Not to worry. I have the whole album on my ipod.
Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: "don" <don@napanet.net>
To: "North Bay British Car Club" <nobbc@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 8:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Nobbc] British car dealerships in the area
>A bit off the subject, but you can Youtube It's a Beautiful Day and White
>Bird and listen to their big hit song. They lived on Mt. St. Helena
>outside of Calistoga back in the early '70s.
>
>
>
> At 04:54 PM 03/21/2009, you wrote:
>
>>Back in 1970 I took my 67 MGB GT into BMC Motors in San Francisco. While
>>waiting I started talking to another "long hair" who was waiting for his
>>E-Type to be serviced. I asked him what he did and he said he was a
>>musician. Turns out he was David Laflamme leader of the 60's acid rock
>>band "It's a Beautiful Day". It made my day that's for sure. Back then
>>you never knew who you would run into at BMC Motors.
>>
>>And then there's the famous Grace Slick Aston Martin story from the same
>>BMC Motors.
>>
>>Ah memories.
>>
>>On another note the Daimler is finally finished and maybe I will join you
>>on a run once the rain stops. Better yet we should plan a run in Marin my
>>home territory.
>>
>>Steve Plath
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- From: "don" <don@napanet.net>
>>To: "North Bay British Car Club" <nobbc@autox.team.net>
>>Sent: Saturday, March 21, 2009 3:10 PM
>>Subject: [Nobbc] British car dealerships in the area
>>
>>
>>>Back in the late '50s through early '70s, British car dealerships could
>>>be found in most US cities of any size, especially in California. Even
>>>before I got my first British car in 1965, I loved visiting the showrooms
>>>to admire the MGs, Triumphs and other British cars. Of course, I would
>>>always pilfer as many sales brochures as I could hoping to not upset the
>>>salespeople too much.
>>>
>>>I remember the BMC/Jaguar dealer in Napa on Soscol Avenue, which was to
>>>become Napa Valley Datsun when they dropped the British car line around
>>>1967. There was a BMC dealer that tried again in Napa shortly after but
>>>didn't last long. I remember taking my MGA there for repairs in 1968,
>>>but I don't remember the name of the place. I do remember that it was
>>>very expensive to pay someone to repair my car, and after that, did most
>>>of my repairs myself. The name of it might have been Washborn Imports.
>>>
>>>In Santa Rosa, there was Ralph Vesper Motors on Santa Rosa Avenue which
>>>sold Triumphs and British Fords. I remember that dealership, because, as
>>>I bought parts for my old Anglia and Zodiac (c. 1966, '67), I was
>>>distracted by the siren's call of the sleek TR4s and Spitfires on display
>>>in the showroom. I still have a few pieces of the Triumph literature I
>>>took on visits to Vesper. Car dealers usually left their identification
>>>by irubber stamping their names and addresses onto the front or back of
>>>the sales literature. Vesper's name and address sill adorn my old
>>>Triumph brochures.
>>>
>>>The most interesting dealership to visit was always British Motors on Van
>>>Ness Avenue in San Francisco. They had Jaguar, Rolls Royce and the whole
>>>BMC line, and the cars they had on display were always of a high calibre.
>>>This was such a classy place that I always felt underdressed because I
>>>wasn't wearing a suit and tie. As an extreme British car nut, I was
>>>thrilled just to purchase parts there. I do have several license plate
>>>frames from there, which I think are a cool period accessory.
>>>
>>>Other dealerships that come to mind are Union Jack (BMC) in Hayward and
>>>British Motors in San Jose.
>>>
>>>Anyone else have any recollections of the British car dealer world in the
>>>area?
>>>
>>>Don Scott
>>>Calistoga
>>>1962 MGA Mk II
>>>1991 Miata BRG
>>>1973 MGB GT
>>>1962 TR4 (seeking)
>>>
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>>
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>
>
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