Phelps Chevrolet, Greenville, NC.
Starr Chevrolet.
Belmont Chev-Olds, Toronto, ON.
Tom Henry Chevrolet, Bakerstown, PA.
Stowell, Chevrolet, Rutland, VT.
O’rielly Chevrolet, Tucson, AZ.
Dunton Motors, Chevrolet-Pontiac-Olds-Buick-Cadillac, Kingman, AZ.
Feely Chevrolet, Needham, Mass.
DeHavem Chevrolet, Ft. Wayne, IN.
Feely Chevrolet, Needham, Mass
I would imagine many of the early dealers were originally repair shops or gas stations in the late 1910’s & thru the 1920’s. Someone came by and offered a franchise. Cars were delivered (on credit) and the owner suddenly realized what he gotten himself into. The family of the owner lived well as long as they kept the franchise moving and the manufacturer had something worth buying.
It and others like it explain why the Big 3 have about one-third of the number of dealers today compared to back then.
Hoo boy, do I ever remember DeHaven Chevrolet. They had a jingle that ran perpetually on the radio (which is how I can remember their address). Anyone here who was ever in the WOWO broadcast area will remember
DeHaven Chevrolet
DeHaven Chevrolet
DeHaven Chevrolet
2315 South Calhoun
Aaaaaaah, Aaaaaaah, Aaaaaaah, Aaaaaaah
DeHaven Chev – Ro – Lay
I looked them up – that dealership dates back to 1964 and is still very much in business (though at a much newer and bigger location).
Ah, WOWO in Ft. Wayne, IN. During the heyday of AM rock in the mid-late 1960’s, I would spend hours at night pulling in distant radio stations on my Motorola eight transistor from my Maryland home. WOWO, CKLW, WLS, WCFL, WABC and KDKA were all favorites from what seemed to me exotic places. Baltimore’s top station at the time was WCAO, which had something like an 80 share at its peak.
And, I miss the jingles many dealerships constantly played. “Hey, hey, Fox Chevrolet!” Was a favorite.
I saw that cute little Vauxhall Viva there at the end of those Oldsmobiles and through “hmm that’s weird” but then saw it was a Toronto dealership.
Hurry and take a photo before it turns into rust!
Actually that’s an Envoy Epic; a Viva a clone sold at Chevy-Olds dealers. C-O dealers also sold a Vauxhall Victor clone as well. Envoys were sold form 59-70.
Canadian Pontiac [and US dealers from 57-62] dealers sold Vauxhalls from 57-70. In 1971 the Viva became the Vauxhall Firenza from 71-73. When that ended the Pontiac Astre [Vega clone] came .
Strangely optioned 1966 Caprice at Stowell. 396 V-8 with blackwalls and no vinyl roof.
Marginally familiar but very different to the one I remember, My dad worked at a GM dealership, the showroom when I forst snuck in as a child had one of those HA Vivas in it it was a brand new model, Chevys came and went, usually on display untill the customer turned up to take his new prize away Chevys had to be pre ordered, selling them wasnt usually difficult with the exception of MY 57 and 59, but there were more Vauxhalls sold than Chevys, they were about half the price even the bigger models, Chevrolet had turned into a luxury brand because of tariffs, then went away when local assembly stopped, the Stellantis agent nearest me has a NZ new 68 Camaro in the showroom NOW, with a 57 sport coupe nearby, not for sale, they have 3 workshop bays of classic cars to shuffle among the indoor new cars
A dramatic contrast in the way dealers presented themselves. How the product was promoted, was less out of the control of the carmaker. Why branding consistency, was so important to presenting better to the public.
I prefer vintage dealerships with a small collection of their most desirable cars, posed in their showroom. Or/and on the street front. With full wheel covers, or optional wheels. As the larger inventory is located in the rear, behind the primary building. As O’Reilly Chevrolet have done, with their posed Chevrolet trucks. I find the 1960’s/1970’s growing trend of a large row of cars upfront, facing the street, much less attractive. As seen at Phelps Chevrolet, and Belmont Chevrolet. Of course, space and dealer footprint, always influence how to best present cars. As the public wanted to have more auto selection, to consider. Architecture appears to be becoming less attractive, and less important here.
Would have been interesting if DeHavem Chevrolet, was a ford Dealer instead. The illuminated arrow flashing sequentially inward, would have been cool.
I always love spotting doppelgangers in a crowd. The sales representative at Starr Chevrolet appears to quite resemble a retired local popular news presenter (Graham Richardson).
The photo at Tom Henry Chevrolet in Bakerstown, Pennsylvania, looks as though it was taken on the day the 1963 models were officially unveiled.
There is a well-worn 1957 Plymouth hardtop coupe in front of Dunton Motors in Kingman, Arizona. This photo was likely taken in 1967 – note the window sign announcing “1967 Clean-Up Days.” The Arizona location explains how that Plymouth hadn’t rusted away over the previous decade.
In “63”, Tom Henry” moved into the “brand, spankingm new”, facitlty on “RT 8”.
Original building was a short distance away , on “Bakerstown Rd”. (intersection with “Heckert Rd”.
Original building, I believe is still there.
“New site go a big “redo”, in late “90’s 2000ish”.
Built a new place, reoriented showroom to face south as opposed to “facing Rt 8”.
Became a “Jim Shorkey”, franchise a good # of years back now. (Chevrolet north)
Bought my first car ((my name on reg-ttl)) from “TH” in spring “82”.
“81 Citation, V6”, new. Ah memories. lol
I’m pretty sure the building that once housed Dunton Motors in Kingman still stands. At least it was there last time I was in Kingman, pre-pandemic.
It’s a bit of a kitschy hot-rod shop. A lot of Kingman is similarly kitschy, as the town is on an easily accessible portion of Route 66.
Some Random Thoughts:
Picture No. 1 (lede): “Bitchin’ Camaro! Bitchin’ Camaro! Donuts on your lawn…” Dead Milkmen
Picture No. 2: I SO want that ’61 Impala Convertible!
Picture No… ok, I don’t feel like counting… The one with the dealer in Kingman, AZ… They could’ve saved themselves a lot of signage if they simply called themselves “Dunton Motors – All Things GM”. 😉
There was some dealers in Canada in small towns who got once both the Chevy-Olds and Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealer networks like Hamilton Chev-Buick-GMC in Wakefield in Quebec back in 2009 who have Chevy, Pontiac, Buick and GMC (and once Oldsmobile). https://maps.app.goo.gl/SMznZpzooTujpBXU8
I noticed all the Camaros in pic 1, have vinyl roofs. I want the Buick Riviera parked on the curb in pic 7, outside Dunton Motors and/or the red SS Chevelle in pic 8, outside Feely Chevrolet.
I’m impressed by O’Rielly’s truck center display area. Ahead of their time?
O’rielly back in the early 1950’s opened a separate satellite sales site for trucks on the corner of 22nd and Park Avenue, as their overall sales were outgrowing the main location’s abilities (415 N. 6th Avenue). Both locations were reintegrated into one in 1966 when a new site that could accommodate their volume was opened at 6100 East Broadway. They remain at that East Broadway location to this day