Giovanni Gambacorta was the oldest of eight children.  He and his family worked their farm in the tiny Italian village of Poggio San Vittorino, in the Province of Abruzzo, near the Adriatic Sea. 

     In 1921, recognizing the opportunities available in America, Giovanni boarded a boat and sailed to the New World.  He was 25 years old.

     Upon his arrival in Delaware, Giovanni immediately started working.  His first job was laying railroad track. The work was difficult and the pay was meager.  After a few years, he found employment helping to produce a new innovative synthetic material, rayon, at the Delaware Rayon Company. To earn additional money, Giovanni drove a truck for a local construction company and cut hair door-to-door for his neighbors.  

     In his spare time, he made building blocks by hand, using sand from the shore of the nearby Delaware River.  When he had enough blocks, he constructed a garage large enough to accommodate two automobiles.  The year was 1937.

Giovanni was anxious to begin his venture into an automobile business. He started by purchasing older model trade-in vehicles from dealerships in the area. These he reconditioned and offered for resale. 

     Just prior to World War II, Giovanni expanded his small operation by adding a Willys-Overland Motor Company new car franchise.  This company became famous for producing military jeeps.

     When the war ended in 1945, Giovanni acquired a Kaiser-Frazer franchise.  Even when that company failed, Giovanni and his sons Jimmy, Henry and Anthony remained active in the automobile business.