Mantles Garages Limited - Triumph car dealers 65

Mantles Garages Ltd were a Standard Triumph car dealer based in Bigglewade and are the feature business in this post.

Mantles Garages Ltd, Bigglewade

Some history

Mantles Garages Ltd, Bigglewade Chronicle Advert 30-09-1949

Mantles Garages Ltd was established by Ben Mantle and opened the Biggleswade garage in 1933.  During the WW2 the premises were requisitioned for the repair of aircraft parts.  Having started in Bigglewade the firm now operates in Royston.

Mantles_logo

Ian Mantle took of the running of the firm after the war.  Ian was involved in the development of touring caravans during the 1950's.  He was a rally and race car driver who campaigned Berkeley sports cars with some success.

Caravan towing record breaker

Triumph Renown stateside

An article in "The Globe" volume 39 no 5 from December 2013 was recently bought to my attention. The article is about a Triumph Renown originally sold by Mantles and that is now in California USA.

Well, Bill, we’re very sorry to hear about your mother, but welcome to the club, and thank you for this account of setting out on the road to Razoredge ownership. We can tell you that Mantle’sGarage in Biggleswade is still going strong, now in its third generation of family ownership. Your car would have been bought during the time when Ian Mantle had recently taken over from the founder Ben, who had started the company in 1920. Ian was a motorsport and rally enthusiast, who amongst many
other achievements earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records by towing a caravan around the Monza track in Italy for 24 hours at an average speed in excess of 70mph.

The firm’s current promotional video proudly shows the current owner, John Mantle, with a Mini they hold which they originally sold 47 years ago. Bill can top that!

Rear Window Sticker

Not just Biggleswade

Mantles had several branches. In the Rover Group era they had premises in Biggleswade, Cambidge and Royston.

Mantles Rover Biggleswade Royston Cambridge Sticker

 

Mantles Cambridge 2 June 1967 Cambridge News Advert

Plea for information

If you have any more information or recollections about Mantles Garage Limited of Biggleswade, 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: Mantles Garages Ltd, Bigglewade, Caravan towing record breaker and Mantles_logo images from Mantles website http://www.mantles.co.uk/ ; Mantles Cambridge 2 June 1967 Cambridge News Advert posted to flickr by Nivek.Old.Gold;