Vauxhall/Opel Dealerships

[Hendry]

Im too young to remember these because i wasnt born until 1987, but am curious as to the set up, just purely out of interest.

 

Im led to believe that and one point Vauxhalls and Opels although both GM owned and producing a similar range of cars, operated out of separate dealerships with separate dealer networks until the early 80s when they became dual franchise, is that correct?

 

What happened, did all Vauxhall dealers gain Opel and all Opel dealers gain Vauxhall even if it meant 2 or more dealers competing in the same town? or did some lose the franchise completely whilst others gained one in addition to the one they already had?

 

When did they begin selling Opels in the UK?

 

Did all Vauxhall/Opel dealers also have the franchise to sell Bedford vans or was it as it is now where only select Vauxhall car dealers have the van sales franchise too?

 

Also, lastly, did they sell any other GM brands? Ive seen pictures of old Vauxhall Opel dealers where the signage was a Vauxhall logo, an Opel log, then a GM logo, then the words Bedford Vans. Like the signage in my photo below:

 

Lindsays of Dumbarton by Greg Hendry, on Flickr

[Zantimisfit]

Vauxhall and Opel had separate dealers, as you say, up to the early 80s, when they both sold a full range of cars i.e. when you could buy an Opel Ascona or Kadett as an alternative to a Cavalier or Astra. That lasted up to abour 82 I think - the f.w.d. Cavalier was not offered as an Ascona in the UK for example. That left Opel with just the Manta and the Senator/Monza and ultimately just the Manta. So thats when they started selling Vauxhalls and Opels out of the same dealers.

 

The dealers near me that I can remember - Chadwicks in StAnnes which was Vauxhall Bedford, also then sold Opels until the Manta disappeared. The only dedicated Opel dealer I can place, Forts in Preston, also then added Vauxhall but had to compete with the main Vauxhall (and now Opel) place in Preston and closed soon after. So I guess for a time there were a lot of Vauxhall Opel places but they were rationalised fairly quickly

 

So, anyway, thats when you had the branding in your picture above, from around 82/83 to, maybe 87/88?

 

Bedford was always sold with Vauxhall. Never saw Opel Bedford although CFs were branded as Opels abroad

 

Opel places were good in the 70s when you had Commodores etc around

[holbeck]

Up until the early 80's Opel had an entirely separate dealer network. A whole range of Opel cars was marketed, they tried to pitch Opel's as upmarket German cars at a higher price point than the equivalent Vauxhall. This all came to an end probably around the launch of the Mk2 Cavalier as by then they were all completely the same as an Opel.

 

The dealer networks were rebranded as Vauxhall-Opel (where I lived we then had two V-O dealers in town), and eventually the only Opel model was the Manta.

[Zantimisfit]

Addendum

 

I dont know when they started selling Opels in the UK, but you could get them during the 60s for sure although like a lot them "damn fancy foreign cars" they didn't sell that many because of the high import tax that existed until we joined something called the EEC (I dont know what became of that??) But as a kid I remember seeing the odd late 60s Rekords and Kadetts.

 

Mid 70s Opels did pretty well in the 'free market', but then they became the same as Vauxhalls so the point was lost really.

 

Thats the end of the history lesson.

[panhard65]

I worked in a Vauxhall Opel garage in 1985 (Chantry garage Saffron Walden now long gone) and the signage was just as you have it pictured. We sold the whole range but it was only UK models so no Ascona's just Cavaliers. They were Renault up until about '84 so I don't know what GM were doing before then. We did sell Manta's and Senator's and I think there were a couple of Monza's but that was it for Opel. As for vans it was mainly Astra vans except we had an old Opel Reckord van as the parts van. I used to thrash that poor bugger everywhere.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

My memory is pretty much as Zant's , although I think by about 84 the Monza was Opel badged only but the Senator could be either Vauxhall or Opel till the end of Mark 1 production in 87.

Also ,although mk2 and 3 Cavaliers weren't sold in the UK as Opels , I think Luton made them as such for export to Ireland, I remember checking in a new Cavalier at work in about 1991 and noticing it had Opel wheeltrims, it was sent back and some Vauxhall ones fitted by the dealer.

 

Of course as soon as Insignias get to about 3 years old they turn into Opels- The Griffin badges fall off the grille, leaving the outline of a Blitz logo!

This appears to be 89/90 and still an Opel dealership , a good couple of years after you could buy a Manta or Monza.

[Zantimisfit]

I worked in a Vauxhall Opel garage in 1985 (Chantry garage Saffron Walden now long gone) and the signage was just as you have it pictured. We sold the whole range but it was only UK models so no Ascona's just Cavaliers. They were Renault up until about '84 so I don't know what GM were doing before then. We did sell Manta's and Senator's and I think there were a couple of Monza's but that was it for Opel. As for vans it was mainly Astra vans except we had an old Opel Reckord van as the parts van. I used to thrash that poor bugger everywhere.

I remember that place. My sister lives in 'Sufferin Boredom'. Its an art dealers place or something now. Saw a picture on the interweb of it in 19?? with an R14 in it (which I cant find now). They had a place in Bishops Stortford as well.

 

(I think its a good thing they keep sharp objects away from me)

[phil_lihp]

My memory is pretty much as Zant's , although I think by about 84 the Monza was Opel badged only but the Senator could be either Vauxhall or Opel till the end of Mark 1 production in 87.

Also ,although mk2 and 3 Cavaliers weren't sold in the UK as Opels , I think Luton made them as such for export to Ireland, I remember checking in a new Cavalier at work in about 1991 and noticing it had Opel wheeltrims, it was sent back and some Vauxhall ones fitted by the dealer.

 

Of course as soon as Insignias get to about 3 years old they turn into Opels- The Griffin badges fall off the grille, leaving the outline of a Blitz logo!

image.jpeg

This appears to be 89/90 and still an Opel dealership , a good couple of years after you could buy a Manta or Monza.

 

I spy what appears to be a super-rare Midi Albany, Vauxhall's attempt to turn their forward-control builder's van into an executive airport limo.

 

[panhard65]

I remember that place. My sister lives in 'Sufferin Boredom'. Its an art dealers place or something now. Saw a picture on the interweb of it in 19?? with an R14 in it (which I cant find now). They had a place in Bishops Stortford as well.

 

(I think its a good thing they keep sharp objects away from me)

Ahhh yes "Sufferin Boredom" indeed. It was in Station street and was knocked down for flats like pretty much everything else in the Area. Opposite the old Saffron Walden building supplies yard. This also went in the late 80's early 90's along with Cleales the Ford dealer. They did indeed have a branch in Stortford but the whole group went tits up and I think the bosses got into trouble with the tax man as they neglected to pay their employees NI contributions for a few years. It was Uttlesford motor company in its hey day selling Renaults which were really popular and a lot of the older customers weren't happy when they went Vauxhall.

[Zantimisfit]

Ahhh yes "Sufferin Boredom" indeed. It was in Station street and was knocked down for flats like pretty much everything else in the Area. Opposite the old Saffron Walden building supplies yard. This also went in the late 80's early 90's along with Cleales the Ford dealer. They did indeed have a branch in Stortford but the whole group went tits up and I think the bosses got into trouble with the tax man as they neglected to pay their employees NI contributions for a few years. It was Uttlesford motor company in its hey day selling Renaults which were really popular and a lot of the older customers weren't happy when they went Vauxhall.

The Railway pub is still there....thats the main thing

[Cavcraft]

We had three round here at one time. GBE/Chester Engineering (became Lookers), Ben Whitehouse and Loves of Chester.

[Hendry]

Sorry, to clarify, I wasnt asking if Bedford vans could be had with Opel badges, I was asking if ALL Vauxhall/Opel dealers were also Bedford dealers? or was it only some? Like now for instance where only some Vauxhall car dealers have the franchise for light vans, and even less have the franchise for the heavier vans too, but all dealers can service and repair the vans.

 

Being able to order a Senator as both a Vauxhall and Opel from the same dealer at the same time mustve been confusing, how would you know which one to pick? 

 

As for my question about GM stuff, as in my picture and the other picture posted up, they had GM signs on the dealerships, does this signify that from time to time GM used those dealers to market odd cars from particular other GM brands that they thought might sell in the UK but just one model from that manufacturer etc. like for example if they thought there was enough demand for a Chevrolet Camaro would they sell and distribute them through those Vauxhall/Opel dealers hence the GM signs?

 

I remember a Vauxhall dealer Premier of Edinburgh selling brand new Chevrolet Blazers in 1999, proper UK ones, not unofficial imports, and I imagined GM had decided to chance their luck seeing if they would sell here and using Vauxhall dealers to distribute them. 

 

if anyone else has anymore photos of Vauxhall/Opel dealers in the 80s, or even just Opel or Vauxhall before the merge or even just Vauxhall in the 90s, particularly Scottish ones, id love to see them. 

[privatewire]

We had 2 locally, McIntyres of Greenock who eventually became Arnold Clark ( tho still Vauxhall) and Inverkip Garage which became flats. Inverkip Garage were great to deal with as I remember.

Both were Opel/Vauxhall in the late 70s early 80s.

[Hendry]

 

I particularly love the mint green 1990s signage as thats what I remember from growing up, and this was the signage in 2000 when we went to Vauxhall to buy my dads mk3 Astra. 

[Hendry]

We had 2 locally, McIntyres of Greenock who eventually became Arnold Clark ( tho still Vauxhall) and Inverkip Garage which became flats. Inverkip Garage were great to deal with as I remember.

Both were Opel/Vauxhall in the late 70s early 80s.

 

I remember MacIntyre of Greenock, as you say still there and largely unchanged as Arnold Clark, quite a small cramped site. I think Arnold Clark bought them out around 1995.

 

I think Inverkip Garage lasted until around 1995 as well, after Vauxhall i think, but not 100% sure, it was Kia briefly before it closed. 

 

If theres any other Scottish members reading this, anyone remember the following: Lylesland Garage Paisley, County Motor Garage Johnstone, Lows Garage Shawlands, Tomkins (later became Arnold Clark, moved to Mount Vernon), Queens Garage Pollokshaws (now Arnold Clark), Gillespie of Lenzie (now Arnold Clark), Ferguson of Renfrew, Mackay & Jardine/Parks Bothwell Road Hamilton, Mackay & Jardine/Parks Hamilton Road Motherwell, Ross of Lanark, Watson of Airdrie, Watson of Cumbernauld, Halleys of Milngavie (now Arnold Clark), J & W Scott Kilmarnock, Caledonia Vauxhall Dean Street Kilmarnock (then Reg Vardy, now Evans Halshaw and relocated to Queens Drive), AT Mays Motors Ardrossan (owned by the travel agency people, took over by Caledonia, then Reg Vardy now Evans Halshaw), Kerr & Smith Cumnock, Arnold Clark St Georges Road Charing Cross, Arnold Clark Bothwell Street, Arnold Clark Park Road, Rosefield Motors Ayr then Kerr & Smith Ayr a few hundred yards along Prestwick Road and now back at Rosefield Motors premises as Arnold Clark. SMT Vauxhall Finnieston Street Glasgow, SMT New City Road Cowcaddens, Curtis Motors Cupar, Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline and Dalgety Bay, Lawrence of Kemnay, SMT Vauxhall Stirling, Ian Grieve Stirling (now Arnold Clark), Devonvale Sauchie Alloa (now Arnold Clark) SVL Vauxhall Falkirk, any of those or any other Vauxhall dealers in Scotland? any pics, memories, stories or recollections would be great to see/hear!!

[mercrocker]

I don't recall any Opel dealers handling Bedfords - they were most often the preserve of Vauxhall outlets although there were some commercial vehicle dealers who sold Bedfords without selling any cars alongside.    Car dealers tended to only offer up to the CF, rarely beyond that tonnage.

 

I can remember most of the Vauxhall dealers around our town being fairly long-standing dealerships - say from before PA Velox/Cresta days up to the Cavalier Mk2s and beyond.   Opel garages, however, tended to mainly be replacement franchises for other, non-GM makes.   Opels were not widely sold in the UK before around 1970.   You could get them but they were not widely marketed and back then Opels were Opels and Vauxhall were Vauxhall.   Cross-pollination did not happen until the Ascona B/Cavalier Mk1.    

 

My first job was at a local Opel dealership, this was in 1976.   They also handled AMC Jeep briefly but I guess this was frowned upon and it didn't last long.    Because the dealership was a local family-owned business which previously offered Fords (and co-incidentally Vauxhall before that but under different ownership) quite a few local people bought Opels by default.   One of these was our senior Mistress at school who rocked up one day in an automatic Ascona A instead of her usual Mk2 Cortina. 

 

Although I didn't work there for long my Dad was sufficiently sure of getting cut-price parts and servicing by buying a Rekord Coupe - again an uncharacteristic purchase for him. 

Too bad I didn't stay there long enough for him to take any advantage of it! 

 

I am pretty sure the dealer had an involvement in Dealer Opel Team as well, I seem to remember a rally-prepared Kadett Coupe hanging about the workshop for a while.   I left there because it seemed obvious I had more chance of joining the sales team rather than the workshop and I didn't fancy that.   It was the 1970s - all wide lapels, flappy trousers flappy ties and shoes like dead pig's noses.   

[Hendry]

This is why I love this forum, the stories you guys can recollect are far more interesting than the usual crap people want to talk about in person and real life, family, tv, politics, money, and i have to feign interest, struggle to think of replies and wish they just wouldnt talk. 

[sierraman]

I remember seeing the occasional Opel years ago, the later stuff like Astra Mk2 Kadetts were Irish. I think the older Rekord and Kadetts dwindled in popularity when you could be the much more common Cavalier Mk2s.

[Zantimisfit]

I dont remember Vauxhall and/or Opel dealers ever selling American GM stuff. From what I remember that came through specialist importers like Bauer Millett in Manchester and Lendrum & Hartman in London...could be wrong though

 

Ford had a few attempts to sell US or Aussie stuff through a few select dealers. I remember having a brochure at one point with the Mustang, Mercury Monarch and Aussie LTD. Dont think that idea lasted long!

[Timewaster]

In 1990 I worked at a Vauxhall dealer.

We had the Vauxhall GM Opel signage.

The only GM product we sold other than Vauxhalls and Mantas were Bedford vans which became Vauxhall badged that year.

It is also the year they launched the round griffin badge as I recall.

 

Off topic, when BL was formed there were a lot of towns that ended up with multiple dealers. We had 2 not 500 yards apart at one stage before one switched to VW and the other eventually went to Fiat.

Neither survive.

Our market town had 7 dealerships in my youth. Some swapping marques quite regularly.

Only ones left are the Ford dealer - now Kia and a village Skoda dealer which has just gone to Suzuki after 30+ years of selling Czech shite.

The Lada / Yugo dealer just down the road is now a Great Wall dealer and has sold at least 2.

[Asimo]

My first company car was an '84 Cavalier, supplied new by Cheltenham's big Vauxhall dealer, Haines &Strange but repaired and serviced by Cheltenham's much smaller Opel dealer, Widdows. Both dealerships had the Vauxhall / Opel signage etc but Widdows had a Record parts van and didn't, I think, do Bedford - their premises were literally in the High St. and very crowded.

There were a very few UK Asconas sold in parallel with Mk2 Cavaliers but I think that had stopped by '84.

[Felly Magic]

Leeds had Wallace Arnold Vauxhall/Opel on York Road, then Low Road (WASS) and Brown & White just off Armley Interchange, my uncle bought an Ascona from WASS in the late 70s, and somebody in the UK must have been selling mk2 Cavalier type Asconas in Yorkshire as there were several around on Y plates. My dentist in Kippax was a fully paid up Manta apologist as he had 2 F reg examples, both from Brown & White

[mercrocker]

The waters were somewhat muddied in the late 80s/early 90s when there was a fad for buying RHD cars in Europe - such as the Benelux countries.   It was a single market for customs duty but I think car tax was lower and also the the dealers over there were much more amenable to discounting than here.    That brought a lot of Opel Asconas here during the Mk2/Mk3 Cavalier years.  I think also the Irish market got RHD Asconas and Kadetts long after they were sold in the UK.

[greengartside]

A few Vauxhall/Opel garages from my area were:-

 

Trimoco in Great Yarmouth

Hartwell in Norwich, I think it was Belvedere Motors before that - please feel free to correct me.

Gales of Diss and Beccles

Elsden's in Holt (I remember the tag line being 'where courtesy is contagious')

Jones of Chelmsford

Edwards of Lowestoft

[Hendry]

In 1990 I worked at a Vauxhall dealer.

We had the Vauxhall GM Opel signage.

The only GM product we sold other than Vauxhalls and Mantas were Bedford vans which became Vauxhall badged that year.

It is also the year they launched the round griffin badge as I recall.

Off topic, when BL was formed there were a lot of towns that ended up with multiple dealers. We had 2 not 500 yards apart at one stage before one switched to VW and the other eventually went to Fiat.

Neither survive.

Our market town had 7 dealerships in my youth. Some swapping marques quite regularly.

Only ones left are the Ford dealer - now Kia and a village Skoda dealer which has just gone to Suzuki after 30+ years of selling Czech shite.

The Lada / Yugo dealer just down the road is now a Great Wall dealer and has sold at least 2.

I remember that, there were Austin Rover dealers everywhere at one point, loads of them, and quite often some in the same smaller towns competing with each other.

 

  

Leeds had Wallace Arnold Vauxhall/Opel on York Road, then Low Road (WASS) and Brown & White just off Armley Interchange, my uncle bought an Ascona from WASS in the late 70s, and somebody in the UK must have been selling mk2 Cavalier type Asconas in Yorkshire as there were several around on Y plates. My dentist in Kippax was a fully paid up Manta apologist as he had 2 F reg examples, both from Brown & White

  

 

What Wallace Arnold as in the coach company?

 

They ran a few dealerships up here under either Trust Motors or Laidlaw, can't remember exactly.

 

A few Vauxhall/Opel garages from my area were:-

 

Trimoco in Great Yarmouth

Hartwell in Norwich, I think it was Belvedere Motors before that - please feel free to correct me.

Gales of Diss and Beccles

Elsden's in Holt (I remember the tag line being 'where courtesy is contagious')

Jones of Chelmsford

Edwards of Lowestoft

I remember going to Great Yarmouth on holiday in 1997 and 1999 and the dealer then was Warwick Shubrook, Hartwell must've been longstanding as I had a 55 plate Corsa in 2007, ex Arnold Clark lease car and the first service in 2006 was done by Hartwell Norwich North Mile Cross Lane, so presumably they had 2 Norwich branches.

 

Isn't the whole Vauxhall franchise for Norfolk and Suffolk now ran by Thurlow Nunn? Who I assume took over most of th dealers you've mentioned.

[Pillock]

I remember the branding of Nevilles in Mansfield where my ma went to look at Astras, would have been 1990 as she had a new lease car in Feb 91. Dealer was quite good as he wasn't going to get a sale out of it but still did his job, ended up choosing a 1.4GL over the new SXi.

 

Anyway, it was by that point a Vauxhall Opel AWD dealer. For years I assumed all AWD trucks were all wheel drive. But deffo had the AWD logo next to the others.

 

It became a Nissan dealer, then a Sandicliffe "runabouts" car lot, and then it closed down totally and someone was found dead there.

[Cavcraft]

Soz, only GBE locally were Bedford as well as Vauxhall and I think Loves did Opel as well as Vauxhall. Ben Whitehouse had the chairman of Iceland's Lotus Carlton there and looked after it for him, I believe. 

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I was just looking on Vauxpedia to see if any Bedford Carltons were made- apparently not.

But found out that from 79 to 82 Carltons were made in Luton and Rekords- the same car effectively were made in Russelheim. Who thought that was an effective plan? Honestly these people seemed determined to waste as much money as possible. The mk2s were all made in Germany and the badges changed as required.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

This was Crewkerne's GM dealership in the seventies and eighties. In 1982 I cycled along to gawp at the new facelift Manta GTE.

 

https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/streetview?size=640x640&pano=q_OTpw90HSwQKwE_AeTRCg&heading=38.231861398504364&fov=90&pitch=-8.720966749834915

[Snipes]

IIRC the last Mantas were F or G plates, but there is one on a J but that car was a one off.

 

Later cars rust more than earlier models.