Old dealership photos

[Guido]

quote:Originally posted by fastfritz

I think this one was my favorite photo! I love the hillside location and the showroom on the "top" floor.

Coggins Motor was the Studebaker dealer in my hometown of Charlottesville, VA. They had also sold Packards and sold Mercedes concurrently with Studebakers. After the demise of Studebaker, they picked up Triumph and AMC.

The dealership was on the south side of Preston Avenue between 4th and 5th street. I went to 6th grade at a school on 4th Street and used to sneak down to the dealership to pick up decals to stick on my notebooks. The sidewalk that you see in the foreground led to Lane High School which closed in 1975 and is now the Albemarle County office building.

The area behind the building was known as Vinegar Hill and was cleared out in the early '60's due to urban renewal. It sat as vacant land for well over a decade before anything was built on it. The dealership building (along with one next door that housed Settle Tire) were demolished in the late '70's. Prior to that time Coggins had become strictly a used car dealer and had moved to Rt. 29N on the site of the current Rio Hill Shopping Center (the site of a Civil War calvary battle).

My late friend Sam Miller went to work for Coggins after graduating high school and ended up with the parts inventory as well as their '61 6E13 wrecker, which hauled home my first Studebaker in January, 1974. A member of the Greater Virginia Chapter owns the wrecker today.

About 6 blocks west on Preston Avenue (to the right in the picture) was Wilhoit Motors, the local Dodge dealer. If you preceeded straight back from Coggins to Main Street you would have found Russell Moooney Oldsmobile and a block west of that, McGregor Motors, the Lincoln Mercury dealer. Farther west beyond the Southern Railroad tracks were Massey Fisher Ford and Preston Motors (Pontiac, Cadillac and later Datsun). Huff Chevrolet was further west, but I do not remember the dealership.

Thanks for the memories.

Guido Salvage - "Where rust is beautiful" and real Studebaker horsepower lives

See pictures here: http://community.webshots.com/user/GuidoSalvage

Hiding and preserving Studebakers in Richmond, Goochland & Louisa, Va.

[Avantidon]

This dealership located in Silverdale PA was established in 1927 and existed until 1942 when the owner died of a massive heart attack. The business continued under the direction of his 18 year old 2nd son as a repair garage as Studebaker would not give a franchise to one that young. it was however reestablished in 1963 with the same son now awarded his Studebaker franchise. It continued until the bitter end and was a dealership for other brands, Giat and GMC products into the 60's. Today it is a repair garage. On one day in Oct 2009 it was returned to its former glory as a Studebaker dealership.



If you look closely in the middle of the picture you will see a gentleman in a hat. That is the older version of the young 18 year old who picked up the pieces after his father's untimely death in 1942. the other gentleman to his left is his younger brother who was 12 at the time of his father's death and died of a massive heartattack one week after the picture was taken.

[Bill Pressler]

quote:Originally posted by Avantidon


This dealership located in Silverdale PA was established in 1927 and existed until 1942 when the owner dies od a massive heart attack. The business continued under the direction of his 18 year old 2nd son as a repair garage as Studebaker would not give a franchise to one that young. it was however reestablished in 1963 with the same son now awarded his Studebaker franchise. It continued until the bitter end and was a dealership for other brands, Giat and GMC products into the 60's. Today it is a repair garage. On one day in Oct 2009 it was returned to its former glory as a Studebaker dealership.

Great photo! I love the old dealership photos.

The photo of Coggins in Charlotteville is impressive. Being from a small town, the Stude dealer buildings either I can remember or know where they are now, are more like the photos farther up than Coggins!

I have a bunch of color slides of the inside and outside of the Carl E. Filer Co., which was small and near a railroad shop by design (to get drive-by traffic in the morning and at quitting time). I wish I had a way to post some. They range from '50 to '66.

Bill Pressler
Kent, OH
'63 Lark Daytona Skytop R1 (sold new by Cordell Motors, Moorhead, MN)
'64 Daytona Hardtop (sold new by Carl E. Filer Co., Greenville, PA)

[jlmccuan]

I'm looking for some pics for my Avanti's point of sale, Rauschnot's in St Paul, MN. I have some leads on some memorabilia, but no pics. Any help out there?



Jim
Often in error, never in doubt

____1966 Avanti II RQA 0088_______________1963 Avanti R2 63R3152____________Rabid Snail Racing

[COMMANDERPINK1]

What I love about the old pictures is the personnal memory members are adding to them. Its great

Tom

[JBOYLE]

Great photos....
I love the Goggins building.
Of one had the money, it would be great to reproduce a builing like that for a collection.

Maybe some of you guys a bit older than me could ansewer a question...
Stand alone Edsel dealerships had to be fairly rare...weren't they?

63 Avanti R1 2788
1914 Stutz Bearcat
(George Barris replica)

Washington State

[jlmccuan]

How would you like to have gone home and announced, "Honey, guess what? I just invested out money to buy an Edsel dealership !"

Fast forward 20 years. "So kids, that's why you have 2 grandmothers on Daddy's side of the family."

Jim
Often in error, never in doubt

____1966 Avanti II RQA 0088_______________1963 Avanti R2 63R3152____________Rabid Snail Racing

[spokejr]

Hudson dealers...

Well, I'll bump this by adding a link to old Hudson dealers; http://home.comcast.net/~sarahdyoung...alerships.html

You have my wife to thank for this. We were on a walk this PM and were taking some pictures of the Noll Packard dealer (I'll be getting that on seperately) as well as the old Ford dealer here in Pasadena CA. In getting the Ford stuff posted on the Old School Pasadena Facebook site, she found the above link.

[DEEPNHOCK]

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?1021-Studebaker-Dealers&highlight=Studebaker+Dealers

Over a thousand post's about Studebaker Dealers

[stude1964]

Don
Thanks for posting the pic of my Uncle Al's dealership in Silverdale,PA. Yes that was a great day indeed as we had lots of fun but so did the many passers-by. A lot of those folks knew my uncle since he was mayor for over 30 years! Rob in PA.

[studelark]

[QUOTE=fastfritz
I think this one was my favorite photos! I love the hillside location and the showroom on the "top" floor.

QUOTE]

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I've lived in the Charlottesville area for my 76 years and remember Coggins Motors well. It was the longest lived Studebaker dealer that I know of in the immediate area. I, too, as Gary Hearn, was a close friend of Sam Miller, a salesman there for many years. Through Sam, I knew Mr. Coggins and his nephew, Dwight, who was second-in-command during the years of decline.

It was through Sam's experiences, he was from a Studebaker family, a Studebaker salesman and early SDC member, that I became a Studebaker fanatic.

The tow truck mentioned, I believe, was a 1951 2R15. Mr. Coggins removed the body and tow equipment from his old M series truck. In 1961, he equipped a 6E14-31-C2 with a new Holmns wrecker body, to replace the one pictured. Sam bought this wrecker from the business when it closed it's doors. Danny Lindamood of Edinburg, VA now owns this truck in original, used condition.

Sam also purchased a one-owner 1964 Commander convertible from the used car inventory prior to the business closing it's doors. This convertible is now owned by our own Bob Palma.

Coggins Motor Co. was an intregal part of the automotive scene in Charlottesville, VA from the late 40's through 1967. I'm glad I was around to remember it and the people that made it happen. I also have a great friend in Gary Hearn that I met through Sam and our common interest in Studebaker vehicles.

Frank Drumheller
Locust Grove, VA
60S-W6
M16-52 '48 Studebaker-Boyer fire truck

[Flashback]

Man, I would pay for a picture of Hall Motor Co. in Glasgow KY. Anybody??????????????

[BobPalma]

A buddy emailed me at least 50 photos of old car dealerships. Here are a select few to keep this Studebaker specific (with a few bonus photos)




I think this one was my favorite photo! I love the hillside location and the showroom on the "top" floor.

Frank Remlinger
SDC# A004602R

Thanks, Frank; great photos!

As you may know, my 1964 Daytona Convertible was delievered new at Coggins Motors, and the Sam Miller Guido referenced was its caretaker from circa 1969-2002:



I wish that building had been in existance when I bought the car in October 2007, because I wanted to go by there on the way home and take a photo of the car in front of the selling dealership building.

Alas, Leonard and Gary informed me the building was long gone and the footprint was pavement that is part of an enlarged intersection. BP

[studelark]

Posted this in the Stude Dealers thread, but what the hey, I just like the pic. My good friend owns the shop today, and he & I both are Stude nuts. Heishman Garage, Mt Jackson VA.



Regards

Jase
www.b26marauder.com/toybox

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Thank you, Jase, for posting this photo of the Heishman Garage. This Studebaker dealer was located on US 11 in Mt. Jackson, VA in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. I remember during my college years 1954-60 (before US Army service), of going by this dealership many times. Not a large business, but always new vehicles sitting out front and one inside the small showroom. Generally, there were as many new trucks out front as new cars. Strickly a farming community and though my memory has dimmed, it may have been the only new car dealer in town.

I did pass by sometime after Studebaker stopped supplying new vehicles. A garage business was there, but there were no Studebakers around this building. But lo and behold, the old Chevrolet military 4X4 tow truck was still there with the garage owner. The building looks much the same in the 21st century.

Thanks again for the memories.

Frank Drumheller
Locust Grove, VA
60S-W6
M16-52 '48 Studebaker-Boyer fire truck