Old NW car dealers

[Blown2CV]

droopsnoot said:

I don't remember a Lotus dealer in Crewe, but it could have passed me by. I'll try to remember to ask my mate next time I see him, as he was in the motor trade in the area. There was Randles in Stoke, I do remember them.

christopher neil?

[Wacky Racer]

Blown2CV said:

droopsnoot said:

I don't remember a Lotus dealer in Crewe, but it could have passed me by. I'll try to remember to ask my mate next time I see him, as he was in the motor trade in the area. There was Randles in Stoke, I do remember them.

christopher neil?

Christopher Neil's always been in Northwich as long as I can remember.

[droopsnoot]

Finally remembered to ask my mate (who has been in the motor trade for years, and run his own place in Crewe since about 1982) and he doesn't recall an official Lotus outlet in the town. Plenty of small short-lived places that might have done them, though.

[bazjude2998]

Has anyone mentioned Bob Howlins ?What a character.
Bob had a sort of showroom / dark dingy railway arch but a treasure trove of racing machinery
Classics and spares (I don’t know Manchester that well but I think it was in Deansgate.) He always advertised in the Exchange & Mart.I tried to purchase a Lotus 7 from him trading a newish mini van I was £50 short which was a months wages in those days (1969 )
to make up the short fall Bob told me to fill the van with anything of any value,car spares,antiques,furniture etc Quote I,ll give you a fair price lad ( not a lot of space in a 1960,s mini )Last time I spoke to him was at a race meeting Aintree or Longridge late 70,s
Regards & Happy Christmas to all
Baz

[ArnageWRC]

Only just seen this thread, and some memories come flooding back.

Back in summer 1994, I can recall going to SGL to look at some Rovers, mainly the 214, and the Metro GTi/GTa.....didn't end up finding anything. However, late September, on my regular weekly trip to Ormskirk spotted a red Rover Metro GTa in Balmforths.....ended up going for it.

Nearer to home there was a Cowie Kirby on Northway - and just further along were the Shell petrol station is now (was an Esso previously) there was a Ford dealer; remember going in there for the RS brochures.

[northwestrecovery]

lenton and mccomb was at switch island opposite the alt pub and was ford after maghull motors closed in 1988 .

[kenny.R400]

droopsnoot said:

Finally remembered to ask my mate (who has been in the motor trade for years, and run his own place in Crewe since about 1982) and he doesn't recall an official Lotus outlet in the town. Plenty of small short-lived places that might have done them, though.

Thanks for asking around there. I now remember the place was called Anchor motors. The main showroom was in Chester and was a Rootes/Chrysler and Lotus dealer. I was sure they opened a second place in Crewe but could be wrong. My cousin was dealer principal there but I'll need to ask him again where the second place was, I thought he said Crewe.

Cheers

[T1CHS]

Anchor Motors was on Oak Street in Crewe.
They were a Rootes group dealership. The Lotus connection probably comes from them being an official Lotus Sunbeam dealer.
Unfortunately my father kept bringing home Hillman Avengers and Chrysler 180’s, he’d have brought home a stray dog if he’s seen one 😂

[kenny.R400]

T1CHS said:

Anchor Motors was on Oak Street in Crewe.
They were a Rootes group dealership. The Lotus connection probably comes from them being an official Lotus Sunbeam dealer.
Unfortunately my father kept bringing home Hillman Avengers and Chrysler 180’s, he’d have brought home a stray dog if he’s seen one ??

Many thanks for that, appreciated. Yes they were Roootes but also Lotus. Esprit, Eclat,Elite etc. Again thanks for that. Did your dad work there?

[T1CHS]

No he didn’t, he was a long standing customer, until he got the Volvo bug.

[kenny.R400]

T1CHS said:

No he didn’t, he was a long standing customer, until he got the Volvo bug.

Ahhh, gotcha. Thanks!!

[Pat H]

Jukebag said:

Can anyone remember the garage that sold American cars (all kinds ranging from Corvettes, Buicks, Trans Am, trucks, Caddys and salloons). I can't remember exactly where this dealer was located nor the name of the place, but I think roughly somewhere around the Charnock Richard, Preston or Blackpool area. My dad often used to stop off at this place in the mid 90s. I'm aware the place is no longer there.

Was it called Thorntrees Garage?

Did they move into adapted/motability type cars after the Yank stuff fell out of fashion?

[randomeddy]

M&S car sales, Middleton Rd Chadderton has gone.

General used cars, they were there a long time. 30+ years.

[Virago]

Re Pollards Garage, the garage was owned by Reg Arrowsmith who was a long family friend, my father Frederick Moore was manager along with George Davies and there was little Alan with the glasses who was car salesperson.

I worked at Pollards as an auto electrician 1971 to 1974, it was a very hot garage to work in during the summer with its glass roof, quite like a greenhouse really and of course cold in the winter. Lunchtimes during the summer were spent outside watching the young ladies from Bellerive School met some great friends there before I moved on. Shortly after Cubbin & North took over and a few years later Reg Arrowsmith died, I am happy to hold this piece of history in my heart.

[vitessesteve]

I have read this thread with great interest. My particular interest is in garages that sold Standard and or Triumph cars.

I have written several blog posts about dealers in the North West such as Hollingdrake of Stockport: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.com/2019/02/hollingdr...

I have several dealer directories and have done a post that lists dealers in Manchester over the years: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.com/2018/12/triumph-c...

[daveenty]

Jonnyfatlegs said:

daveenty said:

Wacky Racer mentions a couple of old dealers in Bury, and there are a couple on an earlier post, but I've not seen the Standard Triumph dealer mentioned yet.

W & R Roberts on Tottington Rd. Can't remember when they shut down (a good while back now) but a friend of mine served his time there.

Hello, i worked at W & R Roberts 75-84 in Parts, Service & Sales, as it was my Uncle Stanley Newhouse's Garage who had taken it over from William & Richard Roberts who had a petrol Station on Tottington Road, What's your friends name i might remember him?
Thanks, John.

Hi Steve, I found the above post from back in 2014 in this thread. Not sure if you're aware of them or not?

This is a later photo but I remember them having Heralds in the showroom.

[vitessesteve]

Thanks I did spot that sometime ago. I have not managed to find anything else about yet.

Edited by vitessesteve on Sunday 29th September 19:36

[ginettajoe]

vitessesteve said:

I have read this thread with great interest. My particular interest is in garages that sold Standard and or Triumph cars.

I have written several blog posts about dealers in the North West such as Hollingdrake of Stockport: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.com/2019/02/hollingdr...

I have several dealer directories and have done a post that lists dealers in Manchester over the years: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.com/2018/12/triumph-c...

.... Hammonds Garage, Handforth who were Triumph agents in the late sixties, early seventies!!

[Charles 123]

I know this is an old thread now, but I stumbled across it and it brought back so many memories of 40 years ago I wanted to add a few more to the list...

Smith Knight Fay (VW/Audi) Stockport (back in the day when VW and Audi were sold under the same roof!)

Lex Mead (Austin Rover) on the A6 in Heaton Chapel

Knightsbridge Mazda (opposite what is now the Peel Centre in Stockport)

Erskine and Calderbank (Seat and Reliant) Stockport

County Motors Peugeot (Great Moor)

Mr. Smith - the Nissan man (Newton-le-Willows and other places!)

Clock Garage (BMW) Accrington

Portmann (Mercedes) Manchester

F Grange and Son (Toyota till the late 90s, then Citroen) Styal

Slaters Colwyn Bay

Dean Smith (Volvo)

Gordon Ford

Langford and Thompson (Citroen)

Brookfield Hydro Motors (Citroen) Poynton

JJ Cookson (Peugeot) Macclesfield

DC Cook (Fiat) Manchester (remember the jingle? ‘Look for the DC Cook sign’)

Tom Garner (Peugeot)

Culvers (Toyota) Manchester (under the railway bridge next to Birchfields Road bus depot - now a shopping centre)

Church Lane Garage (Renault) Marple

What was the name of the Fiat dealership opposite Mcvities in Stockport?
There was Knibbs Fiat in the town centre... but I forget the name of the other one...

And what was the name of the Citroen dealership tucked away on Hopes Carr, Waterloo, Stockport... it must have closed when Horns of Stockport took on Citroen in the 90s?

So many memories!

[Charles 123]

Charles 123 said:

I know this is an old thread now, but I stumbled across it and it brought back so many memories of 40 years ago I wanted to add a few more to the list...

Smith Knight Fay (VW/Audi) Stockport (back in the day when VW and Audi were sold under the same roof!)

Lex Mead (Austin Rover) on the A6 in Heaton Chapel

Knightsbridge Mazda (opposite what is now the Peel Centre in Stockport)

Erskine and Calderbank (Seat and Reliant) Stockport

County Motors Peugeot (Great Moor)

Mr. Smith - the Nissan man (Newton-le-Willows and other places!)

Clock Garage (BMW) Accrington

Portmann (Mercedes) Manchester

F Grange and Son (Toyota till the late 90s, then Citroen) Styal

Slaters Colwyn Bay

Dean Smith (Volvo)

Gordon Ford

Langford and Thompson (Citroen)

Brookfield Hydro Motors (Citroen) Poynton

JJ Cookson (Peugeot) Macclesfield

DC Cook (Fiat) Manchester (remember the jingle? ‘Look for the DC Cook sign’)

Tom Garner (Peugeot)

Culvers (Toyota) Manchester (under the railway bridge next to Birchfields Road bus depot - now a shopping centre)

Church Lane Garage (Renault) Marple

What was the name of the Fiat dealership opposite Mcvities in Stockport?
There was Knibbs Fiat in the town centre... but I forget the name of the other one...

And what was the name of the Citroen dealership tucked away on Hopes Carr, Waterloo, Stockport... it must have closed when Horns of Stockport took on Citroen in the 90s?

So many memories!

Got the old grey matter going...

The Fiat dealership in the late 80s/early 90s in Heaton Chapel: Blackbrook Motors

Was the Citroen dealership in Hopes Carr called Yates?