Glasgow car dealers in the 60's -70's

[Hugo a Gogo]

StescoG66 said:

Remember Weir the Datsun People? Branches in Bishopbriggs, kirkintilloch (Now Hayston Garage) and Kilbowie Road, Hardgate (Now a funeral parlour). Story goes that the owner of the business was promptly de-franchised by Mr Botnar when he turned up at a franchise holders meeting in a Rolls Royce . . . . . . . .. My old man had a string of Datsuns from there and have very fond memmories. I remember them having a red 260z in the front window with a big Starsky and Hutch stripe. I thought that was so cool. However on a more sensible note, I remember seeing a black Bluebird U11 ZX Turbo up there andloving it.

aha! Is this the Starsky and Hutch car I remember from my youth, see my earlier post on this thread, and it was a bloody Datsun? All these years I've convinced myself it was real Gran Torino! I was only about 5 or 6 I suppose

[S2red]

Obscure ones Renault dealer at St Vincent street / Elmbank St was that Wylies? The Garage in Bothwell St where Brazilian restaurant was McHargs/Arnold Clark?

The infamous Cannons in Lanarkshire

[StescoG66]

S2red said:

Obscure ones Renault dealer at St Vincent street / Elmbank St was that Wylies? The Garage in Bothwell St where Brazilian restaurant was McHargs/Arnold Clark?

The infamous Cannons in Lanarkshire

Wylie and Lochead that was the one I remember and in that very location. Wylies was a ford dealer - Ruthrglen? Divers Vauxhall anyone? And Cannons got vague recollections of that.

[ian2144]

groak said:

StescoG66 said:

..... Another one was Wylie and Lochhead..... .

I'm sure W&L were furniture makers/dealers with a large city centre store rather than motor traders.

Wylie's (no Lochhead) were the motor dealers.

Edited by groak on Friday 11th May 19:04

Back in the 60's I'm sure it was Wylie & Lochead as in the Renault dealer at the top of Byres Rd...The furniture thing rings a bell. But somthing runs in my mind they were also a Funeral Directors ??

[groak]

ian2144 said:

Back in the 60's I'm sure it was Wylie & Lochead as in the Renault dealer at the top of Byres Rd...The furniture thing rings a bell. But somthing runs in my mind they were also a Funeral Directors ??

Indeed you are right! I stand corrected. Just did a bit of googling and came up with an obscure Glasgow Herald ad from 1958. The showroom was at 117 Berkeley St, and they are described as " sole distributors for Daimler and Renault for Glasgow and South-West Scotland"

[S2red]

Remember that one on corner of North St Rover Triumph IIRC

Edited by S2red on Saturday 12th May 19:25

[StescoG66]

That one was McHarg Rennie and Lindsay pre Arnold Shark days I think. Anyone remember Bumpers in North Street?

[ian2144]

StescoG66 said:

That one was McHarg Rennie and Lindsay pre Arnold Shark days I think. Anyone remember Bumpers in North Street?

Bumpers on North St had the Alfa Romeo dealership late 70's early 80's if memory is correct ? then changed to an Independant performance car dealer Gti's 924's 944's etc

[HendryG]

StescoG66 said:

Remember Weir the Datsun People? Branches in Bishopbriggs, kirkintilloch (Now Hayston Garage) and Kilbowie Road, Hardgate (Now a funeral parlour). Story goes that the owner of the business was promptly de-franchised by Mr Botnar when he turned up at a franchise holders meeting in a Rolls Royce . . . . . . . .. My old man had a string of Datsuns from there and have very fond memmories. I remember them having a red 260z in the front window with a big Starsky and Hutch stripe. I thought that was so cool. However on a more sensible note, I remember seeing a black Bluebird U11 ZX Turbo up there andloving it.

Other early recollections as T & S Liddell in Milngavie, Millies Motorcarmarket in Anniesland, Melvin Motors in Finnieston and Lastly Bishopbriggs Motors (Ford garage, now Kwik fit).

Oh and I remember some wag saying to me that AFG stood for Another F***ing Garage . . . . . . .

Edited by StescoG66 on Friday 11th May 07:11

Were Weir the Datsun people not owned by the JM (John Martin) Group? Who also owned Murray Motor Company, Dunedin, and Belmont car dealerships, IIRC it was called Belmont Datsun for a while and much later after Botnar had gone they got the Nissan franchise back and it was known as Weir the Nissan people, the Kirky dealership wasn't where Hayston Garage is it was on the High Street where Fraser and Crawford Peugeot dealership was until recently, and the Hardgate branch was where Arnold Clark Peugeot is now, when Weir lost Datsun they took on Peugeot as Centre Cars Peugeot, they also had a branch on Shields Road in Glasgow which became a Renault dealer called Centre Cars too, it later changed back to Weir Nissan. Then to Chrysler and Jeep which it still is now.

Others I remember were Lex Citroen, Ritchies Fiat, Wylies in Darnley where Shields/Macklin now is.

[S2red]

Odd one here Listing to radio earlier in week they were talking about being at a Motoring event and a chap in his 70's called Glen Gall was mentioned That name rings a bell but can't place it VW connection comes to mind

[StescoG66]

S2red said:

Odd one here Listing to radio earlier in week they were talking about being at a Motoring event and a chap in his 70's called Glen Gall was mentioned That name rings a bell but can't place it VW connection comes to mind

I was at primary school with his son Paul. Was Arnold Clarks right hand man if memory serves.

Further up, Weir the Datsun People was at the site of the present Hayston Garage in Kirkintilloch. They were started by a chap called Bill Weir then the business was sold to JM Group. Funnily enou round about the time Bill started driving around in a roller . . . . . . . . . The Hardgate branch was on the other side of the road to the present Peugeot garage, in where the funeral parlour now is on Kilbowie Road? The Fraser and Crawford site in Kirkintilloch was formerly McLays Garage (Austin Rover?)

Edited by StescoG66 on Saturday 19th May 11:12

Edited by StescoG66 on Saturday 19th May 11:13

[StescoG66]

Mossview Motors anyone????

[ian2144]

S2red said:

Odd one here Listing to radio earlier in week they were talking about being at a Motoring event and a chap in his 70's called Glen Gall was mentioned That name rings a bell but can't place it VW connection comes to mind

Back in the late 60's there was a guy by the name of Hinez Gaul, he lived in one of the bungalows at Bogside, just next to where Verve VW are now. He was a time seved NSU mechanic and had a small workshop by his house.

[Angelus]

Heinz was still there up until the 80's.

[S2red]

Regularly drove by there in PO/BT van

[ian2144]

Angelus said:

Heinz was still there up until the 80's.

I can remember going out there on my Moped back in 71 to pick up parts for my old man, didn't realize he was still there till the 80's

[ian2144]

Any one remember SASCO the car breakers on Netherton Road ?

[jith]

ian2144 said:

Any one remember SASCO the car breakers on Netherton Road ?

I remember their bloody prices!!!

J

[A832]

Back in the early 1980's I used to regularly get the bus from Killearn into Glasgow city centre via Maryhill Road and 2 garages stick in my mind. Taggarts, who at that time always had big ads in the Daily Record - maybe even tv air time - and Tennents, who were located near Firhill Stadium. While Taggarts had the PR, it was the latter who made an impression on me as a car mad 11/12 year old as they had a brick ramp displaying the "deal of the week". Being during the era of Dukes of Hazzard et al any car on ramps like that looked exciting, like it may take off! I was young, okay..

Now, I could be very wrong but I'm led to believe that Tennent's sudden dissapearance around that time was due not to economic reasons but something much more sinister. If you had a car, furniture or carpet business in Glasgow and made a success of it you'd come to the attention of a local shall we say, family. THey'd make the owner an offer they couldn't refuse then use said business as a front for their other activities. Woe betide anyone who didn't want to give up their livelihood, the men in leather jackets didn't grasp the concept of the word "no".

Speaking of hoods, Dennistoun Motors on Alexandra Parade sold me my first car - on the 1st of April 1990! I really should have read the signs. 'Twas an 1.1DL Allegro (don't ask) in brown and wheel trims like dustbin lids. I broke down in Ruchazie on the way home, noting that it was cutting out on corners. Fuel? Fine. Oil? Ahh.. Got it going again by some miracle, bought some oil from the nearest garage and slinked back to Stirling. They refused to give me a refund, saying "sold as seen" in the finest send you home in a body bag voice over the phone. They eventually agreed to look at but all they did was take off the only good thing on the car, the nearly new tyres, and replace them with items of which I've seen better at the side of Knockhill.

Remonstration was met with a similar "Taggart baddie" tone. Anyone who saw the recent Line of Duty on the BBC will get what I mean.

Fast forward a couple of years and I buy a Mk2 Astra from Southbank Motors in Kirkintilloch. Barring a pool of water in the rear footwell which dissappeared after a few days never to resurface and a slight dent in a wing, this car was fine. The only concern was that Southbank had been naughty boys. When customers were trading in their old car, the company said that they would settle any existing finance, no problem. Except people started getting red letters from their "old" finance company.. Yup, the garage were simply taking their old cars for free. I was lucky. I was trading in a Talbot Sunbeam., value £300. Southbank actually gave me a very good deal on it and I was actually, despite some initial glitches with paperwork, a very satisfied customer. One interesting footnote: as I was collecting the keys and about to drive into the sunset who should appear but.. the guy from Dennistoun Motors!! That did not fill me with confidence, I can tell you

[IainW]

I wonder if that Tennants was related to the one here in Armadale. It was latterly run by Italians. See the end of this story: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat...