ROCHDALE OLYMPIC'S

Sold in USA & CANADA by Tony Stanton

Having recently been in correspondence with Karalee Smith (nee Heiner) from Provo, Utah, in America, who owned an Olympic P11 between 1964 and 1966, I though I would look in to the Olympics 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 passed information I think the general consensus is 6 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 P11, 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) Euroauto,  (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            the dealership when it closed down in 196?  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               3)  Maple Sports Car Products, 26, Stevens Crescent, off Guelph Street, Georgetown, (west of Toronto) Ontario, Canada.             This name and address of a suppler of Rochdale products came   out of a book called Sports Car Bodywork by B.W.Locke first published in1954 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 1)                this fall for test-marketing in the North-eastern U.S. The car will be built under license from the manufacturer,                    Rochdale Motor. Does this mean Rochdale Motor Panels planed to sell the Phase 1 mould to America? Does anybody know          of this company and the full address? ?  I believe in 1968 they had a connection with Brantley Helicopter Corporation?

Now for the cars we know were sold in the USA & Canada and are still in use now.

1)  Olympic Phase 1.  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 11.  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 11.  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, Illinois, 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 11.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 1. 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 11.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 11.   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 11.    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 further information on these cars or dealers please contact,

              Tony Stanton