Rochdale Olympics sold in America and Canada

By Tony Stanton.

 

Having recently been in correspondence with Karalee Smith (nee Heiner) from Provo, Utah, in America, who owned an Olympic PII between 1964 and 1966, I though I would look in to the Olympic's sold to America and Canada, because car club members who live over there may be able to fill-in some of the gaps in the history. Looking at past information I think the general consensus is that six cars went over the water. So first we should look at the possible Agents or Dealers.

 

1) Sterling Automotive Engineering Inc, 2109 Sawtelle Blvd, West Los Angeles, California, CA 90025.

Owner Jim Fouch(?). They were also a Turner dealer from 1963 to1965. I have a black & white leaflet they produced in about 1964 with details and two photo’s of a very distinctive dark coloured Olympic with a wide light stripe from front to rear.

 

 

This may be the car Karalee Heiner owned which was a LHD Olympic PII, British Racing Green with a Yellow stripe front to rear. She bought the car in 1964 or 1965 from a European auto dealer in Salt Lake City, Utah and traded it to Gus Paulos Ford in Salt Lake City for a new Mustang in 1966. So where is this car now and how did it get from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City and what happened to Sterling Automotive?

 

2) Eurauto, (full address unknown?) Salt Lake City, Utah.
Owners Doug Hillman and Leroy Reese. They took over as Turner dealers from Sterling in 1965(?) and also sold Lotus Elans. Turner owner Clyde Snyder (65/626) worked for the dealership when it closed down in 19?? The BRG Olympic owned by Karalee Heiner was bought from here and I believe Doug Hillman used to race a Dark Blue Olympic in slaloms around Salt Lake City. Does anybody know more about these 2 Olympics and where they went to, where there any more Olympics sold by Eurauto and any more details on Eurauto?

 

3) Maple Sports Car Products, 26, Stevens Cresent, off Guelph Street, Georgetown, (west of Toronto) Ontario, Canada.

This name and address of a supplier of Rochdale products came out of a book called Sports Car Bodywork by B.W.Locke first published in 1954 and revised in 1960.

 

4) Aeronautical Research and Development Corp, Boston, Massachusetts.

This is all I have for the address, from a newspaper cutting dated June 29th 1970:

"..This company plans to begin production of this four-seater (must be a Phase I - TS) this fall for test-marketing in the Northeastern U.S. The car will be built under license from the British manufacturer, Rochdale Motor."

Does this mean Rochdale Motor Panels planed to sell the Phase I moulds to America? Does anybody know of this company and the full address? I believe in 1968 they had a connection with Brantly Helicopter Corporation...

 


Now for cars we know were sold in America and Canada and still in use now.


1) Olympic Phase I. Chassis No 1706. Licence plate MDP 648. Dark Blue. LHD.
Imported as a body kit in Autumn 1962 by,
1st owner and builder, Ian Keith, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 1962 to 1969.
2nd owner not known?
3rd owner not known? But from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
4th owner, John Somerville, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. 1974 to 2003. 29years.
5th owner, Stephen Szikora, Guelph, Canada. 2003 to present.


2) Olympic Phase II. Chassis No 1892. Licence plate HV 1X. Red. LHD.
Imported as a complete car kit in Spring 1964 by,
1st owner and builder, Milton Forgatch, Seven Hills, nr Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
1964 to 2000. 36years.
2nd owner, Bill Coyne, Gold River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
2000 to present?


Now for cars that are lost.


3) Olympic Phase II. Chassis No ? Licence plate 5348 DK. Blue. LHD.
Complete new running car collected in July 1963 from Rochdale, England. by Robin
Rackman and taken on a Tour of Europe, then shipped from Holland to Chicago,USA.
1st owner, Robin Rackham, Elgin, Chicago, Illinor, USA. 1963 to 1964.
2nd owner? Sold in late summer 1964 (advert in Road & Track) to a young man
from Kansas, USA. Car not heard of since?

 

4) Olympic Phase II. Chassis No ? Licence plate ? British Racing Green with Yellow
Stripe. LHD.
2nd(?) owner, Karalee Heiner, Provo, nr Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. 1964/5 to 1966.
Car not heard of since...

 

5) Olympic Phase I. Chassis No 1784.
For sale advert in USA Kitcar magazine 1987 in Northville, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
313-349-9056. Car not heard of since...

 

6) Olympic Phase II. Chassis No ? Licence plate IDA 2311C.
Owner and R.O.C. member in 1980/81. Bob Woods, Downey,
Los Angeles, California, USA, CA90241. Car or owner not heard of since...

 

7) Olympic in the USA in the 1960s owned by Jack Bitner.

This is all I know!

Now for used cars imported.

8) Olympic Phase II. Chassis No ? Licence plate EMV 552B. 1964. RHD.
Owned by Alan Eggleton, Clacton-on Sea, Essex, England.
Imported to Canada date?
Now owned by, Richard Tabah-Bradner, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

 

9) Olympic Phase II. Chassis No ? Licence plate TLG 832D. 1966. RHD.
Owned by Paul Delderfield, Falmouth, Cornwall, England. 1970 to 1976.
Owned by Skip Pack, Maidenhead, Berks, England. 1987 to ?? car taken by Skip Pack
To Berkeley, California, USA. In ?? to 1995.
Repurchased by Paul Delderfield, and brought back to Cornwall, England in 1995 to
Present.


If anybody has any more information on these cars or dealers please contact,

Tony Stanton

 

ŠTony Stanton 2007 - Rochdale Owners Club

 

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