Old Car Dealers in the Detroit Area

**BULLITT65** · May-18-09, 01:30 AM

Thread Resurrected Jan. 5 - Click Here to jump to recent conversation.
=============================
Hi fellas,
Does anybody remember JIM EDELBROCK CHEVROLET? They were located at 345 N main, in Plymouth MI. It is now the location of Lou Lariche Chevrolet. I purchased a very original 69 camaro that was orignally sold from JIM EDELBROCK CHEVROLET. From what i can ascertain the dealership changed hands in the early part of 1970. If anybody has any info pictures dealer promos or really anything pertaining to this dealership please let me know. BULLITT65@aol.com
thanks guys\popjpeg{182650,jim edelbrock key fob}

**BULLITT65** · May-18-09, 03:27 PM

Lou LaRiche was there only from 1970 to 1971, then moved to his current location.

**luckycar** · May-18-09, 09:20 PM

I can't resist.We've been selling vehicles of all types since 1952.In Pontiac.That's all I'll say,don't want to be getting free ads.

**Lowell** · May-18-09, 09:30 PM

Welcome to the forum Bullett65. Just to let you know there is an excellent thread on old car dealerships int our old forums Hall of Fame. Enjoy.

Click > Car Dealerships in Detroit

We should probably revive that thread because there are about to be a whole lot more of old car dealerships.

**BULLITT65** · May-19-09, 12:59 AM

Thanks I went through those quickley and could not find a mention of Jim Edelbrock Chevrolet. After talking with a gentleman today who has been in the area a number of years the dealership was called Allison Chevrolet prior to becoming Jim Edelbrock Chevrolet, but the gentleman wasn't able to elaborate a whole lot more than that.

**reddog289** · May-19-09, 01:11 AM

Was thinking about that myself, Gotta get the camera out and snap some pix and finnaly get this scanner working. As for Edelbrock/LaRICHE Chevy. In the center of the Flat Rock Speedway program from 1971 theres an ad for Lou La RICHE and in the bottem of the ad it says {moving to our new seven acre facility Aug 1-to serve you better}

**BULLITT65** · May-19-09, 01:46 AM

Hey thanks RED DOG, Hopefully this is a start and more people will contribute to my cause of digging up info on that location and the JIM EDELBROCK CHEVROLET dealership.

**reddog289** · May-19-09, 01:59 AM

no problem. Have to get IT going on that scanner deal. and to relax my time limit. 3am time to go.

**reddog289** · May-21-09, 12:44 AM

I know this is out there somewhere, But does anyone have a list of the GM dealers slated for closure?. Not that I want to see thes folks go under,Yet I can take some pix.

**KENSINGTONY** · May-21-09, 07:33 AM

Reddog,there is no official list.GM individually notified the affected dealers.My dealership escaped the hit list,but the owner lost his Dodge store across town.

**reddog289** · May-21-09, 11:30 PM

Like I say I hate to see these dealers go under like that. While thinking of it ,I can kinda bet on some that will be gone. And if I am right Plymouth Rd in Livonia will be left with only a Ford dealer. Same goes for a stretch in East Dearborn on Mich Ave which is already losing a Dodge dealer.

**DetroitPlanner** · May-22-09, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by reddog289

Like I say I hate to see these dealers go under like that. While thinking of it ,I can kinda bet on some that will be gone. And if I am right Plymouth Rd in Livonia will be left with only a Ford dealer. Same goes for a stretch in East Dearborn on Mich Ave which is already losing a Dodge dealer.

Michigan will have a Buick-GMC-Pontiac [[for the time being) still. There is also a Nissan Dealer and if I am not mistaken there is also an exotic car dealer in the area. Ricci also has a Mitubishi dealer on that strip. My instincts are that Ricci will probably boost his used car lot and be okay.

You're right about Plymouth though. It looks about as sad as Livernois did a few years back.

**Oldertimer** · May-22-09, 12:01 PM

Got my first new car in 1967 from Merollis Chevrolet. 8 1/2 mile road and Gratiot as they advertised it. Was a burgundy Corvair Monza. Loved that car. Rear engine with studded snow tires. I went everywhere in winter. [[shh on the legality of studded snow tires in some areas of MI)

**jackie5275** · May-22-09, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Welcome to the forum Bullett65. Just to let you know there is an excellent thread on old car dealerships int our old forums Hall of Fame. Enjoy.

Click > Car Dealerships in Detroit

We should probably revive that thread because there are about to be a whole lot more of old car dealerships.

Hey Lowell, thanks for posting that link. I enjoyed seeing that old thread.

**reddog289** · May-23-09, 12:38 AM

Was thinking about the whole deal last night. Riccis Mitsubishi dealership is pretty small right now compared to the big Dodge store across the street. Hopefully the Buick/GMC/Pontiac dealer will be there for a while. Going back to my 1971 Flat Rock Speedway program. There are a few dealer ads in there I would scan. I got my computer from my late cousins estate and I can't really ask him whats up with the printer/scanner/copier deal. When I do get it up and running I got alot of stuff to scan.

douchy · May-24-09, 10:37 AM

Edelbrock Chevy was Allison Chevy, and before that the Bonafide Garage.

The building today, Plymouth Furniture Refinishing.

**jtf1972** · May-24-09, 02:00 PM

Looks better today, with the brick frontage!

**steveharms** · May-24-09, 05:03 PM

I remember my dad buying his cars from Chlohecy [[sp) Pontiac. My dad would order his car and Tom Chlohecy would deliver the car to our house................not bad service.. I think they had a commercial that always included the phrase..."the beat of the chlohecy tom tom......" Sorry I have probably misspelled the name........I think the dealership was on Grand River.

**shovelhead** · May-24-09, 06:39 PM

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** · May-24-09, 08:33 PM

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

**reddog289** · May-25-09, 01:18 AM

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** · May-25-09, 01:24 AM

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** · May-25-09, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by 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?

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.

**BULLITT65** · May-25-09, 10:42 AM

Hey guys thanks for posting more info regaurding Allison Chevrolet and Jim Edlebrock Chevrolet.
A couple corrections or notes to those pictures. The Furniture building is where the original Allison Chevrolet building was located before they moved to the newer building of 345 N.main st. I was also told that Jim Edlebrock may have worked for Allison as a mechanic prior to starting his dealership in that location. The only surviving member of the Allison family is a daughter who still lives in the area. How about a pic of the current building today anyone? I think it is now called "I do too" wedding store and banquet hall? The gentleman I spoke with seems to Jim Edelbrock Chevrolet was there for approx 5 to 6 years, but he could not remeber for sure. He purchased the building from Allison. Keep posting what info you have, REDDOG still waiting for those photos buddy....have a great holiday everyone!

**shovelhead** · May-25-09, 01:38 PM

Back to my earlier post about Sellgren Buick. If you go to the building on Grand River west of Seven Mile, presently a used car lot, look at the sides of the front door. Cast into the cement one side at the bottom says "Sellgren" in script.

Back to Plymouth now:
Mercury dealer on Forest Ave., west side at least from '64 to about '68 or '69 was West Bros. Ford dealer at the time was Leo Calhoun. Both buildings long gone.

Another Northville memory,on Main Street next to the Wagon Wheel Bar there was until '64 Gib Bergstrom's Chrysler

Anybody here remember Motor City Dodge? He billed himself as "Dr. Dick Canaan"
He bought a few old ambulances, painted and lettered them and parked them around the northwest side of Detroit.

Random dealers:
Rollie Barrett Chrysler-Plymouth, Grand River around Schaefer IIRC.
Armstrong Buick originally was around there too. Joe May Chevrolet, Grand River @ Meyers [[?), Grand River Chevrolet, Grand River @ Warren Mulligan Lincoln Mercury, Grand River@Evergreen, Stan Long Pontiac, 10K block, south side of Grand River, Clarence Carter Chevrolet and Floyd Rice Ford, both on Livernois Ave.

And for the custom car people, the Alexander Bros. has a shop an Grand River and Littlefield.......

Enough for now...