This was the Spencer Motors VW dealership in South Melbourne, located along Cecil St (to the right in the photo). It was established here in 1958, and this photo was taken around 1965. It survived until 1969, when it closed and was replaced by another South Melbourne VW dealer, Smiths on Sturt St.
I would have thought that all of this would have been bulldozed years ago - but, surprisingly, most of it is still there. A new store building has been built on most of the lot where the cars are lined up, and is now a Spotlight store. Part of the vacant VW lot is still used as the Spotlight carpark.
The corner of Cecil St and City Rd, in the forground, is still slightly angle-cut as shown above, and the Spotlight building now on site also has that corner 'chamfered'.
The dark brick building in the background is still there, and so are the tall white VW buildings.
This is today's view from along Cecil St. You can still see the former VW dealer buildings, and also the blank wall area where the VW logo was (just to the right of the telegraph pole). The angle of this shot, and the old one above, are almost the same.
Here is another view of the Spencer Motors dealership, this time from the corner of Market St and Cecil St. It was quite a large place by the looks of things.
And the same view today. As you can see, the old buildings are still there, remarkably. The now Spotlight building has had a new window put in where one VW logo once was, but otherwise it's still very much the same.
Does anyone remember going to this VW dealer, or is everyone too young? I'm a Sydney person so I never saw it.
Bump. Aren't there any Melbourne VW fans with any memories of Spencer Motors?
Possibly because Cecil & Market ST's are not on a main route to anywhere in particular, you would only use them if trying a short cut or had a purpose to be there.
It used to be a heavy industrial area back in the 1950's. The Dunlop factory was near by and was huge, you could feel the heat from the furnaces as you passed by and the workers sitting in the street on a break were black from the dirt. Most people would drive City Rd or Clarendon ST if traveling through now days, but I know the area.
Hmmm I wonder if that is where my dad might have got our Type 3 square back when I was young, he used to moonlight at the Dunlop factory? He always worked 2 jobs as he never believed in debt or in my mother working...the good ol' days🙄
ZOMBI THREAD!!!
my grandfather worked for Spencer in the service department, he has given me a whole heap of handmade tools that were made by the service department to replace broken or lost tools. There is an article in the book 'the Volkswagen in Australia' by lloyd davis check it out.
