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Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 10:36 pm
by RDR
I was thinking that the rise of the multi franchise, multi site, remotely owned car dealers has seen many small local dealers/garages disappear over the years.

Glasgow & Lanarkshire now seem dominated by Arnold Clarks, Parks and to a lesser extent Taggarts (actually owned by Lookers/Charles Hurst in England).

There used to be many local dealers/garages and on thinking about it these are the ones I can remember:

Jesners - Used to be at the Mulberry Hill end of Tantallon Road, Shawlands. Specialised in mobile shops. The garage is now long demolished.

Low's - Off Tantallon Road, they were shoe horned on a small triangular site beside I think the Black Cart river. Renault dealers in the years when anyone selling non British makes was unusual, before closure they dealt in Vauxhall. The showroom part of the garage was tiny and only held two cars.

Whitecraigs Motors - At the other end of Tantallon Road at Queen's Park. Originally dealt in BMC cars but before closure sold Suzuki's. Garage was demolished and replaced with flats.

Wylie's - On Pollockshaws road near Eglington Toll. Also had workshops behind that. At one time Glasgow's biggest Ford dealers with an enormous show room. Site now mainly flats with part yet to be built on.

Armour Motors - In Giffnock. At the time a custom built showroom. Dealt in Ford. The site is now a Mercedes-Benz dealer and has been completely rebuilt.

Merylee Motors - Further down Merrylee Road near where the Tinto Hotel once was. I remember the garage on that site as having been there sine the 30's and quite unique in design but can't remember what they sold. It was subequently demolished and rebuilt to the VW dealer on the site now.

Anderson's - A Newton Mearns legend the Anderson garage had been on that site since between the wars. Latterly a Rootes and then Crysler dealer, the site was demolished and cleared to skew the Barrhead Road for the construction of the Mearns X shopping centre.

Carlaw's - Same family as the Tory MSP, they had a large garage on Cook Street. I'm sure it actually had car elevators in it. I can't remember what they sold but I'm sure the building was eventually demolished.

Anybody got any others they can contribute or correct the above?

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 11:18 pm
by Celyn
Wasn't there a car shop or chain of shops called "Skelly's"?

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 11:22 pm
by Boxer6
Celyn wrote:Wasn't there a car shop or chain of shops called "Skelly's"?


Indeed there was - and is. Ian Skelly dealt primarily with VW if I remember right, and there's still a dealership bearing his name on Dlamarnock Road in Rutherglen, near the big Tesco. Not sure if that's the only one, but I can't think of any others right now.

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 11:23 pm
by Josef
Big in Lanarkshire - I don't know about anywhere else.

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 11:23 pm
by RDR
Celyn wrote:Wasn't there a car shop or chain of shops called "Skelly's"?


Yes, Ian Skelly's.
Lanarkshire based, I think they were bought over by sucessively, Trust Motors, who in turn were bought by Reg Vardy, who in turn were bought by Evans Halshaw.

After selling out, Ian Skelly, then started up again with his motor store concept and then sold that to Arnold Clarks.

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 11:24 pm
by RDR
Boxer6 wrote:
Celyn wrote:Wasn't there a car shop or chain of shops called "Skelly's"?


Indeed there was - and is. Ian Skelly dealt primarily with VW if I remember right, and there's still a dealership bearing his name on Dlamarnock Road in Rutherglen, near the big Tesco. Not sure if that's the only one, but I can't think of any others right now.


Is the one in Dalmarnock Road, not Verve, now?

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 10:44 am
by The Egg Man
Wylie and Lochhead had a Renault dealership on St Vincent St at Elmbank St. Servicing was done in the building where Berkeley Sq now sits.

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:14 am
by Giblets On Croute
Appleyard, in Springkell Road. Remember my old man buying a nice maroon coloured Morris Marina from them in 74 :oops:

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:21 am
by Boxer6
RDR wrote:
Boxer6 wrote:
Celyn wrote:Wasn't there a car shop or chain of shops called "Skelly's"?


Indeed there was - and is. Ian Skelly dealt primarily with VW if I remember right, and there's still a dealership bearing his name on Dlamarnock Road in Rutherglen, near the big Tesco. Not sure if that's the only one, but I can't think of any others right now.


Is the one in Dalmarnock Road, not Verve, now?


You may well be right there RDR .. been a while since I've been down that way.

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:31 am
by The Egg Man
There was a Daimler showroom on Bothwell Street owned by Rossleigh.

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:31 am
by Giblets On Croute
The original Skellys was in Motherwell, and sold Fords,I think there was some family bust up and Ian Skelly set up the VW place in Dalmarnock on his own. There was also a Croft garage at Cambuslang Road that sold Fords.

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 11:33 am
by Giblets On Croute
The Egg Man wrote:There was a Daimler showroom on Bothwell Street owned by Rossleigh.



Was that the Scottish Legal building that Arnold Clark used in the early 80's?

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 12:23 pm
by RDR
The Egg Man wrote:Wylie and Lochhead had a Renault dealership on St Vincent St at Elmbank St. Servicing was done in the building where Berkeley Sq now sits.


Yes, remember that one.
Wylie and Lochead had their fingers in many pies, funeral directors as well.

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 12:27 pm
by RDR
Giblets On Croute wrote:The original Skellys was in Motherwell, and sold Fords,I think there was some family bust up and Ian Skelly set up the VW place in Dalmarnock on his own. There was also a Croft garage at Cambuslang Road that sold Fords.


Its where Evans Halshaw is now, and I think I listed the changes to that site as I remember them further up this thread.
I don't think there was a family bust up as such, Ian Skelly gave the impression that he wanted out the car business due to the rise of the big multi franchise dealers and sold his various garages on.
At a later stage he seemed to have second thoughts and set up again, with his motor store on Shields Rd, Motherwell, but he then sold that onto Arnold Clarks.

Re: Lost Car Dealerships

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 1:17 pm
by Mori
Use to be Ritchies on shields road during the 70s/80s who sold Fiat and Ferarri, then was taken over by a Toyota franchise during the 90s i think and recently has become a block of flats.

There also used to be a small car showroom dealer in ibrox within the petrol station on pasiley rd just before you get on to the M8, i bought a Triumph Stag from there in the 70s... what a car!! except for the V8 engine, had to get it overhauled and then sold asap. :|

There used to be several on Eglinton st as well, most of them have gone now me thinks, Wylies had a Ford showroom up in Thornlibank somewhere, i test drove an RS 2000 there in the 80s.