Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd - Triumph Car dealers 27

Number 27 in my series of articles about Triumph car dealers features Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd of Glasgow.

Advert from Autocar October 1956

Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd was first incorporated as a company on 28 October 1921. Later it became a subsidiary of Arnold Clark Automobiles Limited.

By 1992 the company was employing over 144 people at several locations. By 2004 that had risen to 368.

1957 advert for Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd

Standard 8 advert for Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd

Scottish Motor Show

The 42nd Scottish Motor Show was held just following the London Show. Unlike the London Show it was held only every other year, and the 1959 Show was the fifth since the war. As usual it was staged in the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, and was opened by the Earl of Selkirk, First Lord of the Admiralty.

Again, unlike the London Show, cars are not displayed by the manufacturers but by the Distributors and Dealers who are members of the Scottish Motor Trades Association. Examples of cars are, therefore, seen on many stands, Standard-Triumph cars being found on no fewer than eleven.

Macharg, Rennie & Lindsay Ltd Scottish Motor Show cars

The two stands of Macharg, Rennie & Lindsay Ltd. were exclusively Standard-Triumph, one for passenger vehicles and one for Atlas vans.

Macharg, Rennie & Lindsay Ltd Scottish Motor Show commercials

An interest in old cars

1913 Standard Rhyl 2-seater and 1924 Standard Warwick

This photo from the Standard Triumph Review September 1962 shows the 1913 Standard Rhyl 2-seater and the then recently restored 1924 Standard Warwick, both belonging to Mr W L Macharg of Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd, Standard-Triumph distributors for Glasgow.

Key rings fobs

An older enamel version

New Stores

In the Standard Triumph Review February 1967 edition it was reported that the new Spares premises of Marcharg, Rennie and Lindsay Ltd., Standard Triumph distributors in Glasgow, cover an area of 10,700 sq. ft. part of the total site area of 33,000 sq. ft. which also includes service area, offices, etc. In the Spares Department are a ground floor store of 6,000 sq. ft. a first floor store of 2,800 sq. ft. offices covering 800 sq. ft. sales counter of 500 sq. ft. and unloading bay of 500 sq. ft.

Triumph Dolomite adverts

Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd - Glasgow advert from Motor 08 January 1972

Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd advert

Triumph car dealers in Glasgow

Macharg Rennie & Lindsay Ltd of 2/28 Berkeley Street, Glasgow C.3 were the distributor and there were many other garages that sold Standard Triumph products as well.

In 1955:
Baillie & Hurn, 39 Hopehill Road, N.W.
Bell Bros. (H.P.) Ltd., 215-229 St. George's Road, C.3.
Burnbank Motor Service Depot, 37 Cromwell Street, N.W.
Callander's Garages Ltd, 50 Hughenden Road, W.2.
Campbell & Camerson Ltd., 171-181 Bothwell Street, C.2.
Ian M. K. Fair, 206-218 Eglinton Street, C.S.
Havelock, H., Ltd., Hyndland Garage, 93 Lauderdale Gardens, W.2.
Millar·Hood Auto Co. Ltd., 162 Queen Margaret Drive, N.W.
Park Auto Co. Ltd., 69 Dumbreck Road, S.1.
Pollok Garage Ltd., 38 Melville Street, S.1
Ritchies Ltd, 333 Scotland Street, C.5.
Robert Gibson & Sons (Motors) Ltd., 136 Merrylee Road, SA.
Rossleigh Ltd, 63 Trossachs Street, Maryhill, N.W.
Shettleston Motor Co Ltd, 1666/1682 Shettleston Road, E.2.

Plea for more information

If you have any more information or recollections about Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd of Glasgow, 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

Picture credits: Standard 8 advert from Ben Cooper; 1957 advert for Macharg Rennie and Lindsay Ltd from Robert Pool;