Old NW car dealers
Discussion
Google [bot] said:
I remember my dad getting an (one of the first in the country) Atlas Grey 5-door Golf GTI from Howarth Motors in Warrington. I remember folk in pre-update Mk2 GTIs giving curious looks driving back to Chester. There too was the recently released Mk2 Scirocco Storm.
I seem to recall they folded as he ended up being charged with fraud of some description(?)
Whitefriars (?) in Chester was always a treat, various interesting cars turned over in there, from 6-series BMWs, 911s to Jensen Interceptors and the such.
Grosvenor Motors in Chester prior to Dane Mo Co taking over the whole place - I forget the name, but I remember an excited young GoogleBot and father looking through the windows at the soon to be picked up Mars Red 1.6 GTI - October 5th 1981. Jeez, I can remember that but I can't rememeber if I turned the oven off...
Red Rose Mo Co, BMW in Chester I remember excitedly going down there to view a black Testarossa. Actually, don't know if it was in the same place, but my Dad had his new MkII Lotus Cortina rolled by a 17 year old mechanic from there when prior to being a BMW outlet was a general second hand sporty stuff outlet. The mechanic got a job in Quicks the next week.
Quicks - the site of my first spotting of a Sierra, a Sierra Cosworth and actually pretty much every new release Ford for a decade.
Ha you picked up your mars red 1.6 gti when I was being born ha my D.O.B is 05/10/1981 :-)I seem to recall they folded as he ended up being charged with fraud of some description(?)
Whitefriars (?) in Chester was always a treat, various interesting cars turned over in there, from 6-series BMWs, 911s to Jensen Interceptors and the such.
Grosvenor Motors in Chester prior to Dane Mo Co taking over the whole place - I forget the name, but I remember an excited young GoogleBot and father looking through the windows at the soon to be picked up Mars Red 1.6 GTI - October 5th 1981. Jeez, I can remember that but I can't rememeber if I turned the oven off...
Red Rose Mo Co, BMW in Chester I remember excitedly going down there to view a black Testarossa. Actually, don't know if it was in the same place, but my Dad had his new MkII Lotus Cortina rolled by a 17 year old mechanic from there when prior to being a BMW outlet was a general second hand sporty stuff outlet. The mechanic got a job in Quicks the next week.
Quicks - the site of my first spotting of a Sierra, a Sierra Cosworth and actually pretty much every new release Ford for a decade.
matara][quote said:
Transound.
I remember(1988/89) the owner having a red Porsche 959,his name was Leon and the reg number on the car was 1EON.
Does this place have a white frontage with a chequered-flag type logo with red text???
..................................................................................................................................................................
I worked at Transound for two years part-time in 1985-87, when I was finishing school. I remember assisting the lead tech there put an alarm in the white Lambo QV 25th anniversary. There was a Dino there as well as a black Ferrari Boxer that Leon bought from Eric Clapton when he was done for drink driving. It was parked outside the shop one day when a little kid on a bike was leaning on the window looking inside and slipped and his bike scraped the door. The scrape was only about 5cm, and I remember it costing something like 8000 quid to repair.
Leon had some lovely classic bikes as well including a lovely Vincent. I think he made a lot of money from cars in the 80's but I don't think the crash of the late 80's did him any favours.
There was a largish bloke that worked there in Sales he was very unscroupoulus. It definitely wasn't the place to go to for a bargain.
I'll see if I can dig out and scan some old photos.
..................................................................................................................................................................I remember(1988/89) the owner having a red Porsche 959,his name was Leon and the reg number on the car was 1EON.
Does this place have a white frontage with a chequered-flag type logo with red text???
..................................................................................................................................................................
I worked at Transound for two years part-time in 1985-87, when I was finishing school. I remember assisting the lead tech there put an alarm in the white Lambo QV 25th anniversary. There was a Dino there as well as a black Ferrari Boxer that Leon bought from Eric Clapton when he was done for drink driving. It was parked outside the shop one day when a little kid on a bike was leaning on the window looking inside and slipped and his bike scraped the door. The scrape was only about 5cm, and I remember it costing something like 8000 quid to repair.
Leon had some lovely classic bikes as well including a lovely Vincent. I think he made a lot of money from cars in the 80's but I don't think the crash of the late 80's did him any favours.
There was a largish bloke that worked there in Sales he was very unscroupoulus. It definitely wasn't the place to go to for a bargain.
I'll see if I can dig out and scan some old photos.
Ah good old Leon eh. Well known to trading standards in the 1980s and my first experience of being ripped off straight to my face.
This was along with plenty of other people who brought the case.
I wondered how a car electrics fitting business paid for numerous supercars and all that advertising. I guess he had made money elsewhere or maybe it was the steady flow of mugs like me keeping his profits high.
I experienced double the verbal price they finally wanted to charge me while threatening to keep my car. I was shocked and like a scared little mug I paid up. When the work was inspected it was shoddy wiring and used parts. He got a £6000 fine and we got a tiny £26 in compensation
I was a young naive kid and I didnt get a written quote. Rule number 1 is always get a written quote folks
I never trusted anyone else again with my cars or anything! The most annoying thing is I could have done the work better myself if I wasnt being so lazy. The lesson was well and truly learnt!
I saw this thread and just had to make a perfectly legitimate comment. Its all water under the bridge now. I've earnt plenty since and in a way I can laugh about that dodgy operation now and put it down to experience. He kept changing the trading name as well
Lets just say I'm not sad to hear about any misfortune he or his business had. Karma!
The place doesnt exist anymore which is good news. I wont be saying RIP about him. He couldnt even protect the cars I helped pay for
Edited by Cambuster on Saturday 7th June 18:42
I'd love to find some seventies photos of GH Horn in Stockport, as it's where my project Vauxhall was sold new. I phoned the new owners and asked if anyone still worked there who dated back to that time, they said they'd ask around and call back but never did. Would be nice to get an authentic dealer sticker for the car.
Bodie390 said:
Does anyone remember an old Vauxhall (I think!) dealer that was located in Denton Manchester which is now Junction 24 of the M60.
I remember playing in the disused showroom in the late 70's.
I remember someone asking about it earlier in this thread, might have been you. I read through yesterday because I couldn't remember if I'd asked about Horns before.I remember playing in the disused showroom in the late 70's.
Around here (Crewe/Nantwich) we had:
Slack and Mickle - BMC, became Oliver Rix, then James Edwards.
Richard Mullock - BL - carried on for some time as an any-make used car dealer
Robert Layland Motors - Vauxhall - which went bust and was replaced by Grasmere, which did the same and I think is now part of Bristol Street Motors, or at least they have the Vauxhall dealership.
Harry W Dodd did something "weird" (for the time) like Mazda and/or Volvo, and Websters did motorcycles and Reliant three-wheelers.
I think the Ford dealer was always Ringways, until that was also changed over to Bristol Street and moved premises. Chatfields were in Stoke, doing Ford.
Someone mentioned Top Marques in Sandbach, that was built on a while back and it's either flats or a restaurant, or both.
I remember going to Aidan Piers and never being able to get a part-ex price out of them - I'd go in on a Saturday (on the way to Manchester, probably) and look at something, show them my car, then ask what the deal might be. The valuer was never in (strange, for a weekend) and they never called back, on the two or three separate occasions I tried. Fair enough, they might not have wanted my car (though a highish-mileage Audi coupe quattro suited them at the time) but they could have just said so.
I had a good look around a quattro at John Roberts in Warrington. As we got into more detail, turned out it had been sold once, then lost oil pressure on the way to delivery, so they'd brought it back, "fixed" it, customer had pulled out of the deal. Nice looking car, unusual champagne colour, no idea how much of the oil pressure story was actually true or just an excuse for why it had re-appeared - if an excuse, it's not one I'd have picked.
Was Hollingdrakes in Stockport the same business as the one that used to be in Colwyn Bay? My mum used to work for them, many years ago.
Who remembers Mann Island Porsche dealership in Liverpool next to the docks?
I used to stumble in there occasionally to look at the lovely cars.
I remember once they had a stunning metallic ruby red 964 GT2, you know a proper Porsche before they went water-cooled. It had these awesome chromed split-rim alloys and beautiful extended wheel arches that were bolted on, and a huge rear whale tail. I've never seen one like it in the flesh since, I still want one.
I used to stumble in there occasionally to look at the lovely cars.
I remember once they had a stunning metallic ruby red 964 GT2, you know a proper Porsche before they went water-cooled. It had these awesome chromed split-rim alloys and beautiful extended wheel arches that were bolted on, and a huge rear whale tail. I've never seen one like it in the flesh since, I still want one.
Edited by Twincharge on Saturday 24th May 01:35
Twincharge said:
Who remembers Mann Island Porsche dealership in Liverpool next to the docks?
I used to stumble in there occasionally to look at the lovely cars.
I remember once they had a stunning metallic ruby red 964 GT2, you know a proper Porsche before they went water-cooled. It had these awesome chromed split-rim alloys and beautiful extended wheel arches that were bolted on, and a huge rear whale tail. I've never seen one like it in the flesh since, I still want one.
Wasn't it also a Merc dealership?I used to stumble in there occasionally to look at the lovely cars.
I remember once they had a stunning metallic ruby red 964 GT2, you know a proper Porsche before they went water-cooled. It had these awesome chromed split-rim alloys and beautiful extended wheel arches that were bolted on, and a huge rear whale tail. I've never seen one like it in the flesh since, I still want one.
Edited by Twincharge on Saturday 24th May 01:35
droopsnoot said:
I'd love to find some seventies photos of GH Horn in Stockport, as it's where my project Vauxhall was sold new. I phoned the new owners and asked if anyone still worked there who dated back to that time, they said they'd ask around and call back but never did. Would be nice to get an authentic dealer sticker for the car.
My father in law worked for either Horns or Chapel House in the mid to late Seventies according to Mrs Hybrids, we are seeing him next weekend so will ask which it was.Twincharge said:
Who remembers Mann Island Porsche dealership in Liverpool next to the docks?
I used to stumble in there occasionally to look at the lovely cars.
I remember once they had a stunning metallic ruby red 964 GT2, you know a proper Porsche before they went water-cooled. It had these awesome chromed split-rim alloys and beautiful extended wheel arches that were bolted on, and a huge rear whale tail. I've never seen one like it in the flesh since, I still want one.
Yeah I used to deliver cars to Mann Island OPC when in worked at Ian Anthony Wilmslow OPC.. No such car as 964 GT2, surely you mean a 993 GT2 I used to stumble in there occasionally to look at the lovely cars.
I remember once they had a stunning metallic ruby red 964 GT2, you know a proper Porsche before they went water-cooled. It had these awesome chromed split-rim alloys and beautiful extended wheel arches that were bolted on, and a huge rear whale tail. I've never seen one like it in the flesh since, I still want one.
Edited by Twincharge on Saturday 24th May 01:35
Bodie390 said:
Does anyone remember an old Vauxhall (I think!) dealer that was located in Denton Manchester which is now Junction 24 of the M60.
I remember playing in the disused showroom in the late 70's.
Yes, I remember it well, it was on the left hand side going down Hyde Road towards Manchester, just before Denton Rock roundabout. Took my Vauxhall Victor there one to be serviced around 1970, Can't remember the name of it, but it may come back to me....I remember playing in the disused showroom in the late 70's.
Wacky Racer said:
Bodie390 said:
Does anyone remember an old Vauxhall (I think!) dealer that was located in Denton Manchester which is now Junction 24 of the M60.
I remember playing in the disused showroom in the late 70's.
Yes, I remember it well, it was on the left hand side going down Hyde Road towards Manchester, just before Denton Rock roundabout. Took my Vauxhall Victor there one to be serviced around 1970, Can't remember the name of it, but it may come back to me....I remember playing in the disused showroom in the late 70's.
andygo said:
Twincharge said:
Who remembers Mann Island Porsche dealership in Liverpool next to the docks?
I used to stumble in there occasionally to look at the lovely cars.
I remember once they had a stunning metallic ruby red 964 GT2, you know a proper Porsche before they went water-cooled. It had these awesome chromed split-rim alloys and beautiful extended wheel arches that were bolted on, and a huge rear whale tail. I've never seen one like it in the flesh since, I still want one.
Wasn't it also a Merc dealership?I used to stumble in there occasionally to look at the lovely cars.
I remember once they had a stunning metallic ruby red 964 GT2, you know a proper Porsche before they went water-cooled. It had these awesome chromed split-rim alloys and beautiful extended wheel arches that were bolted on, and a huge rear whale tail. I've never seen one like it in the flesh since, I still want one.
Edited by Twincharge on Saturday 24th May 01:35
droopsnoot said:
Bodie390 said:
Does anyone remember an old Vauxhall (I think!) dealer that was located in Denton Manchester which is now Junction 24 of the M60.
I remember playing in the disused showroom in the late 70's.
I remember someone asking about it earlier in this thread, might have been you. I read through yesterday because I couldn't remember if I'd asked about Horns before.I remember playing in the disused showroom in the late 70's.
Around here (Crewe/Nantwich) we had:
Slack and Mickle - BMC, became Oliver Rix, then James Edwards.
Richard Mullock - BL - carried on for some time as an any-make used car dealer
Robert Layland Motors - Vauxhall - which went bust and was replaced by Grasmere, which did the same and I think is now part of Bristol Street Motors, or at least they have the Vauxhall dealership.
Harry W Dodd did something "weird" (for the time) like Mazda and/or Volvo, and Websters did motorcycles and Reliant three-wheelers.
I think the Ford dealer was always Ringways, until that was also changed over to Bristol Street and moved premises. Chatfields were in Stoke, doing Ford.
Someone mentioned Top Marques in Sandbach, that was built on a while back and it's either flats or a restaurant, or both.
I remember going to Aidan Piers and never being able to get a part-ex price out of them - I'd go in on a Saturday (on the way to Manchester, probably) and look at something, show them my car, then ask what the deal might be. The valuer was never in (strange, for a weekend) and they never called back, on the two or three separate occasions I tried. Fair enough, they might not have wanted my car (though a highish-mileage Audi coupe quattro suited them at the time) but they could have just said so.
I had a good look around a quattro at John Roberts in Warrington. As we got into more detail, turned out it had been sold once, then lost oil pressure on the way to delivery, so they'd brought it back, "fixed" it, customer had pulled out of the deal. Nice looking car, unusual champagne colour, no idea how much of the oil pressure story was actually true or just an excuse for why it had re-appeared - if an excuse, it's not one I'd have picked.
Was Hollingdrakes in Stockport the same business as the one that used to be in Colwyn Bay? My mum used to work for them, many years ago.
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