Old NW car dealers

[droopsnoot]

F1Schumi81 said:

I was a sales exec at Grasmere Vauxhall just before they sold out to Bristol Street Motors. They were a good dealership untill they went bump and the owner Paul Baker sold up. Another independent dealership gone to the big boys like Arnold Clarke, Bristol Street motors etc. There not independent good old dealerships that specialise in certain cars anymore. How times have really changed

Ah, my Firenza bodywork was done in their bodyshop back in 1997.

[B1G GK]

Pictures are shamelessly robbed from another forum,
Dont even think I was swimming length's in my dads ballbag when these were taken

[droopsnoot]

Ooh, do you mind pointing me to that forum please? My mum used to work in Hollingdrakes, in Colwyn Bay.

[eddy02]

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.

Try your local interest center, (I got some good old photos from ours up here in Oldham).

[eddy02]

No way did that used to be a car dealers.Nice one,snooker place now.

[droopsnoot]

eddy02 said:

Try your local interest center, (I got some good old photos from ours up here in Oldham).

I had a bit of a search (I'm not that local to Stockport, so my local one might not help) and found a couple of generic outside shots. I was hoping to find someone that worked there who might have taken pics if they had anything interesting through, and hope that mine qualified.

[Wacky Racer]

eddy02 said:

No way did that used to be a car dealers.Nice one,snooker place now.

Used to be Land of Leather IIRC, before it was a snooker club.

I can remember it being Hollindrakes when I was a kid, across the road from where The MEN car park is now.

[drewos]

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.

Edited by Twincharge on Saturday 24th May 01:35

Wasn't it also a Merc dealership?

Yes, the Mercedes dealership was on the corner of the Strand and Mann Island. the Porsche dealership was opposite the end of the Port of Liverpool building where there are offices/flats now. I used to love going and looking in the window of that Porsche garage whilst on my lunch when I worked at the pier head. The last most interesting cars I remember were a gorgeous 996 GT3 RS (blue wheels & decals) and a 968 cup car. That was in 2004.

[can't remember]

Does anyone remember Barry Stevens petrol station and American car dealership on Ashton Road (next to Park Cakes) in Oldham. I spent ages there as a kid as Barry and my father were good mates. All the cars from Kojak and Starsky and Hutch were there, and if the adults had something to discuss, that I shouldn't hear, Barry would ask me what car I wanted to look at and give me the keys.

Happy days.

[eddy02]

I remember the place well.Did he actually sell any of them?

[Wacky Racer]

Yes, it was in the bottom of Bardsley Brew, on the right going up towards Oldham. I very nearly bought a Maroon Pontiac Firebird from there in 1978 for £3000, until I came to my senses when I found out the mpg figures.

Val Morton in Stalybridge was another American car dealer at that time......

[can't remember]

eddy02 said:

I remember the place well.Did he actually sell any of them?

My father had a Caprice Classic and a Monte Carlo off him but I doubt any money went through the books.

My favourite car he had was the split screen Riviera. Would be worth a fortune now.

[eddy02]

Wacky Racer said:

Yes, it was in the bottom of Bardsley Brew, on the right going up towards Oldham. I very nearly bought a Maroon Pontiac Firebird from there in 1978 for £3000, until I came to my senses when I found out the mpg figures.

Val Morton in Stalybridge was another American car dealer at that time......

Are you getting mixed up with the perfomance car place that was there,the American cars were further up next door to Park Cake bakeries.

[F1GTRUeno]

F1Schumi81 said:

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.

Edited by Twincharge on Saturday 24th May 01:35

Wasn't it also a Merc dealership?

I knew some one called Ian Joshua who was a sales man at mann Island Porsche, think, it was only a Porsche dealership. They knocked it down and they moved to Ellesmereport and became Cheshire Oaks Porsche.

Nah there was a MB dealership next door. Don't know if it was the same franchise but it was definitely next door.

As a kid growing up I always made my parents take me there to have a look at the better Mercs and all the Porsches whenever we visited Liverpool. Gutted when it closed and they redeveloped Mann Island.

[SCOUSE99]

Leaders Citroen/Fiat - Bootle - Now a Aldi.

Caledonia Peugeot - Had two franchises in Merseyside, one in Bootle and one in Old Swan. Bootle dealership shut around ten years ago and is now an Lidl, while the Old Swan dealership was taken over by Peugeot's dealer group, Robins and Day.

Arnold Clark used to have a large presence in Liverpool, with a SEAT dealership on Great Homer St, Nissan and Chevrolet dealerships on Sefton St and a Citroen dealership in Aigburth; they now only have a Kia/Mazda dealership on the site of the former Nissan dealership and a car rental unit in the place of the Chevrolet dealership.

[Blown2CV]

SCOUSE99 said:

Leaders Citroen/Fiat - Bootle - Now a Aldi.

Caledonia Peugeot - Had two franchises in Merseyside, one in Bootle and one in Old Swan. Bootle dealership shut around ten years ago and is now an Lidl, while the Old Swan dealership was taken over by Peugeot's dealer group, Robins and Day.

Arnold Clark used to have a large presence in Liverpool, with a SEAT dealership on Great Homer St, Nissan and Chevrolet dealerships on Sefton St and a Citroen dealership in Aigburth; they now only have a Kia/Mazda dealership on the site of the former Nissan dealership and a car rental unit in the place of the Chevrolet dealership.

My Dad's mate used to own Leaders. It was Lada too back in the day. Has a new place in lpool but not sure which.

[B1G GK]

eddy02 said:

Wacky Racer said:

Yes, it was in the bottom of Bardsley Brew, on the right going up towards Oldham. I very nearly bought a Maroon Pontiac Firebird from there in 1978 for £3000, until I came to my senses when I found out the mpg figures.

Val Morton in Stalybridge was another American car dealer at that time......

Are you getting mixed up with the perfomance car place that was there,the American cars were further up next door to Park Cake bakeries.

Cant remember the names, American car place was next to Park Cake at the back of a petrol station.
There was a car place opposite Smokies on Bardsley Brew that is now a car wash, they flirted with odd bits of hot hatches.

[MarsellusWallace]

A bit OT but Smokies-that was a rum place!

[B1G GK]

MarsellusWallace said:

A bit OT but Smokies-that was a rum place!

Was it Fingerblast Thursday's there - Singles night?

[can't remember]

MarsellusWallace said:

A bit OT but Smokies-that was a rum place!

As a 19 year old an older lady asked me if I was staying and did I have a room? I said I couldn't afford a room. She said that was fine as she wasn't asking me to pay. Gulp! Lots of dirty stop outs in the carpark and at the bus stop the following morning.