NEWPORT BEACH : Car Dealer Honored for Civic Work

Theodore (Bob) Robins Jr. learned to love cars early in life.

During school vacations, he worked at his father’s landmark Ford dealership, which opened in the 1920s as an auto repair shop next to the Balboa Pavilion.

Now 65, Robins runs the 10-acre Theodore Robins Ford complex on Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa.

He was recently named Citizen of the Year by the Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce. In presenting him with the award, chamber officials recognized Robins for his 40 years as a business leader and longtime volunteer for a variety of charity organizations.

Robins said that cars have been a central part of his life for as long as he can remember.

“I’ve always had a love for automobiles, and I was raised in the right family to enjoy that,” he said. “It was a perfect tie-in for me.”

Robins grew up in Newport Beach and attended local schools. After graduating from Loyola Marymount University in the 1950s, he began working full time for his father’s growing dealership.

He holds fond memories for the cars of that era, such as the sporty 1955-57 Thunderbird coupes and the powerful Fairlane with its supercharged engine. As a young man, he even drag-raced cars at a track near what is today John Wayne Airport.

In the mid-1960s, the dealership moved from its cramped quarters in Newport Beach to a site on Harbor Boulevard’s auto row. Robins became head of the company in the mid-1970s after his father died.

Keeping with family tradition, Robins’ two sons now work at the dealership.

Robins is a longtime member of several local business groups, and is past president of the Southern California Motor Car Dealers.

He is also past president of the Newport Harbor Exchange Club and has worked with Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian’s 552 Club, the YMCA and the Assistance League of Newport Mesa.

“My dad was very active in the community. He held the strong belief that you should give something back to the community you make your livelihood in,” Robins said. “That certainly makes a lot of sense to me.”