Thanks for your mention of Sports Motors on Orpington High Street, it's brought back some memories.
You mentioned Sports Motors, on Orpington High Street, which is amazing because my granddad was sent to reinvigorate Cullens, the high-class grocers store nearby. My grandad worked for the Cullen family all his life, and it was a bit like Downton Abbey. Among the Cullen workers, staff knew their place.
Having said that the Cullen family were extremely kind to their good employees, I remember one of the Cullen family giving me rides in his 3-litre Lagonda, saloon. Staff adored the Cullens, and the memories of my grandad compared to these times seem a very long time ago. If my memory serves me well, Sports Motors had hand-painted murals on its walls of racing cars from the Fangio era, and that type of motoring memorabilia. An Anglo-Indian guy called Ray was one of the owners, and a big plump guy with a handlebar moustaches was the boss. As a kid I always marvelled at the exotic motor cars in that showrooms. I remember a white Daimler Dart, with a disconnected chrome police bell on the front. Another car I remember was a Railton, soft top, that was eventually sold to a Railton specialist, who was a Mr Hughes, from Edmonton, North London.
Having said that the Cullen family were extremely kind to their good employees, I remember one of the Cullen family giving me rides in his 3-litre Lagonda, saloon. Staff adored the Cullens, and the memories of my grandad compared to these times seem a very long time ago. If my memory serves me well, Sports Motors had hand-painted murals on its walls of racing cars from the Fangio era, and that type of motoring memorabilia. An Anglo-Indian guy called Ray was one of the owners, and a big plump guy with a handlebar moustaches was the boss. As a kid I always marvelled at the exotic motor cars in that showrooms. I remember a white Daimler Dart, with a disconnected chrome police bell on the front. Another car I remember was a Railton, soft top, that was eventually sold to a Railton specialist, who was a Mr Hughes, from Edmonton, North London.
Asked on 25 October 2013 by LD, Shere, Surrey
Answered by
Honest John
That's interesting because Cullens was exactly as you described it when I lived there, with its business rapidly being purloined by the London and Newcastle Tea Company supermarket opposite. Yes, I remember 'Pete the Painter' painting those murals while I was polishing cars. (So if you spotted any urchins in there polishing cars, one might have been me). Pete kept his stuff above Victoria Motors, the other used car dealership on Orpington High Street, at the foot of Chistlehurst Road, also owned by the fat bloke you mentioned, name of ‘Love.’ Our favourite car there that took a long time to sell was a 1931 2.0 litre Lagonda. The salesman was an Anglo Indian guy called Ray, but he left before I left Orpington to set up a white goods business. He ran a 1950 Mercedes 170.
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