Family owned car dealership celebrates its centenary

H. Prosser & Sons Ltd, the Royston Road headquartered Rover outlet,

has been familiar to generations of Scottish motorists over the years,

notably as one of the very few of its age and standing to have remained

as fiercely independent today as it was when the original Harry Prosser

first set up shop.

Oddly enough that was not in Glasgow, but first of all in Liverpool,

then Manchester and Leeds. Not surprisingly he dealt in bicycles, rather

than cars, which at the time were still very much in their embryo stage.

Karl Benz had just built his first car at Mannheim and exhibited it at

the World Fair in Paris. Gottleib Daimler was making parallel progress

and, in the United States, the Duryea brothers, Apperson brothers,

Haymes, Winton and others were all working on the problem of producing

the first ''horseless carriage'' to be propelled by an internal

combustion engine.

Benz won by a short head and soon all of the industrialised nations of

the world had car factories falling over each other in a bid to cash in

on this astonishing technological breakthrough.

Harry Prosser married in 1896 and the following year moved to Glasgow

and opened another bicycle shop, all the while keeping a close eye on

what was happening in the world of the automobile.

In 1899 he took on a partner, a Mr Rennie, and they added motor cycles

in premises at 95 Mitchell Street. The following year marked the

beginning of an exciting period of growth. The partners acquired

agencies for Argyll, De Dion and Panhard and placed their first order

with Wolsely. Remarkably, 83 Wolsleys were sold in a single year and the

business prospered.

In 1903 an event occurred which many regard as the most important in

the history of the trade in Scotland. Harry Prosser and 12 other dealers

met in Edinburgh on April 4 and established ''a motor trade association

for Scotland'', later to become the Scottish Motor Trade Association.

The others were: J.H. Paterson, A.K. Dempsey, A.G. Rennie, J. Love, C.

Firth, R.E. Wilson, W.L. Sleigh, J. MacDonald, J.W Hunter, J.D.

Broomlow, W.E. Townsend and W. Flint, with T.M. Sleigh as secretary.

Harry Prosser subsequently served as president of the association and

the current Prosser directors retain a solid silver cigar case presented

to him and inscribed with the names of the founding members of the

organisation.

Rennie & Prosser had earlier amalgamated with Claud Hamilton Ltd to

establish a motor business in Aberdeen under the Claud Hamilton banner.

That was in 1905, but in 1908 Harry Prosser severed his connections with

Rennie and Hamilton, starting up as H. Prosser in Glasgow's Hope Street,

dealing exclusively with Wolsley.

A few years later a separate workshop was established in St George's

Road, where during the First World War it converted Wolseley chassis

into ambulances for war service.

More turbulent times came after the cessation of hostilities.

Wolsley went into liquidation in October 1926, causing Harry Prosser

and some other leading trade figures to mount a rescue deal. They

explored ways of keeping the manufacturer alive, eventually forming

links with W.R. Morris, (later Lord Nuffield), and persuading him to

purchase the stock. Reports in the Glasgow Herald at the time credited

Mr Prosser with being the driving force behind the rescue.

Eventually, however, the Bank of Scotland purchased the Hope Street

building and Prosser was on the move again.

New showroom and garage premises were acquired at 89 West Campbell

Street and here the company stayed until, in 1971, it moved to the

present more spacious, modern and custom-designed complex in Royston

Road.

The development of the company since its inception mirrored the growth

of the motor trade in Scotland, but the stability of H. Prosser & Sons

in a fast moving, rapidly changing business environment has been one of

its most impressive achievements.

''We have been connected with the successors to Wolsley throughout our

existence,'' said director Denis Prosser. ''During this period we have

survived two world wars and have provided an ongoing service to our

customers during the good and bad times experienced by the British car

manufacturing industry.

''This company is still run by two Prossers, myself and my brother and

fellow director, Stan, grandsons of the founder. We are here every day,

still accessible to our customers, many of whom have become firm friends

over the years.

''We are delighted, therefore, to welcome them to help us celebrate

our first 100 years and we can promise that the total commitment to

service laid down by our grandfather, and carried on in turn by our

uncles Reg and David and our father, Pat Prosser, will be maintained and

developed as we move confidently into our second century,'' he promised.