Ford dealers

wiggy · Post by **wiggy** » Sun 16 Mar, 2008 2:10 pm

my dads cousin owned a quarter of 'POLAR FORD'

kierentc · Post by **kierentc** » Sun 16 Mar, 2008 2:21 pm

oooh, nick, if you sold trucks i wonder if you knew my dad?i can't remember his exact title but it was something like district manager, and he had something to do with allocating the vehicles to dealerships.first initial P...

Nick_Stevens · Post by **Nick_Stevens** » Sun 16 Mar, 2008 4:48 pm

Not directly involved in truck sales. Trained as an apprentice at Tates. As you hint, at the time Ford main dealers had a monthly allocation of vehicles (Tates had at least 40 per site for cars!) that had to be sold no matter what. If it was a bad month staff could get some good deals! Other dealers would have similar allocations hence, I my opinion, I don't think Ford were at all bothered about the proliferation of dealers in Leeds they just wanted sales. The main dealer could then supply the retail dealers as part of the allocation.Tates had compounds all over the place - the container base at Stourton (got told off for racing unregistered Sierra RS Cosworths round that one - boy were they quick cars!), West Yorkshire Founderies in Hunslet, a timber yard in Guiseley etc. all FULL of unregistered cars. If I knew then what I know now I'd have bought the last RS2000 Mk2 Escorts from Tates - they took absolutely ages to sell - almost 2 years after the Mk3 sales started.I could tell some real stories about new cars. As apprentices we got the job of taking new deliveries to the compounds - convoys of unregistered cars on trade plates being driven round the city. I found loads of "discarded" tools when doing Pre-delivery checks as it was too expensive to stop the production line if someone dropped a tool in the car.

Nick_Stevens · Post by **Nick_Stevens** » Sun 16 Mar, 2008 5:02 pm

zscort wrote: Hi All,does anyone know when Hayes of Horsforth shut? That was on the Old Ball roundabout Hayes eventually (as I recall) was owned by a man called Chris Meek - a racing driver who raced for "Tate of Leeds Racing" among others. He also drove for the Ringways team in Sports Cars - the cars were often prepared at Horsforth - hence the old signage that was on the frontage showing a side view of a car. That must have shut in the early 80's - I recall going there with a car my Dad raced sometime around then. Chris Meek still lives in Leeds and is a regular at Flying Pizza on Street Lane - he is involved in Mallory Park race circuit in Leicestershire.

Nick_Stevens · Post by **Nick_Stevens** » Sun 16 Mar, 2008 5:08 pm

There are, of course, loads of garages that closed in Leeds. I remember a garage opposite what is now the Cookridge fire station and the Mazda dealership at Horsforth which was Ripon Motors who also owned the Esso garages at Adel at the same time.There were even 2 car dealers in Bramhope - G Eric Hunt (BMW and ultra rare Bitter dealers) at The Cross and a BL dealer on Breary Lane. Both have been flats for a while. Hunts eventually became Scott Hall BMWLeeds had loads of "main areas" for car sales and dealerships in the 70's and 80's - ones I can think of off the top of my head include: 1. Regent Street/Roseville road was the most prolific2. Kirskstall/Burley Road3. Hunslet Road (WASS etc) - does anyone else remember "Regal Motors" (where the Suzuki dealer is now) that burnt down in the 80's.4. Whitehall Road/RingRoad area (WASS Audi/VW)5. There were also quite a few garages on York Road including an Opel dealership when the UK brand of GM was Vauxhall and the models differd quite a lot

Trojan · Post by **Trojan** » Sun 16 Mar, 2008 6:17 pm

Nick_Stevens wrote: There were even 2 car dealers in Bramhope - G Eric Hunt (BMW and ultra rare Bitter dealers) at The Cross and a BL dealer on Breary Lane. Both have been flats for a while. Hunts eventually became Scott Hall BMW In Knutsford in leafy Cheshire - not a big place. There's a Rolls Royce Dealer, a Landrover Dealer, a BMW dealer and a Mercedes dealer. I wonder why?

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sun 16 Mar, 2008 6:18 pm

Nick_Stevens wrote: 5. There were also quite a few garages on York Road including an Opel dealership when the UK brand of GM was Vauxhall and the models differd quite a lot I can remember the Vauxhall / Opel garage on York Road - it's Great Clothes now isn't it? To the untrained eye, it looked like Great Clothes simply blocked in the sides of the undercover sales pitch and opened as a clothes shop (this is before they expanded, etc).I can remember the SEAT dealer at the Total filling station that is now a hand car wash next to Turner and Virr and the one opposite (now a car rental office but the lease is up it would seem) had something to do with Fiat.The Carphone Warehouse / Motorworld premises at the junction of Barwick Road / Ring Road was briefly an Eddie Wrights car dealership selling something far-eastern, but I can't remember what for the life of me.

Post by **chameleon** » Sun 16 Mar, 2008 6:58 pm

Croggy wrote: Oh yes, Hartley Motors, I think there is one of those 'hand' car washes on the site now. Remember the gentleman who worked there, presumably Mr Hartley, fairly well-built with distinguished looking silver-white hair.To the side of his workshop were old buildings, next to Coe's, one was a coblers shop and do I remember a Funeral Undertakers there too? Rambling off-thread, I know.Another small dealer was George Bryden at the old 'Cross Gates Garage at the junction of York Road/Crossgates Road, these days a new petrol station and Kwack Fit place. Features on several Photos on Leodis. Remember seeing the Ford Anglia in his small showroom at some incredible price, around £350 (and petrol from the old style sit-up pumps at around 3/4 a gallon (that's about 3.7p/litre!).

zscort · Post by **zscort** » Mon 17 Mar, 2008 7:43 pm

This is some interesting reading, keep it up guys! I've probably been round everyone of those garages with me dad in the very early 80's. He used to manage a company that supplied garage equipment (Brown Brothers) so he had a lot of mates in the trade, I used to get a brochure at every garage (wish I still had em all). Anyway, a bit off topic, but I am fanatical about 70's Fords having grown up with them and having owned a couple of tinkerables myself have sadly become obsessed with them and the dealer network surrounding them! G. Eric Hunt became a Mitsubishi dealer at some point too. The name is great! Just keep reading Eric Hunt over and over again if you don't know what I mean!

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Mon 17 Mar, 2008 9:24 pm

zscort wrote: This is some interesting reading, keep it up guys! I've probably been round everyone of those garages with me dad in the very early 80's. He used to manage a company that supplied garage equipment (Brown Brothers) so he had a lot of mates in the trade, I used to get a brochure at every garage (wish I still had em all). Anyway, a bit off topic, but I am fanatical about 70's Fords having grown up with them and having owned a couple of tinkerables myself have sadly become obsessed with them and the dealer network surrounding them! My first car was a 1978 Escort Ghia - rose tinted glasses make me wish I still had it (it would be worth a few quid now), almost forgetting all those times it wouldn't bleeping start if there was the slightest drop of moisture in the air... zscort wrote: G. Eric Hunt became a Mitsubishi dealer at some point too. The name is great! Just keep reading Eric Hunt over and over again if you don't know what I mean!

Standing joke within the trade at the time that was - no wonder they added the "G" at the front!