This is an abbreviated thread from the NoBBC (North Bay British Car
Club) email list about British car dealers in the SF Bay
Area. Robin's comments were especially interesting, and a fellow
with the Mini club found Bob Danielson's website with a British
Leyland document that lists all the US dealers in 1974. There were a
lot of postings, all interesting, but I was reluctant to repost them
without getting permission.
Don Scott
Calistoga CA USA
The Dealer string seems to have flamed out; was fun while it lasted, but
there were only that many dealers to talk about.
Just a couple of final comments from me of interest to Morgan folk. I
mentioned Frank Henry on Telegraph in Berkeley. I bought two 1958 Mogs from
him, the first one I had a terrible wreck with, but survived with cuts and
bruises. The second he sold me for a very decent price, $2,500 as I
remember. I raced that one. Frank was a fine gentleman. He always wore a
three piece tweed suit, gold chain and watch in the vest pocket. He kept his
cars on an open lot but had a small sales office where he had poetry books
to read. Where else but Berkel;ey?
Lou Spencer had the Worldwide business on Sepulvada. He was the one to beat
in his line of "Baby Dolls", that's what he named his cars. He had a French
mechanic, Claude, who could change out a clutch in a half hour. He had cut
away the firewall and pulled the tran out through the cabin. Ahh, those were
the days!
Cheers, Rj
What a little search on the internet does... this should interest a lot of
you. Google "danielson family triumph website", click on first
entry, then under "Other Cool Stuff,"
click on "74 Dealer Sales & Svc. for a list of all the BL
dealers. Bob has put together a great website!
>From: Robin Jackson <apexbrit2@gmail.com>
>
>Date: Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:10:23
>To: North Bay British Car Club<nobbc@autox.team.net>
>Subject: Re: [Nobbc] British car dealerships in the area
>
>
>E.F. Sweeney British Cars was in San Anselmo, on the hub; they moved to San
>Rafael on the road near Bermuda Palms. Both businesses are long gone.
>There was Shamrock Motors in Mill Valley that dealt Citroen, Peugeot and
>Morgans. I was quite friendly with the Hannon brothers who ran it.
>Also in San Rafael was Bud Oden's Marin Motorsports. He was a dealer for
>Triumph and English Ford. Frank Henry had a Morgan dealership in Berkeley on
>Telegraph. He kept the Mogs on an open lot as he had no showroom.
>
>Bill Breeze sold Lotus 11's from his shop in Sausalito, near where the
>seaplanes are now. Bob Winkelmann had four Winkelmann Formula Ford
>dealerships across the country, the home one being in Sausaleto. He imported
>@250 of these open wheelers.
>
>Larry Albedi (some may know his voice as he still announces at Sears Point -
>it will always be Sears, to me) had various dealerships around the bay area,
>notably Vallejo British Cars. Bob Cole was down on the Peninsula with has
>dealership and there was also a Morgan dealer there, Frank Crane, who I
>raced with. We had quite a Morgan contingent in those days, late 50's early
>60's, who got welcome support from dealers. Rusty Hyde sold Triumphs in San
>Fran, as I recall. Some of this is a little foggy as you have jolted
>memories of quite a long time ago. For that I thank you, Don. By the way, I
>bought my MGA from EF Sweeney in 1957 when I was released from active duty
>with USMC. I traded it soon therafter and bought my first Plus 4 Moggie from
>Frank Henry.
>
>Phil Washburn, as I recall, had a dealership on Santa Rosa Ave. where the
>motor home lot is. I remember him racing at Cotati Raceways when it was
>open. The power behind Brit Mtrs. in San Fran was Schell Quavale (I know my
>spelling is off, but close phonetically!) While I still had my shop in Santa
>Rosa he visited. Well in his 80's he still went to work. I believe Carlson
>was exclusevely VW Porsche. Your A, Ron may have been a trade in.
>
> >
> > don wrote:
> >
> > Back in the late '50s through early '70s, British car dealerships could be
> >> found in most US cities of any size, especially in
> California. Even before
> >> I got my first British car in 1965, I loved visiting the
> showrooms to admire
> >> the MGs, Triumphs and other British cars. Of course, I would
> always pilfer
> >> as many sales brochures as I could hoping to not upset the salespeople too
> >> much.
> >>
> >> I remember the BMC/Jaguar dealer in Napa on Soscol Avenue, which was to
> >> become Napa Valley Datsun when they dropped the British car line around
> >> 1967. There was a BMC dealer that tried again in Napa shortly after but
> >> didn't last long. I remember taking my MGA there for repairs in
> 1968, but I
> >> don't remember the name of the place. I do remember that it was very
> >> expensive to pay someone to repair my car, and after that, did most of my
> >> repairs myself. The name of it might have been Washborn Imports.
> >>
> >> In Santa Rosa, there was Ralph Vesper Motors on Santa Rosa Avenue which
> >> sold Triumphs and British Fords. I remember that dealership,
> because, as I
> >> bought parts for my old Anglia and Zodiac (c. 1966, '67), I was distracted
> >> by the siren's call of the sleek TR4s and Spitfires on display in the
> >> showroom. I still have a few pieces of the Triumph literature I took on
> >> visits to Vesper. Car dealers usually left their identification
> by irubber
> >> stamping their names and addresses onto the front or back of the sales
> >> literature. Vesper's name and address sill adorn my old Triumph
> brochures.
> >>
> >> The most interesting dealership to visit was always British Motors on Van
> >> Ness Avenue in San Francisco. They had Jaguar, Rolls Royce and the whole
> >> BMC line, and the cars they had on display were always of a high calibre.
> >> This was such a classy place that I always felt underdressed because I
> >> wasn't wearing a suit and tie. As an extreme British car nut, I was
> >> thrilled just to purchase parts there. I do have several license plate
> >> frames from there, which I think are a cool period accessory.
> >>
> >> Other dealerships that come to mind are Union Jack (BMC) in Hayward and
> >> British Motors in San Jose.
> >>
> >> Anyone else have any recollections of the British car dealer world in the
> >> area?
> >>
> >> Don Scott
> >> 1962 MGA Mk II
> >> 1991 Miata BRG
> >> 1973 MGB GT
> >> 1962 TR4 (seeking)
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