Ford dealers

Tarkus · Post by **Tarkus** » Fri 04 Sep, 2009 3:18 pm

I'm presently working at a place on Gelderd Road - near the old Wheatsheaf roundabout. Next door is the flattened site of what was once a Volkswagen dealership - Trust Motors? More recently, it was a used car 'supermarket' (Route2 or something like that). I think Wallace Arnold had a depot on a part of this site, too. The entire plot is now barren.Within a few hundred yards of this site, Porsche, Mercedes and Bentley dealerships are currently operating. Three prestige marques in Gelderd Road would seem to be a bit optimistic!

Uno Hoo · Post by **Uno Hoo** » Sun 06 Sep, 2009 12:23 am

Back in the late 60s I worked for a company with offices/depot in an industrial estate off Brown Lane, Holbeck. Our company cars were Cortinas, except the boss, who had a Corsair - steering column gear lever which had to be thumped hard to engage reverse gear. They were serviced at Ringways of Wortley, where there was also an upmarket restaurant - "Ringways Restaurant", which as far as I know was owned by Ringways garage. It was pricey enough for the boss to treat those of us who'd achieved our monthly sales targets to lunch as an extra reward. If we hit bonus, so did he, and he paid for those lunches out of his own pocket, so he must have been doing pretty well. Happy days of company cars without tax penalties, with all fuel paid for including private use, and replaced every two years.The other thing I recall about the Ringways site was that next door was a building company called Robert R. Roberts (Leeds) Ltd. The name alone was worth a bob or two.

LS16 · Post by **LS16** » Sun 06 Sep, 2009 7:38 am

Uno Hoo wrote: the Ringways site was that next door was a building company called Robert R. Roberts (Leeds) Ltd. The name alone was worth a bob or two. Roberts owned the Ringways group (not sure if they still do). Ringways also had a ford dealer in Doncaster.

BLAKEY · Post by **BLAKEY** » Sun 06 Sep, 2009 10:35 am

Uno Hoo wrote: The other thing I recall about the Ringways site was that next door was a building company called Robert R. Roberts (Leeds) Ltd. The name alone was worth a bob or two. Just love that little pun Uno Hoo

Pong e Beck · Post by **Pong e Beck** » Sat 19 Apr, 2014 9:24 am

More about Ringways' in the sixties.Harry D. comic genius on Wrecker/Towtruck (Holmes equipped), also acted as keyholder/caretaker.His family resided in the semi between Ringways' and the bodyshop/paintshop on Whitehall Road. Nextdoor was the chap semi-retired who kept the grounds. An unmade road ran through the complex over the beck to the Ring Road emerging next to Horace Webster' Turf Accountant; a single storey brick building painted white. Within Ringways' was Madge, on sandwich trolley and catering. Dougie J. was diagnostic tester, his ear attuned to the tiniest flaw in any Ford engine. He throbbed to work in his Mark One Lotus Cortina. David B. shared this roll of diagnostic testing and was equally skilled. There were many mechanics, Frank S. Drove a monster mutant Ford Classic; very loud. Alan J. a bluff Yorkshireman from Mirfield ran the workshop, no nonsense;lovely bloke. Peter R. ran the warranty dept, my brother worked with Peter, he was a huge chap, gourmet; way beyond eccentric. The glamorous Mavis on switchboard, Julia B. and Margaret E. in reception. A large stores dept kept allsorts from cardoors to a beauty queen called Liz from New Farnley. Mr Stanley was the resident barber, he may have been Eastern European. The man at the top sported a private plate BR111, it was swapped between vehicles. When I smashed my face open and needed the hospital asap, BR gave Dougie J. the keys. Mum and I got in the motor, Dougie gunned it to the LGI. Later BR gave me five bob for my lost tooth.I still have the tooth;five bob long gone.

Pong e Beck · Post by **Pong e Beck** » Sat 19 Apr, 2014 9:28 am

One summer four Ford Main Dealers staged an It's A Knockout in Leeds' Greyhound stadium.

Keg · Post by **Keg** » Sat 19 Apr, 2014 11:32 am

This brings back a few memories, great stuff!I used to work as Tate trucks as a service receptionist for a short while around 1985 ish I think. Remember one of the techies was a big Scottish chap with a razor sharp wit.The place in Horsforth that is now a takeaway and electrical shop has a tyre workshop and carpet shop in the space underneath.My mum bought her mini ( SUB 615G) from Lookers on Kirkstall road, I can only have been small but remember a Moggy Minor pickup in the showroom.We used to live in Bramhope and remember Hunts as a BMW, Bitter & Mitsubishi dealer. An older friend manned the pumps there on a weekend, show you how long a go it was!Mum also bought a Fiat 127 from Bristol Street Motors. We went to look at the actual car in a wet muddy compound across the road.Eric Hunt had a brother called Issac....

Keg · Post by **Keg** » Sat 19 Apr, 2014 11:34 am

Uno Hoo wrote: Back in the late 60s I worked for a company with offices/depot in an industrial estate off Brown Lane, Holbeck. Our company cars were Cortinas, except the boss, who had a Corsair - steering column gear lever which had to be thumped hard to engage reverse gear. They were serviced at Ringways of Wortley, where there was also an upmarket restaurant - "Ringways Restaurant", which as far as I know was owned by Ringways garage. It was pricey enough for the boss to treat those of us who'd achieved our monthly sales targets to lunch as an extra reward. If we hit bonus, so did he, and he paid for those lunches out of his own pocket, so he must have been doing pretty well. Happy days of company cars without tax penalties, with all fuel paid for including private use, and replaced every two years.The other thing I recall about the Ringways site was that next door was a building company called Robert R. Roberts (Leeds) Ltd. The name alone was worth a bob or two. It was Trust, had 2 Golfs and had them both serviced there, much better than Massingberds? in Otley which was closer.

Jogon · Post by **Jogon** » Sat 19 Apr, 2014 3:37 pm

Keg wrote: This brings back a few memories, great stuff!............................er & Mitsubishi dealer. An older friend manned the pumps there on a weekend, show you how long a go it was!..............Mum also bought a Fiat 127 from Bristol Street Motors. We went to look at the actual car in a wet muddy compound across the road.Eric Hunt had a brother called Issac.... Wasn't it Heesac? Recall he had a brother, Mike. Has anybody seen Mike etc[Moderator note: that's quite enough]

Richard A Thackeray · Post by **Richard A Thackeray** » Tue 29 Apr, 2014 1:50 pm

What about Coopers, now at Oulton??Didn't he used to be up at Bramham cross-roads.Presumably, where the Little-Chef was??? (in the days when it was an actual roundabout)