Leyland 20cwt Van Motor Trader 432 - 30 December 1964

Originally published in the trade paper Motor Trader on 30 December 1964, this article is about the Leyland 20CWT van but much of it is also applicable to the Standard Atlas van that came before it. This 8 page guide to the service data includes diagrams of the engine, suspension and gearbox.




You can download the articles from here.

You can see my existing collection of Motor Trader articles at  http://vitessesteve.co.uk/MotorTrader

Triumph car dealers 5 - Tracing a cars history

I have been asked about how to get more information about the history of a car. There are several sources of information that help you find out where you car was first registered and where is was first sold.  This article will help with cars sold and taxed in the UK.

V888: request by an individual for information about a vehicle

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/v888-request-by-an-individual-for-information-about-a-vehicle

V888: request by an individual for information about a vehicle is available from gov.uk.  You will need to have the V5 (logbook) to hand to fill in the form.  The vehicle tax and registration information used to held by local government and the quality of what you get back can vary a lot.  Some copies of old paper files can be very hard to read.  Generally you will get some useful information about your car including names and addresses for previous owners and details of the registration number issued.

DVLA Vehicle enquiry service

The UK government website provides public access to information about vehicles. The Driving and Vehicle Licensing Authority hold records of a vehicles testing (MOT's) and road tax.  From https://www.vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/ you can find out vehicle details online.

BMIHT Heritage Certificates & Archive Services

http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/store/heritage-certificates-and-archive-services/heritage-certificates.html

The Archive of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust preserves the surviving records of some of the most famous names in British motoring history.

They offer a Heritage Certificate which is a certified copy of the entry against the chassis number in the authentic factory ledgers. This may include the original numbers and colour scheme, dates of build and despatch, and where available, the details of factory fitted equipment.  This may also include the name of the garage to which the car was first dispatched.  This will not necessarily be where it was first sold as cars were often moved from distributors to dealers or between dealers before actually being sold.  

Club archives and forums

Many of the Triumph club have collected information about their cars over the years.  The information varies from club to club.  You may have to join the club to access the full details.  Forums and messageboards operated by the clubs are very good source information generally.   With the passage of time more and more cars are likely to have been owned by or known to somebody in the club.

An occasional series about Triumph car dealers

If you have any information about garages that sold new Triumph cars such as photos of window stickers or sill plates etc please let me know.

Link to the other articles in this series.

Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr gallery of images I have found on Flickr.

This is the fifth in an occasional series about Triumph car dealers.  You can download a copy of the Triumph Sales and Service Directory 1968-69 which started me off on the search for info about Triumph car dealers.

Triumph 1300TC Motor Trader articles

Originally published in the trade paper Motor Trader on 28 August 1968, this article is about the 1300TC. This 8 page guide to the service data includes diagrams of the engine, suspension and gearbox.

Originally published in the trade paper Motor Trader on 28 August 1968, this article is shows Bodywork Repair Data for the 1300TC. This 4 page guide includes several diagrams including a large diagram showing all the body components.

You can download both articles from here.

You can see my existing collection of Motor Trader articles at  http://vitessesteve.co.uk/MotorTrader

To read other Triumph 1300 content 

 Donations to help me with the costs of running my websites would be welcome. 

Roy H G Tolley of Colchester - Triumph Car dealers 4

Roy H G.Tolley of Colne Garage

This is the fourth in an occasional series about Triumph car dealers. Roy H G Tolley of Colne Garage, Butt Road Colchester are listed as dealer in 1965, 1968/69 and 1974. In 1968/69 the distributor in Colchester was Eastern Automobiles (Colchester) Limited of Elmstead Road. The Colne garage site is now a Wilco Motor Spares shop see below.

Site now

Established in 1960 by Mr Roy Tolley initially a Rover Triumph franchise until a move in 1976 to Citroen.

Roy Tolley - Citroen advert from 1978

Roy H G Tolley Ltd Autocar 18 October 1963

The company continues to sell new cars but from another site 72 Gosbecks Road, Colchester, Essex CO2 9JS. From 2008 they started selling MG cars along side Citroen. At the time of writing they were also an MOT testing garage.

Tax Disc Holder

Roy H G Tolley Ltd tax disc holder

Plea for information

If you have any more information or recollections about this garage, photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc please let me know. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin

Further information and sources

Cyril J Deal Ltd of Kelvedon near Colchester

Link to the other articles in this series.

Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr group which includes many photos of Standard Triumph garages etc from my collection and many other contributors .

I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html

Roy H G Tolley of Colne Garage image posted by Lee Godfrey on facebook; Roy H G Tolley Ltd tax disc holder Daniel Perry on facebook; Roy Tolley - Citroen advert from 1978 from Colchester Operatic program 1978.

TR7 Hatch - for sale in France

French built Triumph TR7 hatchback

This interesting looking modified TR7 coupe has come up for sale in France.  Sometimes referred to as being the TR7 Fuego. It is apparently very well built professionally.

It has appeared on forums and facebook several times.  Friends on the Club Triumph forum report having seen it on the road in France.

Triumph TR7 hatchback open

The hatchback has been cleverly added. It appears to be from a Datsun 100 coupe. Note how the fuel tank and filler have been moved.  Those that have seen the car report that the work has been done to a high standard and reinforcement added to the rear floor to compensate for the metal cut out.

Datsun 100 coupe

The conversion was done in period.

The interior has different seats and steering wheel.

The wheels which has non-Triumph covers.

Sean Hazell on the Austin-Rover Online facebook group pointed out that the wheels look like Ford RS from a distance.  But the spoke to rim joint is different.

The engine looks to be a standard 8 valve 4 cylinder TR7 engine.

As seen at LeMans Classic 2016 with a different reg number.

Renault Fuego images for comparison.

Renault Fuego hatch

Renault Fuego GTX 2.0 1981

Triumph car dealers 3 - Evans and Cutler of Totnes

Evans and Cutler of Totnes Triumph car dealer window sticker

This is the third in an occasional series about Triumph car dealers. Evans and Cutler of North Street Totnes in Devon are listed as a distributor in 1955, 1965, 1968/69 and 1974.

I emailed the existing business to ask if they recognised the sticker.  Here is the reply.

Certainly is, mind you we have changed a lot since those days!

My father and Mr Cutler started the business in 1946 and I have been in the Garage for 50 of those years.

We were Standard dealers and then Triumph distributors which got swallowed up by BL when we had 5 garages and the whole of the BL range .

In 1982 we ditched the franchise and took on Ford .

They had a bodyshop at Harbertonford and a facility at Ivybridge. An article in the Exeter Express "Pinpointing the past with classic cars" written 3 November 2011 included 3 images of Evans and Cutler.

Evans and Cutler of Totnes view of exterior of garage and forecourt

Evans and Cutler showroom in Totnes, showing off the Triumph Toledo in March 1971.

Evans and Cutler showroom in Totnes, anniversary another view in March 1971

from Standard Triumph review February 1959

Three Standard 6-cwt. Vans, were supplied by Evans & Cutler Ltd, Standard-Triumph distributors, to Paul Pinch Ltd, radio and television engineers, who had branches in Totnes, Paignton and Torquay. The picture was taken in Paignton.

from Standard Triumph review June 1959

Evans and Cutler plastic tax disc holder

Still Trading

Currently (10-02-2016) the business sells used cars.

and amongst their stock at the time was a Standard Vanguard Six.
.

Vitesse saloons for the Devon Constabulary

It was reported in the Standard Triumph Review June 1963 - Vitesse saloons for the Devon Constabulary! Handing over the cars are Mr. A.C. L. Mills (second from left) and Mr. B.J. Roberts (right) of Standard-Triumph, to Superintendent Rundle (third from left).  Mr K D Evans, Standard-Triumph distributor for Totnes, is on the Superintendent's left.

Plea for information

If you have any more information or recollections about this garage, photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc please let me know. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin

Further information and sources

Link to the other articles in this series.

Link to face book page: Triumph Car Dealers.

Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr gallery of images I have found on Flickr.

I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html

Picture credits:

Glenfrome Delta - Dolomite sprint engined prototype

Triumph Dolomite Sprint mid-engined car built in Bristol for the 1977 Earls Court Motor Show.  The car was much admired but not put into production. Glenfrome did however generate orders for special built Range Rovers from some Arab customers who saw what the firm were capable of.

The car used GT6 front suspension and Stag rear suspension. The intention was to have fitted a Rover V8 through a 5 speed ZF transaxle.

Triumph Car sales in Rotherham - Triumph car dealers 2

Here is the second article in an occasional series about Triumph car dealers. This post is about Standard Triumph dealers in Rotherham, Yorkshire UK.

ROCAR of Rotherham Rear window sticker

ROCAR of Rotherham

ROCAR of Rotherham was a car dealer that sold Triumph cars in Rotherham. I was sent this image of a window sticker by Steve28 on the Club Triumph forum.

Steve28 told me:

its called the mushroom garage and has always had a car on top, 2 of my cars came from there when new,
they change the car every so often on top, the cars i remember up there are a rover p6, rover sd1 and various honda's over the years, i have heard that the 1st one up there was a vauxhall.

I also found these badges online.

ROCAR Rotherham badges

The Mushroom garage Rotherham

This is an image from the OldRotherham website. I believe this is taken much later on when the garage was selling Honda cars.

Mushroom Garage 

The Mushroom garage building has a long history.  The site has changed as Rotherham has developed.

Thanks to Phil Rimmington for the old black and white photo.  Phil says that as at 14 February 2020:

Renault dealer now and just stopped doing Honda and Mitsubishi or at least I think they have stopped them? Definitely Renault though as signs just gone up

Central Motors Works Limited

Central Motors Works Limited are listed as far back as 1955 at which time they were an area dealer. I have found reference to Central Motors Works Limited in 1924 in the Commercial  Motor archive "Rotherham Watch Committee recommends the purchase from the Central Motor Works Ltd, of a trailer pump at a cost of £450."

Triumph car dealers in Rotherham

In 1968 Central Motors Works Limited of 128 Wellgate and  Hawleys (Tyre Services) Limited of 46 Cranklow Road are both listed as Triumph car dealers in Rotherham.

In 1974 Triumph Sales and Service directory there is listed a dealer called Crabtree and Nicol (Rotherham) Ltd, Mushroom Garage.

It appears from Companies House records that Crabtree and Nicol (Rotherham) Limited (Company No. 00854964 incorporated 22/07/1965) changed its name to ROCAR (Rotherham) Limited with effect from 31-12-1977. Another earlier company also called Crabtree and Nicol (Rotherham) Limited were dealing in Rover cars in 1961 at the Mushroom garage address.

Crabtree & Nicol advert from Sheffield Spectator August 1966

Crabtree & Nicol (Rotherham) Ltd were a part of the Crabree & Nicol group that branches in several places.

Rocar (Rotherham) Ltd, Mushroom Garage, Doncaster Road, S65 2UG were still trading as Austin Rover dealers in March 1988.

Plea for information

If you have any more information or recollections about these Triumph garages in Rotherham, photos of window stickers, dealer badges or sill plates etc please let me know. I can be contacted via the comments to this post or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/stephen.weblin

Further information and sources

Link to the other articles in this series.  

Link to face book page: Triumph Car Dealers.

Link to my Triumph Car Dealers Flickr group .

I have a collection of Standard Triumph car dealer directories: http://vitessesteve.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/triumph-car-dealer-directories.html
If you have any more information about this garage or other Triumph garages, photos of window stickers or sill plates etc please let me know.

Triumph GT6 Motor Trader article

Front page of Triumph GT6 Motor Trader 457 1 March 1967

Originally published in the trade paper Motor Trader on 1 March 1967, this article is about the early GT6. This 8 page guide to the service data includes diagrams of the engine, suspension and gearbox. 



You can see my existing collection of Motor Trader articles at  http://vitessesteve.co.uk/MotorTrader