they have a daughter Teresa Kincaid and granddaughter Madison.
Sixty years ago, Overcash was a young Hilbish Motors car salesman, only 20 years old, and he admits he was scared. Back then, salesmen went door to door trying to find customers and it was intimidating. “It was a mandate,” he said. Car salesmen also had bad reputations back then, so he had that working against him as well.
Overcash pointed out that there was so much excitement that existed around cars back when he first started. People had spendable income because everyone worked in the mill. “People were car crazy,” he said. “They would put a new car in front of everything else, and the dealership was where you would get a glimpse of the latest models.”
“We had Show Days where we would reveal the latest car,” said Overcash. “People would surround the dealership just to see it. The whole town would come out once a year for these shows.” In fact, Overcash used to hide the cars on his family farm so people couldn’t see them before the Show Day.
Hilbish Ford’s first dealership was in uptown Kannapolis on Chesnut Street and had a tar and gravel lot. He said he used to wear out a pair of shoes every couple of weeks.
He remembers moving to the current location on September 5, 1968. “It was my birthday and I had to work,” he said. “We always had Labor Day weekend off, but not that weekend.” Hilbish actually combined the Kannapolis dealership with Concord Motors and moved both to the new location.
Over the years, he has sold everything from highway tractors, to police cars, to school buses, as Ford used to make the bus chasses. He even helped run a leasing company at the dealership for about 30 years.
When asked what his secret to selling is, he says that honesty has always been his best policy.“I tell it like it is,” said Overcash. He also pointed out that he used to read the original selling manuals that Ford Motor Company provided. In fact, he still has them in his desk drawer. He also proudly shares his Ford stock certificate, purchased in 1966 which was signed by Henry Ford himself. Even when the automobile market dipped, he never thought of selling it. He’s loyal, remember.
 |
| Ford Sales Manual and Reference Guide |
“He has served generations of customers and I hear his customers say all the time…you have sold my grandparents, parents, us and our children vehicles over the years,” said Tim Vaughn, General Manager of Hilbish Ford.
Overcash has also been an active citizen in his community too. While a lot of his peers left town for other things, he stayed in Kannapolis and has been a lifelong member of Bethpage Presbyterian Church and a 30 year member of the Kannapolis Rotary Club. He also proudly served in the North Carolina National Guard for 10 years.
Hiblish Ford and Billie Overcash both have a deep history and commitment to the Kannapolis community and to Ford cars. Here’s hoping Billie keeps selling them for a long time to come.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Do it Yourself Service Tips from Hilbish Ford
Service Manager Tommy Moore shares things you can check yourself on your vehicle before you head out on vacation or on a long trip. He shows you what to look for on you battery cables, how to check your oil level, power steering and brakes fluids as well as coolant, and the air pressure in your tires. Also, see Tommy's trick to check your tire tread using a penny.
Call us at 888-582-6852 or come to Hilbish Ford at 2600 S Cannon Blvd, Kannapolis, NC 28083 for any of your service needs or visit our website service page.
Call us at 888-582-6852 or come to Hilbish Ford at 2600 S Cannon Blvd, Kannapolis, NC 28083 for any of your service needs or visit our website service page.
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