Jack Barclay Ltd - Company History
JACK BARCLAY LTD - A LEGENDARY COMPANY
Early
Days
1920's
1930's
Recession
Coachbuilding
The move to Berkeley Square
Service After Sale
The Legend
When
Jack Barclay formed his own company in 1927, he concentrated on the three
marques with which he had been closely associated up until that time -
Vauxhall, Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
Throughout
the early and mid-Twenties the 30/98 Vauxhall was probably Bentley's closest
British rival in the sporting field and following the acquisition of Vauxhall
by General Motors in December 1925, the marque progressively lost its sporting
image and the 30/98 was phased out by 1927.
By 1929 Jack Barclay Ltd was concentrating purely upon the sale of
Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars and Jack himself was called by the society
press ‘the finest luxury motorcar salesman in the trade'.
In
1931 Bentley introduced the 3½ litre ‘Silent Sportscar'. This was indeed fortuitous since it ensured
a continuing association between Jack Barclay Ltd and the marque. In January 1935, two years after the ‘Silent
Sportscar' had been on sale and the effects of the Depression had hardly eased,
Jack Barclay received a letter from the Managing Director of Rolls-Royce
Ltd. In it he confirmed that not only
had Jack Barclay Ltd had a greater turnover in Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars
than any other appointed retailer, but that the results for 1934 represented an
increase of 40% over those for the previous year.
This
is made all the more remarkable considering it happened during a time when many
luxury car manufacturers in both Europe and America had been bankrupted by the
recession.
Also
in the previous year Jack Barclay Ltd obtained James Young Ltd, the
Bromley-based coachbuilding company and in 1945 Gurney Nutting was acquired by
Jack Barclay Ltd.
In
August 1935 it was decided to extend the company's existing premises in Conduit Street by
obtaining No 13 George Street. However
the size of George Street
proved inadequate and in 1953 the Berkeley
Square showroom and offices were opened, where
Jack Barclay Ltd has continued to grow.
‘Service
after Sale' was
always of importance to both Jack Barclay as a person and a company. Outgrowing the various service centres
through the passage of time, these ranging from Merton SW19 to Chelsea and then York Road, 1993 saw a new purpose built
80,000 sq ft service centre at Ponton
Road, Nine Elms.
It is acknowledged as the largest Rolls-Royce and Bentley operation in
the world. 1993 also saw Jack Barclay,
Nine Elms, appointed as the world's authorised distributor of parts for pre
1955 Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars.
With
the finest motor cars of the past, present and future, Jack Barclay Ltd is a
company committed to offering legendary standards of service.
Timeline:
1900 February 7, London, the birth of John Donald Barclay, affectionately known as ‘Jack’
1922 Barclay & Wyse established, selling Rolls-Royce and Vauxhall motor cars and the term ‘Service after Sale’ was borne
1925 Jack’s skill in motor racing earned him 8 World Records in the International 3 litre class
1927 Jack Barclay Ltd established with two showrooms and a service centre in central London
1929 Jack wins Inaugural 500 Miles Race at Brooklands in 4½ litre Bentley @ 107.33 mph. The fastest motor race in the world
1938 April 6, Westminster, Victor Barclay was born
1945 Jack bought Gurney Nutting & Co Ltd, and the company carried out a major project to get back on the road all the Rolls-Royce & Bentley motor cars that were stored away during the War years
1953 The company moved to the present Berkeley Square showrooms
1958 Victor joined the company
1961 Wednesday 27 September, Lord Kindersley, then Chairman of R-RMC officially opened the Service operation at 100 York Road, Battersea
1967 November, Jack retired and sold business to Dutton-Forshaw
1968 July 9, Jack died following a long illness
1977 Dutton-Forshaw sells Group to Lonrho, Tiny Rowlands
1979 January 1, Victor Barclay became Managing Director
1987 The company celebrated its Diamond Jubilee
1993 The company was appointed sole agents to supply parts for pre-55 Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars
1993 July 4, Victor died following a short illness
1993 Wednesday 22 September, Mr Peter Ward, then Chairman of R-RMC officially opened 2-4 Ponton Road, Nine Elms, the largest Rolls-Royce & Bentley operation in the world
1995 March, the company commission the build of 3 special Rolls-Royce Flying Spurs which are the start of the Jack Barclay specials
1994 October, the company launches the first of 10 Jack Barclay Continental R's @ £235,000 each
1996 December, the first two of 10 Jack Barclay Platinum Azures are unveiled to mark the Platinum Anniversary of the company – 1927-1997
2000 September, acquired by HR Owen Plc. for an undisclosed sum
2005 January, Jack Barclay closes the doors of the Mayfair showroom after 52 years to prepare for major refurbishment works. The sales team temporarily move to the Nine Elms aftersales site.
2005 November, Jack Barclay re-launches the Mayfair showroom after an 11 month, £2million refurbishment.