Our history really began with founding partner Mike Lintern's interest in hot rodding and drag racing, resulting (as with many "pioneers") from reading copies of Hot Rod Magazine in the mid-sixties. Visits to the '64 and '65 DragFest sealed his fate, which was for him to originate Custom Car Magazine for his employers, Link House Publications, Croydon, and later start a mail order sticker, badge and US magazines business called Action Automotive. Mike was also an active member of the original British Hot Rod Association, as Surrey rep, club magazine writer, and later a start-line crewman at Santa Pod.
In 1973, with the opening of a corner shop in Wallington, Surrey, a hard parts section was added as American Autoparts --- established with just a large box of spares and some enthusiastic ideas. In the mid-seventies we attended many of the early custom car shows and drag race events to spread our customer base. Having outgrown our original Wallington premises, we moved in 1978 to Thornton Heath, South London, greatly expanding our stock and, importantly, acquiring our own workshops.
In 2007, we relocated to our current purpose-designed facility in Redhill,
Surrey. And now, some 40 years on, we are one of Europe's leading suppliers
of American vehicle parts to both retail and trade customers. With our
move to Redhill, we were able to establish a sister business --- American
Motor City --- specialising in sales of selected US vehicles. AMC complements
the services provided by American Autoparts and is able to offer customers
the kind of parts and service backup other dealers can only dream of.
Back to our roots, partners and staff at American Autoparts are still involved in the drag racing scene, preparing Run What 'ya Brung cars and competition machines and spending time at the track. Yup, in one form or another, we're all hot rodders at heart!
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First
issue of CC
During the 1980s managing partner Dick Gransden headed-up a project to put a 500+bhp Chevette on the street! The car packed a 377cubic inch small-block Chevy, with narrowed 12-bolt rear-end and Hewland drive shafts and was trailered to the NEC Birmingham for its debut. However, requested to demo the car's power for the cameras --- before suspension bugs had been ironed-out --- Dick was able to complete little more than a short blast before the beast went out of control and crashed.
In the very early 1970s, just at the time American Autoparts opened-up their first store in Wallington, Surrey , co-founder Mike Lintern was using a (rare) RHD '56 Chevy Bel Air as day-to-day transport ---to the consternation of the local traffic police. At the time Mike's day-job was with Link House Publications as assistant editor of Caravan Magazine and a regular contributor to Custom Car Magazine .
Tony Gransden and Alex Nicol -- shared the driving chores in the American Autoparts '79 Chevy Camaro -- to become National Super Gas drag racing champions in 1993 and 1995 and Super Comp winners in 2000
In 1995 American Autoparts came to the rescue of the world's biggest biplane -- the replica Vickers Vimy that the previous year had flown from the UK to Australia, re-tracing an epic 1914 flight. The Vimy had "gone tech" at the Biggin Hill Air Fair and needed a replacement Holley fuel pump for one of its big-block Chevy engines, so we "robbed" our Camaro race car of its pump and the aircraft was able to take to the sky again as star of the show
American Autoparts - First for parts, first for service
Holmethorpe Trading Estate - 74 Holmethorpe Avenue - Redhill - RH1 2NL.
Telephone: 01737 780 888 Fax: 01737 778 999
e: sales@americanautoparts.co.uk
We are open 9am to 6.30 weekdays,
closing 1pm Saturdays
site managed by 7media
