Purchasing a motor car 55 years ago to the day...

[Karmann Ghiaman]

The August 1960 edition of Nottingham Observer (Social, sporting and industrial life of Nottinghamshire), full of boring events attended by the top local gangsters of the time and their plain womenfolk, discovered in a dusty box. Snooty weddings and charity functions held at golf and Rotary clubs are extremely boring, but the dull magazine is redeemed by its many glorious car adverts...

 

Poshest one at the front:

 

 

 

A tragedy these didn't bother with any pictures, but still:

 

 

This is a LOT better:

 

 

It goes without saying that almost all marques are British, but French and Scandi do make a tentative appearance; Renner fans'll love this:

 

 

(That's 'including Purchase Tax', of which further evidence later.) Drool over this:

 

 

Humber again:

 

 

Funnily enough I was on Lenton Lane (now the Lenton Lane Industrial Estate) only the other day, but sadly didn't see any evidence of Alvises (though there are still some car dealerships there):

 

 

Millions in today's money and of course petrol was proportionally far more expensive then than it now is.

 

If you like these, more to follow...

[UmBongo]

The Alvis is even more aesthetically pleasing in the flesh metal.

[Dippy]

Keep them coming

[danthecapriman]

Austin Princess for me please, great looking cars. I'd like a Humber Super Snipe too!

 

I wonder if any of the dealers still exist?

[anonymous user]

I want to know where I can get one of those giant Sunbeam Alpines (or is it just a really small Super Snipe)

[Pillock]

Atkeys of Lower Parliment Street is now completely buried under a Wilkinsons during the redevelopment in the 70s. It's not a bad building if you like 70s concrete, it has a nice faux-1st floor with concrete waves embedded. I was admiring it from the park and ride bus last week. However, they won't sell you a Princess.

 

Cartergate Motor Company won't be selling you a Ford, or indeed anything from their patch of wasteland. Here it is in the day:

 

And I reckon this is the same place (they handily tell me it is opposite the Ice Arena, which has been rebuilt but in the same spot) judging by the Nottingham City Transport garage just a little further on.

 

 

 

The Rootes dealer, Halls, now appears to be an Asda "Super"centre - although there is a VW dealership called Vertu bordering onto it, it's a typically steel and glass place so clearly not the Halls place. Also, why can't they be named after people any more? I doubt Mr Vertu owns that place.

 

 

 

 

[chaseracer]

This is the only "Oscroft dealer Nottingham" I could find on Google...

 

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Seized-Dealer-s-expensive-cars/story-19790653-detail/story.html

 

[brickwall]

Atkeys of Lower Parliment Street is now completely buried under a Wilkinsons during the redevelopment in the 70s. It's not a bad building if you like 70s concrete, it has a nice faux-1st floor with concrete waves embedded. I was admiring it from the park and ride bus last week. However, they won't sell you a Princess.

 

Cartergate Motor Company won't be selling you a Ford, or indeed anything from their patch of wasteland. Here it is in the day:

 

And I reckon this is the same place (they handily tell me it is opposite the Ice Arena, which has been rebuilt but in the same spot) judging by the Nottingham City Transport garage just a little further on.

 

Screenshot 2015-08-01 at 11.44.17.png

 

 

The Rootes dealer, Halls, now appears to be an Asda "Super"centre - although there is a VW dealership called Vertu bordering onto it, it's a typically steel and glass place so clearly not the Halls place. Also, why can't they be named after people any more? I doubt Mr Vertu owns that place.

 

 

I was just looking this up when I came across:

 

http://www.nottinghampost.com/man-brought-motor-car-Nottingham/story-12164659-detail/story.html

[brickwall]

The Abbey Bridge Garage appears to have been a Simca dealer in latter years and became an Esso pez station. Now it appears to be a furniture place.

 

At one time it may also have manufactured Brütsch microcars.

[Pillock]

I was on Castle Boulevard today, there's quite a few buildings that look like they would have been car dealerships back in the day. And indeed, a bit of Googling shows that Oscroft would have been knocking out his Vauxhalls from this building:

 

 

Now a Furniture store, and a car stereo dealer. Actually I'm really annoyed that I walked along the other side of the canal into Nottingham (I park outside work and save myself a fiver parking) and didn't head over the bridge to get a LIVE ACTION SHOT. Instead I came home and Googled a picture because it's less work, or something.

(Source: http://www.lentontimes.co.uk/streets/castle_boulevard.htm)

 

These buildings look like old dealers too, but can't find out which. They fit the plan of big tall windows though, like all good car showrooms were.

 

 

And back in the day, all garages used to have big clocks on. Hence, big clock means ex-garage to me. This is opposite the old Oscroft building (but you're looking at the back of it)

 

 

[brickwall]

excellent research

[Billy - Medhurst]

1974 OSCROFTS VAUXHALL OF NOTTINGHAM ADVERT by JOHN, on Flickr

[Karmann Ghiaman]

Superb 'After the Battle' type research, thank you Gentlemen. I have tried to locate the exact site of Brough's in Hayden Road, Sherwood, but very often the only prewar address given was the name of the road - presumably because the company was so famous and their site so prominent. If you're interested in Notts car manufacturers, this is a nice book (hope the link works).

 

A few more from the Observer:

 

 

Oh yes. Early Mini ad:

 

 

A coincidence that he was A.K. Austin I think. Unfortunately my mother believed them when they said lied 'the ideal small family car', and I can confirm from bitter experience that it was a bit of a squeeze with two parents (more common number in those days), three children and all their toys & luggage, some on roofrack, some in half open boot, going all the way down to Cornwall or up to Scotland (with an overnight stop in Durham) in one of those...

 

The promised Scandi:

 

 

A teacher at my school had a Volvo which was already a classic in the early '70s. We used to catch him in the playground filling in chips to the paintwork using a tiny sable brush. I have no doubt that it'll still be running.

 

The tinies, including Nazi aircraft:

Pre-Reliant, though there's a Nottingham/Raleigh connection there of course.

 

 

Interesting that the Herald was aimed at those little ladies & their feminine nick-nacks...

 

More Austin, including Mini for Beatnick  Chicks and Cambridge YUX down at the docks:

 

 

I like your pointy breasts Cynthia. What was it with ads putting crunky cars near sailing ships? 

 

 

And this death trap was on the back of the mag, hence a splash of colour.

 

Old magazines & postcards. Time travel or what? Who needs a Tardis?

[vulgalour]

This is great stuff.  When you've so little print space to work with I imagine you have to get quite creative with offering the masses aspirations, that's often what all those boats are about I reckon.