Wilsons: Paving trails for Black, female dealers

Barbara and Porterfield Wilson were a dynamic dealer duo well known in Detroit's Black community in the 1970s and beyond.

During their lifetimes, they were avid boaters and moved in a social circle that included former Mayor Coleman Young, according to dealers and others who knew them.

The couple owned Porterfield Wilson Pontiac-GMC Truck in Detroit and Honda and Mazda dealerships in nearby Ferndale, Mich. Barbara became the industry's first Black female dealer principal, overseeing the Honda store.

In the early 1960s, before Porterfield started selling cars, he helped build them at a Chrysler-Plymouth factory in Detroit on the night shift and had a part-time side hustle during the day as a pharmacy clerk, recalled Joe Gordon, a longtime family friend who was once the couple's Pontiac sales manager.

It was during his day job that Porterfield made connections that led to him selling cars at a Detroit Chrysler-Plymouth dealership. Gordon called Porterfield a "super salesman" who did so well that someone at General Motors noticed and offered him a dealership.

The city's Black clientele was responsive because Porterfield was one of the few Black salesmen around, "and they liked the idea of buying from one of their own," said Gordon, who at 84 is still selling cars, at Crestmont Cadillac in suburban Cleveland.

In December 1970, Porterfield landed his Pontiac dealership, which was in a converted storefront in Detroit that required reinforcements in the basement to support the showroom floor, Gordon recalled. Porterfield later added GMC and moved his store to a bigger location formerly occupied by another Pontiac dealership.

When the Wilsons were awarded their Honda franchise in March 1979, Barbara became the first Black woman to appear in a manufacturer's sales and service agreement as a dealer principal, wrote Rusty Restuccia, author of the website A History of African-American New Car Dealers. Barbara managed the store day to day, Restuccia wrote.

Jenell Ross, president of Bob Ross Auto Group in Centerville, Ohio, fondly remembers frequent weekend family trips to Detroit when the Wilsons hosted her dad, Bob Ross, and Black Detroit dealers for informal meetings to "cuss and discuss" business strategies and exchange best practices.

Ross said Barbara was like a "second mom" to her and allowed her to work at the Honda dealership for two weeks as part of a high school project.

Porterfield died of a heart attack in January 1989 at age 55, Gordon said.

Soon afterward, Barbara sold the Pontiac-GMC and Mazda stores but continued to operate the Honda store until about 1995. She remained socially active until she became ill in 2011.

Barbara never fully recovered and died in April 2020 at age 85, both Gordon and Ross confirmed.