old garages

[Pete]

Another pic outside Douglas Wilson-Spratt’s Delta Garage ..(BMC dealership). Just one of the Cooper Ss Douglas rallied and raced.

[agricola]

Douglas Wilson_Spratt also produced some gorgeous WSM one off Healeys and MGs
https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/visitors_wsm.htm

[Pete]

Douglas Wilson_Spratt also produced some gorgeous WSM one off Healeys and MGs
https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/visitors_wsm.htm

Ive been chatting to his son Tony who has built a nice website to document his dad’s competition cars, including the Minis, here : http://www.wsmcars.com/

[mab01uk]

Standard Triumph London Service Depot.
21st January 1960. Standard-Triumph International Ltd., announce that they have acquired the lease of the premises in Western Avenue, London, previously occupied by the Hooper (Coachbuilders) Ltd car-body building concern. The building will shortly be reopened as Standard-Triumph’s London.
The buildings were located on the junction of Dukes Road, Western Avenue, Acton.
http://www.triumphworks.co.uk/london-service-depot/



Later photos of building with British Leyland signage - Service Department & Specialist Car Division .

[dodge44]

Standard Triumph London Service Depot.
21st January 1960. Standard-Triumph International Ltd., announce that they have acquired the lease of the premises in Western Avenue, London, previously occupied by the Hooper (Coachbuilders) Ltd car-body building concern. The building will shortly be reopened as Standard-Triumph’s London.
The buildings were located on the junction of Dukes Road, Western Avenue, Acton.
http://www.triumphworks.co.uk/london-service-depot/

<snip>

Think I'm right in saying this was the only establishment you could buy a new warrantied Triumph Vitesse Estate from as it was not a factory option but could be ordered from the Western Avenue premises as they had an 'understanding' with headquarters.

[nick@dunsdale]

Always thought Hooper's were a small'ish bespoke company didnt relize they had premises as large as that at one time

[mk1]

Hoopers were a large concern in the 20's & 30's when most "decent" automobiles were purchased from the manufacturers as a chassis & then the had a body fitted by a coachbuilder.

Most of the large coachbuilders were killed off to a great extent by WW2.

https://www.herridgeandsons.com/a-z-of- ... chbuilders

Wannabe website, but info is broadly correct.

http://www.hooperinternational.com/hist ... ward%20VII.

[mk1]

Hooper's again.

HOOPER-48181-700x450.jpg

[Pandora]

Most of the large coachbuilders were killed off to a great extent by WW2.

Chronologically, yes, and the impact of the change to aircraft and munitions production during the war and the cost of going back to the old set up certainly had a massive impact, but by far the biggest (finely crafted, but mass produced) nail in the coffin was the post war developments in car design and manufacture towards standard bodywork and then towards unitary construction. What had been fairly commonplace became a specialism, with the economies of scale that brought about.

And it all ended up with those gurning cretins on TVs' chop shop........

Al

[mab01uk]

This appears to be The Western Avenue/Dukes Road site today?
(The buildings were located on the junction of Dukes Road, Western Avenue, Acton).

[mk1]

Lovely selection of weeds & roadside filth!

[Pandora]

Good god, 'functional' commercial architecture really isn't what it was, is it?

Al

[Pete]

No introduction needed! Where Mark’s Speedwell 1300TC used to live!

[UHR850]

Whow, super cool. Thanks

Kees.

[mk1]

Same again, but in colour.

spd-col.jpg

[Pete]

Marshall’s of Cambridge...

[Peter Laidler]

Those aeroplanes shown by Peter (ist thread, previous page 46)........ Bristol Freighters. The New Zealand RAF had them that we ofted used as a means of transport around the Far East as squaddies out there in the mid to late 60's or so. I wouldn't take my dog in one. They were so rough you could see the clamshell doors flexing in flight. In fact everyone called them Bristol FRIGHTENERS. When they went for the chop we used something just as rough from the Bristol stable.... the Bristol Belvedere. It was like sitting on a Kango hammer

[MiNiKiN]

This appears to be The Western Avenue/Dukes Road site today?
(The buildings were located on the junction of Dukes Road, Western Avenue, Acton).

I know this place, where Screwfix now is, there used to be a Machine Mart if I remember rightly. Occasionally popped-in there on the way from and to HEX Acton depot. Funny, I'd never thought there would have been this grand Hooper building previously.

[Costafortune]

It seems to be a very British thing doesn't it? Replace a nice old building with a hastily and cheaply constructed World Of Shite superstore.

[Bart Smith]

Its an American thing too.