Who remember the old mews-based Alfa dealers?

[AC43]

Along with my mates I started mucking about with Alfas in the 80s in Edinburgh and continued into the 90's in London.

One thing I loved was the old mews-based garages that the likes of Fishers, Ramponi and Lombarda used. I used to love going to buy parts and wandering about looking at all the interesting metal poking out of the garages and seeing the various 60s, 70s and 80s Alfas arriving. Ramponi in particular was really cool with jazz music wafting around. In my 20's I jut though the whole experiece was really cool. Like a real-life mini-Revival, Italian style.

I guess the business model was to find a racing driver/mechanic of some sort (certainly in the case of Fichers and Lombarda) and give them the franchise to sell, what were in the 60s and 70s anyway, rather expensive and somewhat exotic cars.

On a recent business trip to Edinburgh I managed to track down the street where Fishers use to have their service department - Canning St Lane - which I thought had been demolished when the Western Approach Road was built. Ramponi is long gone but I think Lomarda lives on.

Anyone else remember these places?

[is-uk]

I used to regulary visit the parts department in Canning Street Lane and have a nose around the various garages as they stored a lot of cars there. I also went to the showroom over in Angle Park Terrace as they usually had a lot of interesting stock, especially in the basement where they tended to keep the older models. They had a lift in the showroom to take cars between the floors. I recall them having a curtained off area in the basement that hid a lot of spare parts.

Autocar ran a story on the old city centre car dealerships in Edinburgh a couple of years back covering the likes of Glen Henderson's Porsche showroom in George Street and Rossleigh's Rolls Royce dealership in Shandwick Place.

The Canning Street Lane frontage which doubled up as a used car showroom.



The main showroom in Angle Park Terrace.



The door to the car lift in the Angle Park showroom.

Edited by is-uk on Friday 19th July 12:31

[AC43]

is-uk said:

I used to regulary visit the parts department in Canning Street Lane and have a nose around the various garages as they stored a lot of cars there. I also went to the showroom over in Angle Park Terrace as they usually had a lot of interesting stock, especially in the basement where they tended to keep the older models. They had a lift in the showroom to take cars between the floors. I recall them having a curtained off area in the basement that hid a lot of spare parts.

Autocar ran a story on the old city centre car dealerships in Edinburgh a couple of years back covering the likes of Glen Henderson's Porsche showroom in George Street and Rossleigh's Rolls Royce dealership in Shandwick Place.

The Canning Street Lane frontage which doubled up as a used car showroom.



The main showroom in Angle Park Terrace.



The door to the car lift in the Angle Park showroom.

Edited by is-uk on Friday 19th July 12:31

Yeah I came across that story and saw those pics when I was trying to track the place down. Oddly, I have no recollection of Angle Park Terrace at all but do vaguely remember the smaller showroom - that's on Canning St. The parts and service operation was on the mews behind that (you can see the exit from the mews on the LHS) and that's how I found it the other day; I recognised that corner.

It was a nice trip down memory lane as going there meant a lot to me as a young me in the mid to late 80s. I moved away in 1988 and Fishers closed in the 90s and I've always wondered ever since if it got bulldozed or not and now I know.

I also went on a long run one morning from the bottom of Lothian Road through Bruntsfield up to Morningside then across to Blackford Hill. Then back down through Marchmont across the Meadows past the uni and the old Royal Infirmary and back to the hotel. Saw lots of places where I used to live/hangout/drink.

It was just a few days before a milestone birthday and it was great to remind myself of places which meant a lot to me back then. These days I watch various YouTubers take cars to bits and put them back together; back then I'd get my fix at Fishers :-)

[5 In a Row]

What was the name of the guy who sold used Alfas from a mews in Edinburgh, was it Ed something?

Labinjoh??

[AC43]

5 In a Row said:

What was the name of the guy who sold used Alfas from a mews in Edinburgh, was it Ed something?

Labinjoh??

That's him. He answered to "Eddie".

I think he ran the service department in Canning St Lane which was a mews. I certainly remember him handing very large bills to shocked-looking customers whilst I queued up to buy a set of plugs or whatever.

He was a director of Fishers. He went on to start his own s/h car business after Fishers closed.

[AC43]

5 In a Row said:

What was the name of the guy who sold used Alfas from a mews in Edinburgh, was it Ed something?

Labinjoh??

The man himself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgMThrOYdJg

[5 In a Row]

Cheers

A couple of mates bought a few Alfas from him over the years including a st brown Sud 1.3 or 1.5 SC.

Another similar dealer, although not specialising in Alfas (he did buy/sell a few though), was Jim Tait at Scotlandwell.

[AC43]

5 In a Row said:

Cheers

A couple of mates bought a few Alfas from him over the years including a st brown Sud 1.3 or 1.5 SC.

Another similar dealer, although not specialising in Alfas (he did buy/sell a few though), was Jim Tait at Scotlandwell.

It's funny; over the years I've driven past his garage loads of times and it never occured to me to drop in and have a poke about.

I should have done because, according to that vid, he's 80 now. He always struck me as being an interesting character.