Jacobson’s next step up in the automotive world came five years later, when he accepted a job as a used car manager at a Toyota dealership in Hollywood, Florida. Jacobson quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the host of a Toyota-backed late night television show in Miami that featured guests ranging from movie and television stars to athletes and more. Following his stint in Florida, Jacobson moved to the Durham area in 1999, where he became a local celebrity, starring in his own humorous, quirky commercials, which co-starred his dogs Dylan and Elvis in the early years. “He had fun with it; they were goofy, but you remembered it, because they were funny,” Lau said. As an example, Lau noted a specific commercial spot with Jacobson showcasing his daily random act of kindness, a bag of coins in hand. “He said, ‘Today I’m going to put money in the meters of all the cars that are expired,’” Lau chuckled. “So, he’s hopping and skipping down the sidewalk and putting the quarters in the meters, and they’ve got a ticked-off parking lady sitting there with her pad writing tickets, giving him dirty looks. It was goofy, but it was really funny, and those were the kinds of commercials he made.” Lau said this persona wasn’t one that was just reserved for television though, noting that Jacobson was a larger-than- life kind of guy in virtually any setting. “When he was in town, he’d be at the dealership, walking around and striking up conversations with customers,” he said. “Everybody knew who he was through the commercials, and everybody loved him.” Lau also noted that while Jacobson never 32 • MECUM.COM spoke of it, he was always one to share his success with others, regularly donating to worthy causes, with the Special Olympics being among his favorites. “He was very kind,” Lau said. “He never broadcasted that, but he gave away a lot of money for causes that he believed in.” While Jacobson was well known for his gregarious personality and quirky television commercials, he also fast became known for the automotive collection he had amassed at his Durham, North Carolina, Toyota dealership: Mark Jacobson’s Dream Machines Museum. Jacobson’s collection first began to take form in 2009, when he purchased his first classic car, a 1959 Cadillac Deville, with the vision of assembling a collection of cars where the public could come see and enjoy the collection. “That’s what made it unlike any other collection around here,” Lau said. Lau said the collection already had about 13 cars when he started with Jacobson five years ago, housed in an interior museum at that time. “The second floor of the Pre-Owned Store housed the dealership’s used Camrys and Corollas, and he told me, ‘I want to fill this whole second floor up with classic cars,’” Lau said. “And he did. We have 28 cars, more than doubled it in the five years I’ve been here.”
