mkultra25 Posted February 19, 2021 Share Posted February 19, 2021 17 hours ago, thedistrict84 said: I've only seen three others in Houston, ever. One I spotted in a salvage yard off of Mykawa back in 2000-2001, a GVX (the "performance" model) that blew past me doing 80 on I-10 east at Lockwood circa 2005, and one still in the possession of the owner of a certain engine and transmission repair place in the East End with a catchy jingle and slogan. I remember when they were first being sold, as I (very) briefly considered buying one. But I don't recall whether there was actually a dedicated Houston dealer or (more likely) they were available through already-established dealers that carried other makes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 On 2/19/2021 at 12:16 PM, mkultra25 said: I remember when they were first being sold, as I (very) briefly considered buying one. But I don't recall whether there was actually a dedicated Houston dealer or (more likely) they were available through already-established dealers that carried other makes. I looked at them, too - more out of curiosity than anything else. In a way it was the perfect car - in the sense that it was perfectly awful. I don't recall any stand alone dealerships; perhaps they were sold at the place on the Gulf Freeway that also carried various other oddball European cars (like TVR), and maybe Motorsports (if that was their name) on the Southwest Freeway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 1 hour ago, mollusk said: perhaps they were sold at the place on the Gulf Freeway that also carried various other oddball European cars (like TVR), and maybe Motorsports (if that was their name) on the Southwest Freeway. You are talking about Chequer Imports. It was the TVR dealership and Lancia too IIRC. I'm really not sure who sold Yugos but I might guess De Montrond on the North Freeway. At one time De Montrond also sold Peugeots. Somebody high up in the organization must have had a thing for not very popular (at least in the U. S.) automobiles. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed_Tx Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 the Chequer Imports sign is still there, with the Lancia and TVR signs still intact. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedistrict84 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 On 2/19/2021 at 1:36 AM, Tumbleweed_Tx said: The guy who had the Yugo parts place was Jay, he started out on Jones Rd near 1960, then moved to Eldridge Road somewhere north of 1960. I had the misfortune of meeting him the day after Clinton bombed the Zastava factory. I'm like, dude, i just need a hood for my Spider, I don't need the long rant... lol Sounds just like Jay. He’s a nice guy, but conversations with him usually go off on some unusual tangents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 16 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said: the Chequer Imports sign is still there, with the Lancia and TVR signs still intact. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specwriter Posted February 22, 2021 Share Posted February 22, 2021 17 hours ago, mkultra25 said: Does anybody remember what was in the 'missing' sign between Lancia and TVR? Maybe it was Alfa Romeo. It is a pity the 1958 showroom piece did not survive. It was a great example of Mid-Century architecture. Even if became a phone store or check cashing place it could have preserved that wonderful roof. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 Anyone know what the old car dealership was at the southeast corner of Broadway and Brays Bayou? I worked there at the shipyard when I first moved to Houston and some of the old timers said at one point it was a car dealership and a cement ready mix, not sure which was there first. I want to recall it was a Chevrolet dealer if I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed_Tx Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 14 hours ago, Specwriter said: Does anybody remember what was in the 'missing' sign between Lancia and TVR? Maybe it was Alfa Romeo. It is a pity the 1958 showroom piece did not survive. It was a great example of Mid-Century architecture. Even if became a phone store or check cashing place it could have preserved that wonderful roof. It may have been Alfa. I know it wasn't Fiat since they pulled out of the US market in '82, taking Lancia with them. The remaining Lancia Betas and Zagatos were sold by the people who started Overstock.com, by the way. They were based near Columbus Ohio, there were a lot of Lancias roaming those streets. I can only recall a few Lancias here, Stan's scary AF Scorpion, Chaucer's Beta, and a dude named Rodney in Dallas who stuffed a modern motor in one 20 years ago... Now there's a kid (hah, kid, he's in his 30s) who imported a racing Delta, and there was a Stratos in Houston for a while. I know, it's greek to y'all, take it to the mirafiori forum.. lol 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted February 23, 2021 Share Posted February 23, 2021 14 hours ago, Tumbleweed_Tx said: The remaining Lancia Betas and Zagatos were sold by the people who started Overstock.com, by the way. I did not know that. I'd probably do a double take if I ever saw a Stratos or a racing Delta tooling around Houston. Those are certainly not cars that you see every day, by a long shot. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Taylor Posted September 12, 2021 Share Posted September 12, 2021 On 12/24/2007 at 4:51 PM, silverartfox said: My dad bought a new '57 Plymouth 8-cylinder 4-door sedan with pushbutton transmission from Rosenstock. A fantastic, flashy car, red and white, huge tail fins and red-black-and-gold lurex upholstery. Fun to drive, great on the highway, but hell to parallel park. After he retired, he sold it and bought a small, conservative Dodge, also from Rosenstock. By then, the pushbutton transmission concept was obsolete. That Plymouth would be a hot collector's item today! My husband was working at Rosenstock when they came out with the push button transmission. Red Taylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardcoreHoustonian Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 (edited) On 5/18/2019 at 8:32 AM, Ross said: For some reason, I've had the Chick Smith jingle in my head - "Chick Smith Ford, a little bit North of FM 1960, right next door to the Goodyear Blimp Base". In the 1910's, my great grandfather worked at a car dealer in the 1900 block of Main, I think it was an Overland dealer. Later, it added Willys. Several years ago, I saw a very original/unrestored but well maintained looking 1958 Impala with a Chick Smith, Houston emblem on it. Anyone know if Chick Smith was ever a Chevy dealership, or did they also put their emblem on used cars? The jingle I remember most: "Davis, Chuck Davis, Chuck Davis Chevrolet! Can and will make you a better deal, on America's #1 automobile, Davis, Chuck Davis, Chuck Davis Chevrolet!" Edited January 1, 2022 by HardcoreHoustonian addition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 1 hour ago, HardcoreHoustonian said: Several years ago, I saw a very original/unrestored but well maintained looking 1958 Impala with a Chick Smith, Houston emblem on it. Anyone know if Chick Smith was ever a Chevy dealership, or did they also put their emblem on used cars? The jingle I remember most: "Davis, Chuck Davis, Chuck Davis Chevrolet! Can and will make you a better deal, on America's #1 automobile, Davis, Chuck Davis, Chuck Davis Chevrolet!" Must have been a used car. Chick Smith Ford was incorporated in 1975, and I can't find any evidence of a Chevy dealership. In those days, dealers were a single brand, not multiple like we have today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardcoreHoustonian Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 Maybe it was just "Smith / Houston". I wouldn't think a new car dealer would sell a 20-year-old used car. Lots of emblems for sale on ebay, like this Sam Montgomery that's listed as I write this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed_Tx Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 there was a Smith Chevrolet on Travis St in the 50's and early 60s. I'm headed to that building as soon as I shut the laptop off - it's now Rise Rooftop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NenaE Posted September 18, 2022 Share Posted September 18, 2022 (edited) On 6/17/2014 at 1:01 PM, Michelle C said: Early in the history of Houston the dealer ships seemed to be not only in the downtown area but were strung along Washington Ave. and Harrisburg and on around the curve onto Broadway. Washington Ave was old Hwy. 90 and continued on to Preston in the downtown area. Milam seemed to be heavily vested with dealerships in the downtown area, I can think of about a half dozen that was on Milam just off the top of my head. Here's a very old auto sales business. Milby Auto Company was located at 210-12 Broadway. Looks like the business expanded to include 222-24 Broadway. (source: HPL digital collections -Images & Directories, Houston (1923,1926). I'm guessing the later address (8222 Broadway) is an error. Maybe it was supposed to read "at 222 Broadway". Cross streets have block numbers of 8000 & 8100. The original photo's outside staircase with small mid landing is the matchup clue to the GoogleEarth image. The front facade has been altered. Edited September 18, 2022 by NenaE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkultra25 Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 Durant Motors isn't a name you hear very often today. William Durant was the co-founder of both General Motors and Chevrolet, and Durant Motors was started in 1921 after Durant was forced out of GM. The intent was to offer a line of cars similar to that offered by GM, but it was never as successful and ultimately fell prey to the economic woes of the 1930s that followed the 1929 stock market crash. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NenaE Posted September 21, 2022 Share Posted September 21, 2022 (edited) Oakland Pontiac Dealership at 7030 Harrisburg Blvd. Fox Apartments are upstairs. Year -1929. Edited September 21, 2022 by NenaE 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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