In Memoriam: Longtime Rumsonite, Contemporary Motor Cars Owner, Allan Sockol, 96

Longtime Rumsonite and former Contemporary Motor Cars dealership owner, Allan Jay Sockol, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Oct. 22, with his beloved family by his side. He was 96.

“Fascinated from an early age by all things automotive, Allan Sockol was destined to make his passion his profession … After a brief period owning a Porsche Audi dealership, Allan joined forces with his young nephew, Scott Coleman, who shared his love of cars and trucks. In 1978, they purchased the small and underperforming Mercedes-Benz dealership in Little Silver, NJ, renaming it Contemporary Motor Cars. This move marked the beginning of their 46-year partnership with Mercedes-Benz. The dealership was operated as a family-run boutique, with Allan and Scott personally present six days a week to pursue their shared passion. As the business grew, they began to carefully amass a collection of cars closely tied to their personal histories, including meticulously restored trucks bearing the JZ Motor Express logo and a 1956 Jaguar XK-120. In August 2024, Contemporary Motor Cars was sold. Despite the transition, Allan Sockol and Scott Coleman continued to come to work at the dealership regularly, caring for customers and maintaining a close connection to the business that had become much more than a livelihood …

“All of his extended family fondly called Allan “Uncle,” as did many of his colleagues, employees, friends, and countless others whose paths crossed his. It was a title of respect. Uncle wanted people to feel positive about themselves and respected. He was always interested in what you had to say and was eager to help with any problem. Uncle’s calm demeanor and kind words transported his wisdom, personal interest and genuine care.”

In the early days of sports cars, he became an avid enthusiast and purchased an Austin Healey from England in 1950, which he followed up with a Jaguar XK-120 in 1956.

Having been born and raised in Fairfield County, CT, Allan began connecting with others sharing the same interests. One of those people was Luigi Chinetti, the famed race car driver who, among other accomplishments, had competed in the prestigious 24-hour LeMans race an astonishing twelve times, winning three. Chinetti had opened the first Ferrari dealership in the United States in 1949 in Greenwich, CT.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, Allan played a pivotal role in helping to run his parents’ trucking company, JZ Motor Express of Greenwich, CT. This experience not only also taught him the intricacies of driving trailer trucks — often transporting beer to New York — but also provided him with essential business management skills.

Allan’s passion for the car and racing industries led him to team up with Bob Grossman, serving as vice president of Grossman Motor Cars in Manhattan throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Together with Bob Grossman and Luigi Chinetti, Jr., he became a co-venturer of a North American Racing Team. Their dedication and teamwork culminated in a remarkable fifth-place finish in a Ferrari Daytona at the 24-hour race at Le Mans in 1971.

Allan is survived by: his wife of 42 years, Sally; his daughter from a previous marriage, Sarah Sockol, of Little Silver; his nephews, Scott Coleman, of Little Silver, and Dean Coleman, of Tampa, FL; three nieces, Leslie Feldman, of Delray Beach, FL, Jill Kellner, of Ithaca, NY, and Lark Kellner, of San Jose, CA; a step-daughter, Susan Hickson, of Long Branch; and many great-nephews and nieces.

A private burial service was held at Congregation B’Nai Israel Cemetery in Tinton Falls.

In Loving Memory of Allan J. Sockol, please consider a donation to either the Little Silver PBA Local 359, P.O. Box 359, Little Silver, NJ 07739 OR to the Riverview Medical Center Foundation (ATTN: Tim Hogan), 1 Riverview Plaza, Red Bank, NJ 07701.

— Edited obituary prepared by family via John E. Day Funeral Home