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Good day,
I am Jeff Murray. I research the history of rare cars. One current project is a British car, an AC Aceca, sold by Foreign Cars of Detroit in 1958. Does anyone know of this dealership? I have seen it listed as Foreign Cars Associates, Foreign Cars of Rockland and just plain Foreign Cars. I appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you may have. Best regards, Jeff Murray
vcrllc@roadrunner.com
The old memory is a bit foggy, but I seem to remember a small dealership on Morang on the east side that sold UK cars, maybe Triumphs?
GPCharles your memory is spot on. Can you recall anything else about this dealer? My research shows a total of 17 AC cars were sold from this location. Very impressive for a rare car in the 50s in Detroit no less. Thanks, Jeff
Worked at an MG dealership on Grand River in the 1970's.....back then it was named Redford Stables. Also serviced Austin Healey & Triumph.
I had a Triumph in the 70's. It was a 1973 TR6 - that car needed a hell of a lot of service. It was a complete piece of crap.
In the early 1950s, there was a gas station on Whittier just west of Harper that always had four or five MG two-seaters lined up just outside the station office. I think that station became part of the Edsel Ford right-of-way.
I am told the Triumph dealer was Langs Motor Sales at 12301 Morang
Does anyone recall an AC Cars dealership called Foreign Cars? they sold AC Ace, AC Aceca? Carroll Shelby turned to AC Cars for the basis of his Cobra in 1963. I am looking for the AC Cars dealer in Detroit. Thanks
Sidetracking a bit, my neighbor's family started a Fiat dealership in a converted supermarket at 7 Mile and Grand River in the 60's. Today they are Dwyer and Sons Subaru in Commerce Twp. Meanwhile Fiat has disappeared and returned.
"Foreign" cars were generally mocked [any many deserved it] back then but nobody is laughing now. The domestic makers ignored them, kept pushing out the same cars with just cosmetic changes while the non-domestics went to work and produced better and more fuel efficient cars. The VW Beetle and oil embargos are now part of the story of Detroit's urban prairies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J66DeBxfr6YQuote:
Originally Posted by Lowell
Nothing here: http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/...tml?1230935273
All other British brands except AC. Softailrider--you just described every British car of that era.
I believe the Aceca was also powered by a Ford V8. I think it was a hard-top version of the Ace
Have you tried the AC Owners' Club?
acownersclub.com
in 1999, AC had a prototype for a new Aceca:
Attachment 21292
Wish I could remember where this was at- my brother and I in 1959 Austin Healey 3000- in the background an MG dealership? Funny, I pulled into a Detroit area gas station one time and the attendant was asking what year 'Vette I was driving! Oh, and that one was $400 with 29k miles at the time- those were the days for foreign cars!
Attachment 27886
Another clue- from the left side. c. 1972
Attachment 27887
They are worth quite a bit of money now though, if in pristine condition.Quote:
Originally Posted by softailrider
Falvey Motors [[sp.?) in Ferndale was the BIG British car dealer in the area, wasn't it? Sold MG/Austin-Healey, Jag and others. Strikes me I saw a Rolls there once.
That's right - the British dealer on Morang was Lang's. My brother and I had our Triumphs serviced there and I bought my '80 TR7 convertible there. Good people and their service was excellent, but a bit pricey. Before they sold British cars they sold Crosleys in the 40's and early 50's.Quote:
Originally Posted by douglasm
I also believe Falvey was the area Rolls dealer back then as well. RR was a very rare sight in the D back then.
Oops, my mistake! Because my brother was with me I was thinking this was in Michigan but the 'Power Test' gas station tells me this was Lyle Lincoln Mercury, Inc., 233 West Route 59, Nanuet, NY! He must have been out with my parents in NY visiting. Odd mix, MG-Healey and Lincoln Mercury! The area now is a huge shopping center. Found it on a list of all MG dealerships from 1971- you can find the Michigan area dealerships from that time there also. MG Dealerships 1971
This thread got me to thinking about Sample Motors on the east side of Detroit. They were a Sunbeam Alpine dealer in the mid-1960s. Were they on Gratiot?
Speaking of dealers, Hodges sold Saabs, Puegeots and Renaults back in the Dauphine era. And what was the name of the Fiat dealer on Woodward south of 13 Mile?
You see some from time to time. Usually see one or two during the Dream Cruise week. I absolutely never missed mine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid
I remember Sample Motors as well. They were between Gunston and Houston-Whittier on Gratiot. They sold Jaguars and other European makes. I also remember they sold Toyotas in the 70's before they disappeared.
Nice Detroit background mountains.....Quote:
Originally Posted by xdet