London sports car centre

[trw99]

Carl

Robin, who you met at the recent gathering, has a build date of Apr 72 for his car; sold in Mar 73 and registered in Apr 73. Sprints became progressively harder to sell in 1972, whilst the Europa sold well. Dealers had to buy in 2 Sprints for every Europa they ordered from the factory by late 72.

Odd your Sprint has a Shrewsbury registration.

Tim

[pereirac]

Tim,

If nobody wanted Sprints that explains why nobody kept the cars very long.. I bought the car nearly 40 years ago (!!) but am the 8th owner!!! First owner though for a lot of parts on the car ..

As far as I can make out the car was originally registered as SAN993L, then 602R and then EAW456L ..One of the previous owners lived in Hixon, Staffordshire, that might explain the Shrewsbury registration ...

Carl

[GPP]

I did my apprenticeship at the LSSC from 1967-71 and remember a lot of the people there. Alan Foster(MD), Peter Rudge(FD who used to drive a Daimler v8 saloon) and Ian Crawford (sales director I think). There was a salesman called Brian Webb (I think he went to Caterham Cars). I worked initially with John Manktelow who later started his own company that converted formula ford engines (JDM). There was also a chap called Alan Stubbs that would disappear over the summer to race a formula 3 Merlin in Europe then return at the end of the year). The guy who built the cars was called Bob and I used to help him in the evenings. I think the statuary limits have expired on this now! I remember we were testing one of our builds about 11 o'clock one night. As he selected 3rd gear it would appear that someone at Fords had forgotten to install the interlock detent roller and managed to get 1st and 3rd in one go. The car slewed to a stop and we managed to disengage one of the gears and limp back to the workshop. The service manager was a guy called John Hennessy and his secretary was a Greek lady called Helen. There was another apprentice who started after me called Brian Lumley. Other names I remember are Mick Wells, John Ahmett (?), and David Brown.

[trw99]

GPP

Welcome and thanks for making this interesting contribution to this thread.

Tim

[Eska]

I worked for Alan Foster and Peter Rudge at the London Sports Car Centre Workshop as a mechanic from 1966 to 1974.
Previously I worked for Lancia Car Co in Alperton Wembley - but LSCc were offering more money.
Turned up at 6pm on rainy March evening for interview with Don Harding - Workshop Manager. Workshop panic going on due to Bonnet of E Type shut with screw driver left on top of radiator - small puncture hole and coolant leaking. All staff clocked out so Don says "what would you do" - better fix it then I said and proceeded to find some Solder,Bakers Fluid and gas jet and an old copper penny - then clean and solder the penny in place - job fixed. Ten minutes at most.
Can you drive as well said Don - have you got time to run me down the Watford Bypass and back.
Off we went in an Austin Healey BN4 in spirited mode me giving it max revs in every gear.
When do you want to start said Don.
Started the following week. Never looked back - best job and Company ever.

[exlscc]

Hi All, Repeating many past posts I was actually looking for Alan Foster and found these posts. I was service manager at Ballards in the early 70's, I came from Alfa Romeo GB, Alan Foster interviewed me but was on holiday the day I started, so I met Peter Rudge for the first time , he was as shocked about my arrival as I was by his lack of my existance. So he took me for a walk, up to the service centre in Ballards Yard and I obvioulsy passed his interview, he left me there and I didn't see him again till the traditional Friday after work 'de-brief' in the pub next to the showroom the name of which I have now forgotten.
I was only at LSCC for a short while and left to work again in a large corporation but my time at LSCC was truly an education, they were old school motor traders which even in the 70's was a rare breed. We converted American cars light lenses to UK spec, serviced motor homes, Citreon SM's, Fiat 130 coupes, Elans, Pantera's, even a manual XJS, you certainly learned a lot about thinking on your feet.
Alan and Peter we true gents, hand shake was enough and you could depend them to help you out if you needed anything. Of course the work shop boys introduced me to nights in the Beehive, hard, hard partying!
Real sorry to hear Alan has now passed but great to hear Peter still going strong. Peter and a chap named Drinkwater? started Ego computers, the very first model was in the parts department at Ballards and the air filter for it was an Alfa 1.6 !!! So pleased I had at least some time with those guys, a brief experience of what proper motor trading was all about.

[Debngordwalk]

Hello,I found this post by accident and just had to join to post.I worked for the London sports car center.Although grew up calling it the chequered flag.I started as a 17 year old mechanic in Ballards Lane/Mews in about 1966??.
I had been working at the Quadrent Garage (old Hendon) since leaving school at 15.I applied through a local paper advertisement and was told by work colleagues i had NO hope of getting a job there as i was not an apprenticed mechanic.Anyway a John Manktelow interviewed me and i must have said something right as he gave me the job.He said if i didnt break anything in 3 months i could stay.John was acting foreman on the day and then supervised me hands on thereafter.Working on Elans/ e types/ jensons/Astons as a 17 year old was just awesome.I can remember my first road test up the A1 with John in an AC cobra 289 with IDA webbers hanging out of the bonnet PLUS it was raining (as it does).I was not allowed to road rest till i turn 18.I also used help out and drive the spare parts van to Norwich when needed.

After about 18 months a Alan Stubbs arrived who had been a previous employee.He owned a Formula 3 TITAN and he asked me if i was interested in being his mechanic (unpaid) doing uk and eventually Europe.(Yes or course)

Emmigrated to Australia 1971

Worked at a Jag agent/Tuning shop/cattle station/Government vehicle inspector/RAC (Victoria) vehicle inspector/
Gave the motor trade away 2005 (Arthritis) now drive a 70 tonne truck now age 65.
Melbourne Australia

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Turbo Diesel .(Love an Elan)

[trw99]

"I'd be interested in obtaining a reproduction sticker of the London Sports Car Centre if you have one spare or an image of the original. David" Posted by 'fridge' on Len Street Chelsea thread.

Below please find an original 1973 London Sports Car Centre window sticker.

Tim

[pereirac]

If you can get a good image in the sticker I am sure this lot could make some up. They have quite a few Lotus stickers already and are very helpful...
isaydingdong.co.uk
Carl

[emmapeel]

London Sports car centre - were dealers in used Lotus , and they used to advertised in MOTOR in the 1970s... a smaller sports car specialist in Harringay london which traded throught the 70s into the 80s (maybe 1960s also) was
JK SPORTSCARS Green Lanes Harringay- they are in the classifieds of 1972 Motor magazine selling Lotus at ?1525 and another Elan sprint DHC at ?895 - they both advertised in sports cars wanted - with JK SPORTSCARS refering themselves as "the OTHER sportscar buyers " -

[pereirac]

I now have a few repro London Sports Car Centre screen stickers...
Carl

[JJC]

Hi all,

What a great thread, I've really enjoyed reading this!

Carl - If you have any stickers left or an image I can use to get some printed I'll certainly take some?

My Dad used to work at the London Sports Car Centre in the 70's - early 80's, as others have said it was an amazing place. Dad - John Cunningham, managed the Parts Department at Ballards Yard, he worked with Brian Lumley mentioned above. I used to spend most Saturdays, summer holidays and even after school there. It was a Lotus and Alfa Romeo dealership during most of my memories, there was a brief foray with Mazda too in the early 80's (think TWR RX7's!), Ego Computers taking off there around the same time. But they always had exotica coming and going, much of which at that age I didn't recognise but you knew they were special.

I was given the job of map reading when we had a new driver in the parts van, got to travel up to Hethel regularly which was a real treat. I was also the errand boy, running parts up to the Post Office or getting bits from the trim shop opposite on the Edgware Road, I got my first ever pay packet there which was completely unexpected for just helping out.

One Christmas our family car was written off when a lorry hit it outside home. Meanwhile Dad had a drunken night out where he fell off a table while dancing and broke an arm, leg and probably other parts. It looked like he'd be off work for weeks and without transport we were stuffed. Mum spoke to Peter Rudge to explain that Dad would be off work for some time. Peter was great, asked how he could help, we had a brand new Alfasud with a full tank of fuel outside the door first thing the following morning! That's the sort of place the LSCC was, great people and a privilege to be involved in even a small way.

[Jeremyrudge]

Peter Rudge?s son again after 9 years !

Peter died age 83 in September 2017 so sadly that chapter is now closed.

It is lovely to read this thread and to those posting the various stories thank you so much.

The StAlbans premises are still in the family and let to HR Owen Ferrari , the Ballards Mews workshops also and they are identical to how they were including Lotus stickers in the stores ! It is spray shops and car repairs and you still can?t park ! I used to play their as a child ( well put in overalls and suspended from an engine hoist as I recall!)

Someone mentioned Ego. That was a computer business that was sold long ago. Roy Drinkwater and the management bought it and it ceased trading 5 -7 years ago or so.

Happy days and thank you for the memories.

[exlscc]

Hi All
These is really becoming a friends reunited isn't it! It was such a special place to work no wonder we all can't get enough of these stories.
Sorry to hear of Peter's passing, we are all getting long in the tooth I'm afraid.
Reading John Cunningham's son's post reminded me I lent John my Alfa Sud for a few days but unbeknown to me the lads in the workshop as a wind up had put a pair of frilly knockers in the glove box, which I never used. It seems Mrs Cunningham did use it, John was not happy the next morning but we all had a great laugh over it.
Very oddly, I was Service Manager when EGO first go installed I had though that would be the last I would hear of it, but 10 years later (around 1985?) when I returned from Saudi (Jaguar/Range Rover) I work for Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo where THE people who made job cards, time sheets etc and they we just introducing the first networked computer system for Motor Traders. I had worked there for 2 weeks before finally getting to see this magic new bit of kit and nearly died laughing, there was my old friend the Ego (Russian TV Set) console, even the software hadn't changed much so I knew my way around it better than the trainer! We had a launch party and Ego came down and someone introduced me to the MD of Ego, obviously ( I still can't remember his first name) Mr Drinkwater, my new bosses were a bit put off by our obvious previous life as we spent some time that day reminiscing about late Fridays in the pub etc.
Hope this isn't too off message

[Jeremyrudge]

Roy ? one arm ? Drinkwater.

I saw him about a year ago. Married Esme