Car Dealers, Garages, Petrol Stations

That's a nice post Rootes66, enjoyed reading that. What's the mileage like on the Minx after 37 years?! My Dad lived in the last house before the factory in Ryton, and his Grandmother was a cook in the factory for many years

I remember Percy Blamire's garage at the top end of Queens Road. It had a very good reputation. Percy was, I believe, a very keen private pilot operating out of Baginton. Looking through some of my father's old documents there are some advertisements on old football programmes for the garage with pictures and prices that make you laugh considering what a new car costs these days.

Junction of Queen's Road and Hertford Place to be precise. (Queen's Road continued eastwards for some distance before the Ring Road was built). I was oblivious to the garage myself despite having passed it on countless occasions. The area is now zoned for 'communal' use only.

Just for completeness, our local garages were Stoke Park service station (Barry Whitmore's) on the Binley Road by the Bull's Head pub, and opposite, where the supermarket is now, there was a large garage with a big workshop at the back (cannot dredge up the name of the place just now, maybe it will come to me later). Further along the Binley Road (between Crescent Ave and Uxbridge Ave) there was a small garage (a few doors down from the Biggin Hall), again, the name escapes me, but I remember that between that garage and Pollard's cycle shop, you could get practically any sort of bulb or battery, however obscure, that your torch/cycle lamp/toy car etc required!

I think the large garage opposite the Bull was Mortons, and further up was Smiths Garage who moved to Brandon Road after his sons took it over.

Due to this topic, I came by White Street, which was hard for me to visualise. I put a search on here and it has been discussed, which helped me with the location. I linked a photo I liked but there are loads of great images of the shops in White Street if you are interested in the street itself. Swanswell Garage

Did Barry succeed his father, who I think was Archie Whitmore?

Liked that picture of the Swanswell Garage with the classic cars. Think I can spot one or two products of the Rootes Group. Somebody mentioned the garage in Providence Street (presumably Earlsdon). I remember that garage in the 1950s. It was set back from the road a bit and the building had a large curved roof of corrugated iron, a bit like the buildings on WW2 airfields. I thought it was called the Orchard Garage, but I could be wrong on that. When I was in Coventry recently, I tried to work out where Blamire's would have been. Difficult, the Baptist Church being one of the few landmarks left. Looked like it could be under the Ringway now. As to our 1966 Minx, it has relatively low mileage of 75,000. My father-in-law used it sparingly, although he did drive to the South of France a couple of times in the late 60s - a long way from Edinburgh. It prompted me to call him "The Man who drove the Minx to Monte Carlo". You have probably gathered I'm a Rootes enthusiast and we also run two other Rootes cars from the mid 60s, a 1965 Mk1 Humber Sceptre and a 1965 Super Snipe. We've had them over 30 years and I know them inside out. These Coventry cars are very solid and well-engineered, something you appreciate after working on more modern vehicles! Here's a picture of the Minx:

Anyone remember Brighton Street Garage, it was owned by Nat Evans. He had the contract of repairing BOC trucks of Terry Road for many years, mostly Bedford TKs, I remember Nat for his moaning, boy he could moan for all of Coventry. We had our fuel account there so I used it quite a lot over the years.

rootes 66. Nice to hear from a Humber owner, I ran a Humber for nearly 30 years and what a nice car they are. When Coventry Garage closed I got all of their parts books from them, I had 2 big boxes of them dating back to the 30s and up to when they closed. i gave a lot of them to members of the PVHCC and only recently gave what I had left to a classic car friend of mine here in Bulkington. I had a 1967 Humber Imperial and converted it to diesel in about 1973, it served me well all those years, you may have seen it about JHP7E. .

Just found a shot that may be familiar it says motor cycles though. Jesson St

We did too! There was a little shed in the centre at the back of the forecourt where you had to sign for your petrol (Cleveland Discol). I think Mr Evans lived in a house over the road in Brighton Street

I've been a member of PVHCC (that's Post Vintage Humber Car Club for other Forum members) for over 30 years. I think I've seen stuff about your diesel Humber in the club magazine. Sounds like you don't have it anymore. Glad you found a good home for the old manuals from Coventry Garage. Parts lists are particularly useful.

I had an idea that the garage on the Binley Road was Mortons, but I couldn't be sure; thanks for that. While we're posting images of our Humbers, here's my late father's Hawk Estate - he was a member of PVHCC also.

Great picture Vtopian. I had a chance to buy a 1956 Hawk down here in Cornwall a few years ago. Unfortunately it would have needed so much maintaining that I declined the opportunity. I often wonder. Hawk and Super Snipe were both beautiful 'Made in Coventry' cars.