Lincoln Auto Body Repair

Moses Tarnopolsky, who later changed his name to Max Paul in 1910, was a skilled coppersmith and applied his trade for a local coppersmith. Max originally set up a small bicycle repair shop named Max Paul Bicycle Repair in Olde City Philadelphia. In 1907, he opened another bicycle repair shop at 7018 Woodland Avenue. It was at this location that Max began the legacy known as Paul Bros. Auto Body Rehabilitators.

Early vehicles were manufactured with the radiators mounted on the front of the vehicles. The first radiators were also made of copper, which required skilled crafts persons to repair. Max, with his training as a coppersmith, was well suited to provide services to those in need of radiator repair.

Max was soon unable to keep up with the demand for his services and moved his business to 53rd and Lancaster Avenue in West Philadelphia, renaming it Lincoln Highway Garage in 1908. With a surge in automobile purchases in the early 1900's, and an equal amount of car accidents and breakdowns, Max moved Lincoln Highway Garage in 1917 to 3633 Walnut Street and again renamed the business, this time Lincoln Auto Radiator. Originally, Lincoln Auto Radiator specialized in yes, radiator repair. Many types of transportation vehicles were repaired, including municipal vehicles ( fire carriages, horse carriages, etc.). As business expanded, Max intuitively began to explore additional opportunities within the automobile repair industry.

The years after the first World War saw a boom in automobile sales. Max’s reputation as a master mechanic had become legendary in Philadelphia and his business now required offering more services, including dent repair, alignment, painting and upholstery repairs.

In 1925 Max moved to a larger location at 3957 Baltimore Avenue and began offering a variety of collision repair services. To accomplish this, Max began to assemble the best possible technicians in Philadelphia. He hired only the top mechanics, engine builders, alignment technicians, painters, upholstery workers, carpenters and sheet metal workers. Another name change was in order, and the original business was know known as Lincoln Auto Body Repair.

As the roaring 20’s came to an end, business began to slow as the stock market crash of 1929 proved devastating to the country’s economy. Lincoln Auto Body Radiator was affected as well. Max was determined not to lay any employees off during the downturn. In order to accomplish this, there were many weeks, and even months, Max refused to take a paycheck. His noble efforts aside, Max was confronted with mounting bills and was faced with a decision to close the business.

Luckily, Max had trained his sons, Edward and Harry, in the repair business. Edward and Harry combined all their assets and begged their father to not abandon the business and it’s employees. The plot worked, and Max agreed to move the business to 4738 Market Street and reopen under new management in 1931. The new name was appropriately called Paul Bros. Auto Body Rehabilitators.

The Paul brothers injected new life into the business. Harry, who had grown up watching his father repair vehicles since he was 2 years old, also possessed great marketing skills and vision. Even with a downturn in the economy, Harry and Edward initiated an aggressive marketing strategy aimed at the insurance industry. Already well known for their high-level of product quality, the brothers plans worked in establishing new business through the lean Depression years.

By 1935, Paul Bros. was fully recovered from the devastating effects of the Depression. With production in full gear and business growing, Harry and Edward Paul continued to expand the business through the Depression and War years. When a new location became available 4810 Chestnut Street, the brothers did not hesitate to seize the opportunity to double their production size.

In the early 1940’s the country was pulled into war and in support of the war effort, Paul Bros. converted half of the production area into a machine shop. The machine shop becoming a key producer of airplane parts for the Philadelphia Naval Department. Working 3 shifts round the clock, Paul Bros. was recognized in many circles as an important contributor to the war effort in Philadelphia.

After WWII, Paul Bros. continued their phenomenal growth. Always innovative, the Paul family sought more opportunities to expand their business. Shortly after the war, Harry founded Appraisers Inc. and the Delaware Valley Appraisers Association. These organizations fostered growth in the whole industry through the promotion of fair and honest business principles and ethics.

Harry, who became sole owner with the purchase of brother Edward's share of the business in 1961, introduced his son Max to the business shortly afterward. Young Max had seen how the original business, auto radiator repair, expanded with the automobile becoming mainstream. Looking for further opportunities in the automobile industry, Max began to interview with car manufacturers for potential dealership interests.

In 1968, Harry and Max were approached by Toyota Motor Corporation. Max saw a tremendous opportunity to not only further his collision business, but to introduce a niche automobile agency into the Philadelphia area. In March, 1969, Harry and Max introduced Central City Toyota, the first Toyota agency in Philadelphia.

In keeping with the family tradition of excellence, Central City Toyota became a thriving agency. Capitalizing on the gasoline crisis of the mid-1970's, Central City Toyota gained considerable market share due to their introduction of low priced, fuel efficient vehicles. The import craze of the 1970's positioned Paul Bros. as a leader in import vehicle repair in the Philadelphia area. However, Paul Bros. was now at a crossroads due to tremendous expansion.

Harry and Max implemented innovative production and repair methods to help expedite the transition to the exploding import car collision repair market. But disaster struck in November 30, 1981 as a massive fire destroyed Paul Bros. and Central City Toyota. With tremendous determination, Paul Bros. never missed a beat. Opening up the day after the fire, Paul Bros. completed renovations on their current location at 49th and Chestnut in the spring of 1983. By 1985, Max became more involved in the daily operations as his father Harry went into semi-retirement. Sadly in 1991, Paul Bros. mourned the loss of Harry Paul at the age of 84, ending a brilliant era of innovation and advancements.

The 1990’s continued to be successful for Max. Wilmington Lexus was founded by Max and a partner in 1992 and has become a premier agency, winning the Elite of Lexus nine consecutive years. Paul Bros. received national recognition for dedication to the collision repair industry, and Max, always a strong supporter of community services, was featured numerous times in People Magazine for his outstanding achievements in the community.

The new millennium began with the introduction of the fourth generation Paul family member, Bradford, into the business in 2000. Like his ancestors, Brad quickly became involved in the family business and immediately added Main Line Saab to the Paul Group of agencies. Under Brad’s direction, Main Line Saab became the number one producing Saab dealer in the region. Brad is currently transitioning the move of Central City Toyota to a new location in the Main Line.

With 100 years of dedication to automotive excellence and community service, the Paul family looks forward to serving the city of Philadelphia and surrounding areas with the finest automotive services for another 100 years.