Most of the old 1950s-60s-70s VW dealership sites are long gone, bulldozed into new developments such as shopping centres and high-rise blocks. It's often hard to know where an old VW dealer was, even if you know the address.

However there are some old VW sites where the original buildings still exist, and you can still see how an old VW dealer would have looked. This is one of them!

This was Motorways Pty Ltd at St Peters, in Sydney. It was established in 1960 at 110 Princes Hwy, the second Motorways VW dealer in Sydney (Rockdale had opened in 1956). It was a prime site, with a huge amount of passing traffic from Newtown and Alexandria. There was no outdoor lot; it was purely a showroom and service workshop, as shown in the photo. It was painted white, with the now dark band at the top painted VW blue, with VOLKSWAGEN in white serif letters. The blank wall to the far right had a large VW roundel painted on it in blue. You could clearly see the new VWs in the windows as you drove past.

The Rockdale Motorways closed in 1968, so this one was the last one. They displayed and sold the new Passat in 1974, and the Golf in 1976, but they closed in 1977. The site became a Datsun / Nissan dealer for a decade or so. After that the site was merged with the lot next door and was used as brick paving place. Today it is a hardware store, but the building is original. Only the extension on the far left, above the dumped pallets, has been added since the VW days.

Hi Phil

I actually went into that dealer many times as I worked nearby, I went in there to buy a new Beetle in 1973, I wanted to buy an L bug in black, they said it couldn't be done except by special order which would have taken ages, so I bought my yellow 72 Beetle instead.

I'm pretty sure that there was an open area on the city side of the building.

Steve

Is that site close to Wolfsburg Motors at St Peters?

Hi

Wolfsburg are bit closer to city, but on the same block, they actually have 2 street fronts. I remember when Wolfsburg were in Newtown proper near Missiden Road.

Steve

Hi Steve, yes there was an open area on the city side, which was certainly part of the same site once it became a paving tile and stone centre. I don't remember if it was used during the VW days, but yes I think the Datsun dealer might have used it.

Motorways was at 110 Princes Hwy, while today's Wolfsburg Motors is at 38 Princes Hwy, about 200 metres closer to the city, on the same side of the road. Wolfsburg Motors are not a VW dealer. They were originally in Newtown, on King St, next to the huge second-hand book shop.

Before the new building was constructed next to the old Motorways dealership, you used to be able to see right down the side of the old VW dealership. As recently as the early 1990s, you could still see the old white and blue VW paint scheme on the side wall. Not much to see now though.

bought my first VW from the St Peters site a 65 Type 3 1500 Wagon in July 1971

I bet you've still got most of it in parts under your house, Dave!

Does anyone have photos of Motorways when it was a VW dealer?

As for the Rockdale Motorways, was it on the corner where the KMac suspension place is now?

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Gladesville&a...

Yeah that's Powertune at Gladesville. Adrian needs to do some cleaning up - the place has looked a mess for ages. Same around the back!

Powertune was never a VW dealer, just a very good aftermarket VW speed shop. Steve C could tell you lots of stories about it. VW have never had a dealership in Gladesville; probably Lanock Motors once, and now Barloworld at Five Dock, would be the closest. There used to be a VW dealer at West Ryde - Tom Kerr Auto Centre - but he was just a Mazda/Subaru dealer who also took on VW for a while in the late 1970s and 1980s.

BTW, I managed to find a period ad for Motorways:

I also found a promo for Motorways, featuring the Love Bug. This would have been a brand-new white '69 Beetle, dressed up like Herbie with stripes and '53' numbers. There was a similar one at Roselands, done up by Swantons of Hurstville.

Phil, Any photo's of the Roselands promo?

The old Herbie - Love Bug promotion is great!

Talking of old VW dealerships, the building that use to be house the old Lannock Motors in Waitara, looks as though it is about to be torn down.

I can remember going there as little kid with Dad... well I think I can! I do remember, we had 1969 Beetle, white with a red basket weave interior. We called the car Herbie.

Pretty original name, huh?!

Hi, thanks for bringing this old thread back to life.

Thanks for letting me know about Lanocks Waitara - I must have a look next time I'm up that way. They were at 120 Pacific Highway, from 1965 to 1981. For a short while in the early 1970s, the Waitara branch was the Lanocks administrative head office, when their William St City showrooms closed and the new HO at North Ryde was being built.

Later there was another dealer at Hornsby, Sovereign Automobiles, at 139 Pacific Hwy (1982-87). This was up and around the bend, past the old Keith Lord showroom, on that side of the road. It was actually a Jaguar/Rover dealer that took on VW sales for a few years - not that there were many in those days. They would have done OK in spare parts though.

Today's VW dealer is McCarroll's Volkswagen, at 132 Pacific Hwy. They began there in 2005.

Back onto Motorways, I saw the other day that their other premises at Rockdale (364 Princes Hwy) are now vacant, and up for lease. It would be interesting to get inside and have a look, but there won't be any VW stuff left as they closed in 1968 and the site has had a number of different occupiers in the years since.

I found the thread, and it reminded of the old dealership @ Waitara.

Would love to see pictures of the old dealerships, filled with Beetles, Kombi's and Type 3's!