Hi Don and Robin,
I think the place you're describing on SR Ave. was Vesper Motors. I
recall a Washburn Motors but I think the Santa Rosa shop only sold
used cars. I do recall it in a location near there... maybe they
took over that spot after Vesper closed up shop in the 70s G.K.
Hardt handled BMC stuff in Santa Rosa into the 60s sometime. It was
on SR Ave., West side, between Sebastopol Ave. and Maple Ave. In
early '64 they even opened up a Jag/Cobra/MG dealership annex... it
was North of town back then.... now that location is in town near the
K-Mart. .... NW corner of Cleveland Ave and Industrial Dr.
If you want to include ALL Brit cars ya hafta include Paul Felton on
Van Ness in SF.... Rovers and Land Rovers. There were also Rover
dealers in Berkeley, El Cerrito and down the Peninsula. Just in the
idle curiosity category, I think it's interesting that the first Land
Rover dealership west of the Rockies was in Willets. It was Carbrey
Motors and they handled Ramblers, International and Caterpillar as well.
Gerry
Glen Ellen
On Mar 21, 2009, at 5:34 PM, don wrote:
> Robin,
> Thanks for jarring my memory! Now, I remember Washburn on the east
> side of SR Avenue near Petaluma Hill Road. It was a long building
> and the showroom was at the street and the service bays were in line
> behind it.
> And I remember going to EF Sweeney in San Rafael now. One memorable
> event was buying parts there for an MG. There was a young woman who
> had bought an Austin Marina new at the dealership not long before,
> and she told me the sad story of how everything on the car had
> broken. That was in the early '70s. No wonder the Japanese were
> able to take over the imported car market from the Brits.
> Don
> Calistoga
G. Mugele
mewgull@mugele.net
*** Nobody roots for Goliath. Wilt Chamberlain
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