Motorcycle leaser adds horsepower

NAPLES — Leucadia National Corp. has invested $20 million in Chrome Capital, the nation's leading leasing company for pre-owned Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Naples-based Chrome says the investment will help the company expand its products to a network of nearly 300 dealers and boost its growth. In a statement, Chrome says the equity investment may increase to $86 million.

“Permanent capital from a significant strategic partner, coupled with Chrome's highly efficient infrastructure, facilitates three core objectives of our business: help Harley-Davidson dealers put more motorcycles on the road; bring Harley riders back to the dealerships at the end of the lease term; and provide superior customer service to both the dealerships and leasing customer,” says Peter Wasmer, CEO of Chrome Capital, in a statement.

New York-based Leucadia is a diversified holding company involved in a variety of businesses from investment banking to finance, beef processing, manufacturing, energy projects and real estate. Leucadia posted $10.4 billion in revenues in 2013 and is publicly traded (symbol: LUK ; recent price: $27).