The Penske Automotive Group is catching up to AutoNation in the total revenue department. A few years ago, AutoNation was generating about $20 billion in annual revenue, while Penske was at about $8 billion.

Penske has narrowed the gap considerably generating $10.6 billion last year to AutoNation's $12.4 billion ($12.5 if you round up). And now Penske has added about $257 million worth of revenue with today's acquisition of Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, CA. Crevier is the fifth…

Here's a question -- what's the craziest or most clever marketing scheme you've seen from a car dealer?

Some of the old giants in the industry -- Jim Moran, Cal Worthington, Earl Muntz andcountless others -- put together some wild and over the top marketing schemes. Moran probably was the first dealer to advertise on TV with a variety show and his sponsorship of a wrestling show in Chicago long before he created JM Enterprises, the largest Toyota distributorship in the…

They don't make them like Red McCombs any more. Billy Joe (B.J. or Red, as he known) is a legend -- not just in automotive retail -- but in the history of American business.

When you have a few minutes, check out Brad Wernle's profile of MCombs in Automotive News. Wernle is one of the top reporters in automotive and does an awesome job of capturing…