Old Car Dealers in the Detroit Area

[shovelhead]

About the Allison/Edelbrock/LaRiche dealership. The Allison Chevrolet was Ernest J. Allison.
Northville had in the 60's three new car dealers. Rathburn Chevrolet, Main Street @ Seven Mile, John Mach Ford, around the corner on Seven Mile, and G.E. Miller Dodge, Main @ Hutton. Rathburn closed in 1970 [[first dealership I worked at), Miller's closed in the early 80's, Mach sold out to McDonald Ford and closed a couple of years ago.

Farmington had a few. In the 50's Blacklock Buick was at Grand River@ Power.
Figured out what happened to that store by going through a few old telephone books.
In 58 they were listed as Blacklock Edsel.......
Earl Vivier Oldsmobile. My dad bought a couple Olds from there in the late 40's.
Bill Root Chevrolet became Roger Peck in the late 60's, today Holiday Chevrolet.
Town & Country Dodge started out in the old Blacklock building in the early 60's.
Can't remember the Mercury dealer before Bob Dusseau, but the Ford dealer was Berling-McHugh, later O'Green Ford, now Tom Holzer Ford.

Clohecy Pontiac previously was Currie Pontiac, not sure of what year it changed. Bob Sellers bought out Clohecy in '72 later moving to Farmington Hills.

Packer Pontiac was at 18650 Livernois, south of Seven Mile. I worked there 71-72. Went in with a inventory crew after Palmer Pontiac closed in '90 or '91.
It felt strange, it still looked the same inside. In fact, in the showroom you could still see painted on the wall to the Service Department "America's Largest Pontiac Dealer". The Packers owned three, the others were in Miami and in Flint. Packer advertised and painted on the showroom windows,"Detroit, I'm Here For Good" in '72 due to dealers moving to the 'burbs. A couple of years later, he followed.

And for you trivia fans, who had a dealership in Novi before Marty Feldman Chevrolet? Leo Harrawood in 'the mid 60's opened a Jeep dealership on Grand River just east of Novi Road. It didn't last too long there. In fact, Novi never had a supermarket until about '73, at Ten Mile and Meadowbrook, an A & P.

Enough for now.

[shovelhead]

Glenn Pontiac, Grand River & Prevost, sold out to Porterfield Wilson.
Across Grand River, General Transmission's building was previously a Packard dealership.

[reddog289]

Glad to see some info regarding the Allison/Edelbrock Chevy ?. I must be getting old cause I remember some of those defunct dealers that Shovelhead listed. As a teen I would ride down Grand River with my Uncle from 7mi&Evergreen to Twelve Oaks. You know It is hard to belive how many dealers have closed/moved even before this mess. Throwing out a question, I remember a Buick dealer north of 7mi on Grand River seemed to have been there in the early 80,s can't remember the name. When I think about the dealers on Grand River they just did what alot of people do." Follow the money". And when I look at some of the buildings that used to house these dealers I think "That housed a dealership?"

[reddog289]

Another thing I just saw the Packer Pontiac Catalina in a magazine, SOLD for BIG$$. Didn,t Packer have a dealership in Pontiac and later in northern Mich?

[shovelhead]

Another thing I just saw the Packer Pontiac Catalina in a magazine, SOLD for BIG$$. Didn,t Packer have a dealership in Pontiac and later in northern Mich?

After Packer left Detroit, mid 70's, this was after the ad campaign "Detroit , I'm Here For Good", he built the dealership on Opdyke, so you are correct. The northern Michigan dealership you spoke of was Superior Pontiac Cadillac in Flint.

On to the Buick dealership on Grand River. Originally Sellgren Buick,later Denton Buick, then Stella Buick. Moved to Grand River/Ten Mile in the late 70's Later became Bill Cook Buick, then to Bob Saks at Grand River@Drake. Now added to Sellers.

[99gprix]

After Packer left Detroit, mid 70's, this was after the ad campaign "Detroit , I'm Here For Good", he built the dealership on Opdyke, so you are correct. The northern Michigan dealership you spoke of was Superior Pontiac Cadillac in Flint.

You are kinda correct on Packer. Jim Causley built the place on Opdyle rd back in 76 or 77. He asked GM for a Buick franchise and GM said no. When Causley was told this, he left the construction unfinished. Packer bought it with no floor in the building, and finished it quickly, to move from Detroit. The current owners bought it in 90 I think.

[shovelhead]

I could be wrong on some of the details on Packer as I was out of Pontiac dealerships at the time. Us Chevy guys were in our own world, if someone sneezed across town at say, Gene Bell Chevrolet we knew about it quickly. Our own little grapevine.

When I was leaving the Pontiac "world", going to Chevrolet dealers, the guys that I worked with tried to talk me out of it as I would have to deal with trucks, and they were no fun with all the different models, including the "big boys", C40's through Titan 90's. Actually, once I learned them, they were a breeze. Still like the medium duty line, even though I left a medium franchise last year and went back to passenger cars.

[Riviera Ray]

You missed one...Bob Denton sold the Buick dealership to Ray Conlon in 1968. Ray Conlon Buick-Opel operated there until late 1975 when he sold to Stella and purchased another Buick dealership in Merritt Island, FL.

[Riviera Ray]

"On to the Buick dealership on Grand River. Originally Sellgren Buick,later Denton Buick, then Stella Buick."

You missed one...Bob Denton sold the Buick dealership to Ray Conlon in 1968. Ray Conlon Buick-Opel operated there until late 1975 when he sold to Stella and purchased another Buick dealership in Merritt Island, FL.

[shovelhead]

"On to the Buick dealership on Grand River. Originally Sellgren Buick,later Denton Buick, then Stella Buick."

You missed one...Bob Denton sold the Buick dealership to Ray Conlon in 1968. Ray Conlon Buick-Opel operated there until late 1975 when he sold to Stella and purchased another Buick dealership in Merritt Island, FL.

Yes, remember it now.........I remember going in there with my parents in 1960 as they were looking at new Buicks. Ended up with a new Ford Sunliner and again in 1964 before they bought their 64 Mercury Park Lane convertible. I went in there once in 1967 for some parts for my 58 Special but it was Denton at that time.

[SMRJim]

Glenn Pontiac, Grand River & Prevost, sold out to Porterfield Wilson.
Across Grand River, General Transmission's building was previously a Packard dealership.

Glenn Pontiac is the one I was going to mention. I lived right down the block on Prevost, just before Eaton. I remember as a kid watching the car-haulers park on our street and unload the cars. I was fascinated by that as a youngster. I think Porterfield Wilson took over around 73 or 74 maybe. Great Western Auto was across Grand River from the Pontiac dealership. Besides being an auto parts place, they sold bikes. Got my bikes there when I was a kid, as well as tire patch kits, etc. Still remember the smell of that store. Slighly off the subject I guess, but it is auto-related...

Had some friends who worked at General Trans back in the mid-late 70s, but the Packard dealership was a bit before my time.