Reading about the Plymouth car Time Capsule reminded me of all the Car Dealers that once were big in Tulsa.
"Supplied through the cooperation of the Plymouth Division of Chrysler and Tulsa Plymouth dealers Wilkerson Motor Company, Cox Motor Company. Vance Motor Company, Forster Riggs and Parrish-Clark, the Belvedere has remained buried since June 15, 1957."
None of these dealers are still around, along with a long list of others that have gone by the wayside over the past 50 years.
Anyone know who the longest running Car Dealer still existing in Tulsa is?
Quinn was one of the longest, but they moved to bartlesville. Many of the ford dealers have changed names. One big chunk of "United Ford" was "Fred Jones" which had been around for awhile too.
I would have to guess that the surviving oldest are Jim Norton and Chris Nikel.
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Originally posted by dbacks fan
I would have to guess that the surviving oldest are Jim Norton and Chris Nikel.
I would have to agree. Remember Fred Jone Ford,my dad traded there. Dungess Bro Ford(SP?) Bill White Chevrolet?
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Originally posted by RLitterell
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Originally posted by dbacks fan
I would have to guess that the surviving oldest are Jim Norton and Chris Nikel.
I would have to agree. Remember Fred Jone Ford,my dad traded there. Dungess Bro Ford(SP?) Bill White Chevrolet?
what about the cadillac place? I would figure one of the joints on 41st/mem has to be the oldest.
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Originally posted by teddy jack eddy
My guess is Ernie Miller Pontiac is the oldest dealership left in Tulsa.
Mark Miller Pontiac now.
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Originally posted by inteller
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Originally posted by RLitterell
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Originally posted by dbacks fan
I would have to guess that the surviving oldest are Jim Norton and Chris Nikel.
I would have to agree. Remember Fred Jone Ford,my dad traded there. Dungess Bro Ford(SP?) Bill White Chevrolet?
what about the cadillac place? I would figure one of the joints on 41st/mem has to be the oldest.
Is it still Thomas Cadillac?
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Originally posted by dbacks fan
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Originally posted by inteller
what about the cadillac place? I would figure one of the joints on 41st/mem has to be the oldest.
Is it still Thomas Cadillac?
Yeah
They used to have a guy with a sense of humor running their big lighted moving text sign. I lost it when one time it said "Never moon a werewolf" between ads for eldorado's.
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Originally posted by sgrizzle
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Originally posted by dbacks fan
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Originally posted by inteller
what about the cadillac place? I would figure one of the joints on 41st/mem has to be the oldest.
Is it still Thomas Cadillac?
Yeah
They used to have a guy with a sense of humor running their big lighted moving text sign. I lost it when one time it said "Never moon a werewolf" between ads for eldorado's.
Nope, it's not Thomas anymore. It's Don Thornton Cadillac Saab. This is getting confusing! I think Chris Nikel's is getting on up there in age these days, though he's changed locations on us. Joe Marina has even been around a long time now hasn't he?
Clarification:
Longest running Car Dealer with original name and owner still operating in Tulsa.
Most of the long term dealerships have closed or sold out it appears.
When did Don Carlton Honda open?
When did Joe Marina open?
Is Spraker VW still around?
Joe Marina opened in 1971.
Don Carlton opened in 1979.
I think Joe Marina Honda is the oldest in Tulsa.
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Originally posted by ttownclown
Joe Marina opened in 1971.
Don Carlton opened in 1979.
I think Joe Marina Honda is the oldest in Tulsa.
Chris Nikel was a Renault,Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealer ship that was on the north west side of the BA and Memorial and it was called Chris Nikel's Autohaus.
Was it Don Carlton that was at 46th and Memorial called Automobiles International? I remember that they were also a Lotus dealer back then.
I remember when Courtesy Volkswagen was on 41st street where the Annex shopping center was. Spraker changed names in the late 80's or early 90's didn't it?
Ok, I stand corrected, after "dialing a friend" Joe Marina opened under the name AI Honda - with actually a different owner - a Russian, Anatoli Aratov (spelling probably incorrect)- that apparently was really into racing and had something to do with opening Hallet Racetrack.. From my understanding, Joe Marina may have been a minority owner at the time, but cannot confrim. I had pulled the info about them opening in 1971 from their website. I should have known better to beleive what was stated by the car lot!
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Originally posted by ttownclown
Ok, I stand corrected, after "dialing a friend" Joe Marina opened under the name AI Honda - with actually a different owner - a Russian, Anatoli Aratov (spelling probably incorrect)- that apparently was really into racing and had something to do with opening Hallet Racetrack.. From my understanding, Joe Marina may have been a minority owner at the time, but cannot confrim. I had pulled the info about them opening in 1971 from their website. I should have known better to beleive what was stated by the car lot!
Anatolli was the founder of Hallet Motor Speedway and was an avid racer and car collector. I had the chance to meet him in 1981 I think. I got involved in SCCA racing working the races as a volunteer at Hallet. His father came up with an idea for a specialised oil field pump and got the backing of Frank Phillips to get it patented and start building them for Phillips at first.
I had alot ofriends that worked for the import dealers back then, we were all involved in what's called SCCA Solo II or autocrossing and usually held our events in the parking lot of what is now Fair Meadows. We would have about 8 events in Tulsa put on by the NEOKLA Region of the SCCA and there would be a group that would come up from OKC and vice versa and we had a seperate turnpike series with events in Tulsa, OKC and one the was run at the airport in Stillwater. The last couple of years that I was really into it in the late 80's I actually got sponsorship from FDI Automotive that used to be on 15th street across from PSO. They gave me a good discount on parts and labor for putting their signage on my car.
This was one of the cars that I competed in.
(http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p309/kallsop2/myjensendrift.jpg)
well, amazingly I think Joe Marina may still be the oldest if we aren't counting dealerships that changed hands, which I think we should not.
Jim Norton Toyota? What about them? They used to be on Sheridan at 36th but now are at 98th and Memorial...
I seem to remember Riverside Chevrolet from way back.....were they not downtown for a while? Maybe they were one of the old original dealers, but renamed. Of course, way back to me is the mid-1980's.
Story has it Anatolli laid out Hallett driving a Pontiac Firebird through the grass field where the course is now.
He kept remodeling and re-designing the furnishings in his dads offices in Bartlesville and his dad asked him what he wanted to do. Answer, own a racetrack and race automobiles.
Thus Hallett and Automobiles International.
The Auto dealership was to fund the racing and racetrack. Anatolli had a collection of exotic automobiles at AI and the tale of the High Speed non-DOT approved european car that one of the glossy national auto magazines did an article on. Raised some eyebrows at the DOT, and believe they got very intereested in just what kinds of illegal cars Anatolli had in his posession and was driving on the Highways. LOL
Not sure when Joe Marina entered the story, but I believe it was around the same time the Honda franchise appeared. Got to remember the first Honda was a two cylinder car equipped with an air cooled twin cylinder engine around 600ccs. I had one for a while got over 40mpg which did not seem to be a big deal then as gas was around 30 cents per gallon in 1972 it seems.
He raced wooden chassis vintage Morgan automobiles, that had amazing speeds for their age. Thus the narrow track. W.T. was the crew chief for Anatolli. His father, an engineer, was one of the head persons at REDA Pump. He invented and perfected the down hole electrical oil pump that replaced theo old style rocker arm type above ground unit that used thousands joints of sucker rods, and were very mechanical.
"Armais Arutunoff, a Russian immigrant, was another Bartlesville pioneer. At the urging of the Phillips brothers, Arutunoff came to the community with his invention—an electric pump that pumped oil from deep in the ground. His efforts eventually became REDA Pump."
Don Carlton had a dealership located on east 11th street at one time. I bought my second Honda automobiles there. Gary Hancock sales and Homer Jackson service worked there.
Honda seems to of outlasted all the rest in Tulsa, makes sense they also are very dependable automobiles and motorcycles.
Just a matter of time that some other brands and modles seem dissapear off the face of the Earth, like their heavy gas guzzler dinosaur cousins did in the past. Oh, forgot they turned into petroleum in theory. LOL
I believe Joe Marina is Toli's ex son-in-law, so I don't know if you would consider it same ownership or not with the name change and change in majority ownership.
In the Tulsa trade area, not Tulsa proper, probably Bolin in Bristow, Doenges in B'ville, or the Ford dealer in Okmulgee might be the oldest under the same ownership.
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Originally posted by Conan71
I believe Joe Marina is Toli's ex son-in-law, so I don't know if you would consider it same ownership or not with the name change and change in majority ownership.
In the Tulsa trade area, not Tulsa proper, probably Bolin in Bristow, Doenges in B'ville, or the Ford dealer in Okmulgee might be the oldest under the same ownership.
i'd like to visit the oldest car dealer (in its original location) in the country. that would be pretty cool to see. i think it is a ford place up near detroit.
The Toyota dealership at 36th and Sheridan was first called Toyoto of Tulsa. It was there for many years. Believe the owner either died or suffered from illness and the franchise was sold.
Not too many have survived the roller coaster economy of Tulsa.
Gary Henry Chevrolet, which became Sand Springs Chevrolet may still be under the same family ownership. Last time I was out there Phil Henry was the parts manager and his younger brother was some management person in sales manager. He always said "What are we lookin; at, a Corvette or a Chevette?
Still not operating under the old Gary Henry name. Wat Henry, his dad was located downtown in Tulsa off of Denver I believe.
Jim Norton Buick was Chick Norton,now in west Tulsa/north Sapulpa, maybe even 3rd Gen.?
Ernie Miller maybe 2nd Gen.
If Fred Jones Ford is still in Bartlesville,
they would be my bet.
Jones may go back to the 20s.
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Originally posted by AMP
The Toyota dealership at 36th and Sheridan was first called Toyoto of Tulsa. It was there for many years. Believe the owner either died or suffered from illness and the franchise was sold.
Not too many have survived the roller coaster economy of Tulsa.
Gary Henry Chevrolet, which became Sand Springs Chevrolet may still be under the same family ownership. Last time I was out there Phil Henry was the parts manager and his younger brother was some management person in sales manager. He always said "What are we lookin; at, a Corvette or a Chevette?
Still not operating under the old Gary Henry name. Wat Henry, his dad was located downtown in Tulsa off of Denver I believe.
Keystone is now owned by a guy named Mike Farley.
Slightly O/T, but one of the oldest Yamaha franchises in the U.S. is K&N Yamaha. I believe they were the third franchisee and still longest in business. How's my aim AMP?
Old motorcycle humor: "You meet the nicest people riding a Honda" "You meet the strangest people riding a BMW"