Four generations of Mancuso dealers and racers: Benjamin’s dealership in Batavia, Mancuso Chevrolet in Skokie, the #76, Le Mans in 1976, and the Lake Forest years.
1923 Batavia, New York
Benjamin Mancuso, a pioneer dealer in Batavia, New York, founds the family’s automobile business.
Over the decades the family’s dealerships sold:
Studebaker Oldsmobile Chevrolet Buick Pontiac Cadillac Honda Saab Peugeot Aston Martin Maserati Ferrari Porsche McLaren Lotus Koenigsegg Pininfarina Pagani
Source: Fra Noi, “Andrettis’ heirs”, February 2005; the family, October 2026 (Porsche to Pagani).
1953 Skokie, Illinois
Benjamin’s son Jim opens Mancuso Chevrolet in Skokie, Illinois, at 4700 Golf Road.
Jim was also an avid road rallyer, a regular in a Great Lakes version of Italy’s Mille Miglia — the first sign of the racing that would follow.
Source: Fra Noi, February 2005.
1916–2001 Jim Mancuso
“Never, ever be rude — unintentionally.”
He practised customer service and fair dealing before they were industry standards: clinics in the 1960s and ’70s teaching women how to buy a car and have it serviced, and a “hot line” telephone booth in the service department for customers’ comments.
When his son Rob graduated from Princeton, Jim told him: “There are places to go, things to see and people to meet. Forget all that. Let’s sell cars.” And they did, with Rob’s brother Rick.
Source: Ward’s Dealer Business, “Farewell to a late, great dealer: James Mancuso”, March 2001.
1972–1976 Racing
Rick Mancuso took the green flag in 1972, in a 1958 Corvette prepared to B-Production specs.
By 1976 Mancuso Chevrolet had its own Corvette on track — the pale-blue #76, by the Revell kit’s account the first “customer” car John Greenwood built.
Source: Fra Noi, February 2005; Revell model kit (customer-car claim, to be confirmed).
June 1976 Le Mans
For America’s bicentennial the French government invited Mancuso and his team to race a Corvette at Le Mans. Rick stayed home to run the business and turned the Greenwood wide-body Corvette, the “Spirit of Le Mans 76”, over to his teammates.
In qualifying it reached 222 mph on the Mulsanne Straight, the fastest entry on the course. A fuel malfunction ended its race in the eighth hour.
In 2026 the Greenwood Corvettes were inducted into the IMSA Hall of Fame.
Source: Fra Noi, February 2005; IMSA, “2026 IMSA Hall of Fame class unveiled at Sebring”, March 2026 (222 mph in qualifying; Fra Noi gives 218).
1981 Lake Forest, Illinois
Rick founded Lake Forest Sportscars in 1981 and ran it as president and CEO: the family’s dealership for Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin. He raced a Ferrari BB512LM, 308 GTB, 348, 355 and F40, a Maserati Bi-Turbo SSGT and a Mosler Consulier GTP in endurance races at Sebring, Daytona, Mid-Ohio and Nelson Ledges.
The dealership has since been sold. It remains part of the family’s story.
Source: Fra Noi, February 2005; the family, October and November 2026.
2000s SCCA
Rick’s son Adam, 25 years at Lake Forest Sports Cars / Ferrari of Lake Forest as COO / VP, started driving go-karts at 12 and trained at the Skip Barber Racing School at Road America. Father and son raced custom Lola Sports Racers in SCCA competition, painted Aston Martin racing green and carrying the family crest on the nose.
Source: Fra Noi, February 2005.
March 2005 AutoWeek
Rick raced a pair of Lola Sports 2000s with Adam in SCCA, and now and again invited friends for what he called “a day of car-guy therapy”: hot laps in his race cars. AutoWeek’s Rich Ceppos was one of them.
In the 1,300-pound Lola he turned the same lap times as Rick’s 730-hp Trans-Am car. Then one of Rick’s customers handed him the keys to his Ferrari Enzo, and it was the little Lola he wrote about.
Source: AutoWeek, “Life with cars: The Little Car That Could”, Rich Ceppos, 14 March 2005.
1977 On film
Buzz Fyhrie filmed the 1977 season with the team. The full reels are on his YouTube channel.
Films courtesy of Buzz Fyhrie (RacerBuzz38). Links open YouTube.
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