Ernie Boch Dies at 76-July 15, 2003

Ernie Boch, Automotive Icon and Television Personality, Dies at 76-This Day In Norwood History-July 15, 2003

Ernie Boch, a towering figure in the New England automotive industry frequently referred to as the P.T. Barnum of car dealers, passed away from liver cancer on July 13, 2003, at his home in Edgartown. For decades, he was a fixture on local television, known for his signature, low-budget advertisements that aired on Route 1 in Norwood. These spots, often broadcast during the 6 o’clock news, featured Ernie Boch performing memorable stunts to capture public attention. In one of his most famous sequences, he was filmed holding a hammer and smashing a window to announce sticker-smashing prices on 1966 Dodge and Rambler vehicles. With a booming delivery, he would declare to the audience: “Nobody! Nobody smashes prices on new 1966 Dodge Ramblers and used cars like Boch, and don’t forget it.” He would often conclude these high-energy segments with the catchphrase, “Says who? Says I, Ernie Boch.”

The success of these commercials was undeniable, even if Ernie Boch himself acknowledged they were not high art. In a 1983 interview with the Boston Phoenix, he noted, “They certainly weren’t the most sophisticated commercials, but they did the job they were intended to do. Any time you smash things, people are bound to be interested.” This aggressive commitment to sales resulted in staggering business volume; by 1998, Ernie Boch claimed to have sold 32,000 cars in a single year. His business roots were deep in Norwood, where his father, Andrew B. Boch, had originally operated a Nash agency on Route 1. After graduating from Norwood High School in 1946 and serving two years in the Army, Ernie Boch worked in shoe factories in New Hampshire before returning to the family business to assist his ailing father. His transformation into a sales icon occurred unexpectedly one afternoon when he sold his first vehicle while his father was away at the bank. Shortly thereafter, he launched a promotional campaign in the Sunday Globe featuring a quarter-page ad of himself detonating a competitor’s dealership with a dynamite plunger, setting the tone for his future as the primary architect of the Route 1 “Auto Mile.”

Beyond his local dealership operations, Ernie Boch expanded his reach to become a massive financial force, eventually overseeing a Subaru distributorship and multiple radio stations on Cape Cod. His philanthropic legacy included the founding of the Boch Center for the Performing Arts in Mashpee. Despite his immense wealth—estimated by his son, Ernie Boch Jr., to be approximately half a billion dollars—he remained a larger-than-life character who was notoriously frugal in his daily interactions. In 1985, he constructed a sprawling $10 million estate on Edgartown Harbor on Martha’s Vineyard. The property, which boasted 245 windows, 85 skylights, and three kitchens, also featured a $1 million granite driveway where he would jog past his pet donkey and llamas. Even as a multi-millionaire who commuted by private jet, Ernie Boch maintained a sharp focus on business, famously rowing out to collect mooring fees from other wealthy dealers like Jim Carney and Herb Chambers. When questioned about the incident, Ernie Boch characteristically corrected the detail, noting the fee was actually $40. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Lyons Boch, his mother Ida Boch, his son Ernie Boch Jr., five daughters, another son, a brother, and a sister.