Galpin Ford Rent-A-Car/Studio Rentals would like to take this opportunity to thank you for GO-ing Galpin.
Galpin Ford Rentals rented its first vehicle on May 24th, 1974. As we would later be recognized for, this first rental was a new F600 series 5Ton truck. Today, the tradition of renting new, well-maintained trucks, vans, SUV’s and cars, continues.
During the 1970’s the rental department’s primary function was to provide cars and trucks as replacement vehicles for customers when they brought their own vehicles in for service or repair at Galpin Ford’s new facility in the San Fernando Valley. The department also provided a unique means of giving our customers the ability to drive a new car on an “extended test drive” before they bought that model, as we carried most of the models sold at the dealership.
On November 2nd 1981, Galpin Ford Rentals opened its first off-dealership location at 15500 Roscoe Blvd. The new operation, Galpin Studio Rentals, would enable us to serve our customers more efficiently with a stand-alone office, larger lot, and refueling station. Along with providing unparalleled service to our local customers, we began building a relationship with the entertainment industry, supplying vehicles to the major studios in Los Angeles. That relationship continues today.
The rental department shared the property with Future Fuels of America, which was Bert Boeckmann’s (Owner and president of Galpin Ford) endeavor into alternative fuel sources. Developed in 1979, this methanol-based fuel was decades ahead of today’s alternatives. This was one of many firsts from Galpin that also included the surfer van conversion, the development of the sunroof, the origin of the modified pickup truck and the rebirth of the convertible Mustang.
Throughout the 1980’s Galpin Studio Rentals continued to increase its inventory of vehicles, from 200 to over 600. The demand for our vehicles related directly to our marketing efforts in the production industry. Each production season, hundreds of Galpin vehicles would be delivered to Universal, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, Paramount, MGM and 20th Century Fox studios for work on television shows and theatrical movies. At the same time Galpin’s Picture Vehicle department became recognized as a viable source for vehicles that appeared on camera, locating vehicles for movies such as E.T., Back to the Future, Nightmare on Elm Street and many others. Today this department supplies vehicles on a daily basis to movies, television shows, music videos and commercials.
As productions and studio operations changed, so did Galpin. During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s Galpin Studio Renta’s focus shifted to independent features and movie of the week productions that dominated the entertainment industry. At the same time, Galpin Rentals became a household name in the San Fernando Valley as the place to rent quality cars for trips and special occasions, new trucks to move with, and even motorhomes for vacations. Bert Boeckmann’s involvement with Establishment Motorhomes made supplying our customers with new, state of the art, recreational vehicles, easy and enjoyable.
The early 1990’s also saw a dramatic rise in local television commercial production and, once again, Galpin Studio Rentals was there. Our inventory of specialized trucks such as camera cubes, production cubes, and studio stakebeds were welcomed by an industry that normally had to make do with standard issue moving trucks. Our new vehicles, combined with our delivery and pickup service, became so appealing to our customers that we found ourselves delivering to clients that were less than a block away from our competitors.
To better serve the general renting public and our entertainment related clients, a bold decision was made to relocate the Studio Rental department to Hollywood. This move would allow both departments to cater to the individual needs of their customers without sacrificing service to anyone.
On June 12th, 1995 Galpin Studio Rentals Hollywood opened at 1751 Cahuenga Blvd and changed the industry by providing our clients with a place to park their vehicles during the rental. Prior to this, our trucks, loaded with valuable camera and production equipment were parked in overcrowded studio lots or left on the street. Our one-acre secured parking lot made renting a production vehicle more convenient than ever for the increasing number of production companies that switched to Galpin Studio Rentals from other established rental houses.
Although daunting at first, our thoughts of expanding too rapidly soon vanished, as available space in our lot became a premium. When the land across Cahuenga became available, another significant decision had to be made; remain at a proven pace of business, or expand to possible beyond our needs. The decision was complicated by the need to raze an entire existing dealership and reconfigure the land into a rental friendly environment. Galpin Studio Rentals Hollywood at 1763 Ivar Avenue is the result of that decision that today stands as the predominant place to rent and park your production vehicle.
At the same time, our Roscoe Boulevard office relocated to 8353 Sepulveda Boulevard into new offices that provided our public and industrial customers with a comfortable and professional atmosphere that is today the hub of the four rental locations in the Valley. During peak holiday times this office can process hundreds of rentals throughout a busy weekend, while continuing to provide exceptional service to each customer.
On March 4th, 2002, Galpin Studio Rentals expanded once again by opening Galpin Studio Rentals La Cienega. In keeping with our theme of providing our customers with the best service, our west side location provides our Santa Monica and Culver City clients another Galpin location to rent trucks and cars from. We also offer convenient and secured parking.
Today, as demand for our vehicles and convenient parking increases, space has once again become an issue. Because of this, we have acquired parking directly across the street from our Hollywood location and have now nearly doubled our parking capacities there. In addition to this improvement, our Van Nuys location is now open for parking of trucks and cars, 24 hours a day.
Our plans for the future include continually improving our inventory of vehicles by staying in touch with our customers changing needs. The future also includes expanding into new markets in Los Angeles and beyond.