Old NW car dealers

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Discussion

Arese

21,007 posts

186 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Anyone remember Kirkby Central on Manchester Road on the way to Bolton? They were a Vauxhall dealer, and a Lotus Carlton specialist. My Dad used to work there and sold a Lotus Carlton to a guy who part-exed a Sapphire Cosworth, a Shogun, and about £15k in cash! He was from Liverpool, apparently.

I think they then turned into Bowers of Bolton (Harry Bowers was the owner I think), and turned their attention to mainly Saab. I think the garage is still there now, probably selling Chevrolet Matiz'!

sider

Original Poster:

2,059 posts

220 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
They're probably now known as Wilson and Co - the Vauxhall/Saab/Chevy dealer in Bolton.

CatherineJ

9,586 posts

242 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
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AFG, I remember them They were all over Yorkshire too and as I remember were owned by the then Nissa importer (Chap with a foreign sounding name).

Anyway they dissappeared when Nissan terminated the franchise.

sider

Original Poster:

2,059 posts

220 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Yeah, seem to remember they were Nissan.

Another Yorkshire car dealer from the past - Dixon Group! That was a shock when they went under!

A bizarre fact re this post - Drabble and Allen are on Companies House, as being set up as two different companies - one established in 1920, the other 1937. One lasted until 1991, the other 1994. The odd thing is though - they were previously known as 'Wigan Motor Company'!.

sider

Original Poster:

2,059 posts

220 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Another name - Mead of Bolton, Jag main dealer.

Another dealer was IGW in Bolton, Subaru and Mitsubishi - and i think for a short spell, Mercedes too. They were a big dealership - not sure what happened there.

Nolar Dog

8,786 posts

194 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
sider said:
Another name in the NW in the late 90's/early 00's was Virgin Cars at Salford - the big place that has been every type of car supermarket going!
That place has been demolished and rebuilt as Robins & Day Peugeot now.
Opened in about November '08 I think.

Nolar Dog

8,786 posts

194 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
NTEL said:
This is going back a bit. BOC near Piccadilly. They had a telly advert jingle.....BOC better people to buy from, BOC its the Earles Court of the North!
nono It was A&B (Volvo) in Newton Le Willows that used that jingle.
"A&B better people to buy from"

BOC is still going strong on Hyder Road, 5 minutes from Piccadilly.

CatherineJ

9,586 posts

242 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Robins and Day are owned by Peugeot themselves.

Dixon, yes quite a shock especially when you think they went under after they were sold by Dixon himself to RBS or was it BOS (it was one of the 2 lovely banks that we are now currently as taxpayers bailing out).

barefoot

29 posts

183 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
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Ball and Hargreaves in Blackpool in the 70's lotus dealers?

darronwall

1,730 posts

195 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
barefoot said:
Ball and Hargreaves in Blackpool in the 70's lotus dealers?
you mean hargreaves and bailey,used to be in centre of bpool and then on cherry tree rd

5 wh

1,502 posts

214 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
barefoot said:
Ball and Hargreaves in Blackpool in the 70's lotus dealers?
Arent they still going as a Mercedes Independant on the A6?

Wacky Racer

38,099 posts

246 months

Tuesday 10th March 2009
quotequote all
Nolar Dog said:
NTEL said:
This is going back a bit. BOC near Piccadilly. They had a telly advert jingle.....BOC better people to buy from, BOC its the Earles Court of the North!
nono It was A&B (Volvo) in Newton Le Willows that used that jingle.
"A&B better people to buy from"

BOC is still going strong on Hyde Road, 5 minutes from Piccadilly.
Sorry ND.nono

Definitely the jingle was for BOC (Blackburn, Oldham and Cleveleys)...remember it very well from the mid sixties..........

As you say the Hyde Road branch is still trading....All independent traders under one roof

In the mid seventies Bernard Manning appeared in BOC TV adverts dressed as a king wearing a large crown....

Scroll down:-


http://tv.cream.org/specialassignments/thecore/ind...

Edited by Wacky Racer on Tuesday 10th March 21:32

barefoot

29 posts

183 months

Wednesday 11th March 2009
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Sorry Hargreaves and Bailey Lotus dealers in Blackpool!

V8 GRF

7,294 posts

209 months

Wednesday 11th March 2009
quotequote all
Wacky Racer said:
Nolar Dog said:
NTEL said:
This is going back a bit. BOC near Piccadilly. They had a telly advert jingle.....BOC better people to buy from, BOC its the Earles Court of the North!
nono It was A&B (Volvo) in Newton Le Willows that used that jingle.
"A&B better people to buy from"

BOC is still going strong on Hyde Road, 5 minutes from Piccadilly.
Sorry ND.nono

Definitely the jingle was for BOC (Blackburn, Oldham and Cleveleys)...remember it very well from the mid sixties..........

As you say the Hyde Road branch is still trading....All independent traders under one roof

In the mid seventies Bernard Manning appeared in BOC TV adverts dressed as a king wearing a large crown....

Scroll down:-


http://tv.cream.org/specialassignments/thecore/ind...
yes BOC, better people to buy from, used to be one on North Road in Preston.

Stan Marks in Preston used to BMC dealers if I remember correctly.

AnthonyC

476 posts

220 months

Wednesday 11th March 2009
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Ensor Mercedes in Bury, now a Toyota dealer.

Warbbby

130 posts

200 months

Wednesday 11th March 2009
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Loxhams were BMC dealers in Preston when I was a lad. Possibly Rolls/Bentley as well.

sider

Original Poster:

2,059 posts

220 months

Wednesday 11th March 2009
quotequote all
Speaking of Preston - does anyone remember the Bond bug place?

I'm not old enough too - but a chap i used to work with lived right near.

Warbbby

130 posts

200 months

Wednesday 11th March 2009
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Yes I remember. Caught the bus from the bus station to Longridge which went down Ribbleton Lane and you could look down into the yard full of body shells from the top floor of the bus.

A little bit further down Ribbleton lane was a guy called Willie I think who was building a man powered flying machine. From memory someone had offered a prize of £1m to the first person to fly a one mile figure of eight course and Willie took up the challenge. I can't remember whether or not it ever flew. Certainly didn't win the prize.

NTEL

5,051 posts

239 months

Wednesday 11th March 2009
quotequote all
V8 GRF said:
yes BOC, better people to buy from, used to be one on North Road in Preston.
Dave, this agreeing with each other thing is getting a bit too regular for my liking. Its not healthy wink

sider

Original Poster:

2,059 posts

220 months

Wednesday 11th March 2009
quotequote all
Warbbby said:
Yes I remember. Caught the bus from the bus station to Longridge which went down Ribbleton Lane and you could look down into the yard full of body shells from the top floor of the bus.
Fascinating the amount of car production that used to take place in the North West. Saying that, we've got Jag, Land Rover and Vauxhall now, as well as Bentley.

Lancs used to be big though with Bond, TVR and BL.