About Williams Automobiles
Williams Automobiles is the ultimate dealership for British performance cars such as Morgan and Lotus We have been established for over 103 years and are a fourth generation family company currently run by Henry Williams. Williams Automobiles are approved Morgan dealers and regularly have in excess of 25 Morgans on site for sale. We are also Lotus authorised repairers and have over 20 years’ experience with this classic marque as well as Lotus cars available for sale.
First established in 1911 by Harry Williams who took the company from selling horse and carts to motor vehicles, the company has been passed down the family from Clifford to Richard and now to Henry, who runs the business today. It is reassuring to know that Williams places the highest importance in delivering ultimate customer satisfaction.
Williams Automobiles has an experienced team, so customers can benefit from the added peace of mind of Williams's reputation within the motor industry.
My Grandfather Harry Williams started the automobile company in 1911 when he sold his first car, a Belsize. Prior to that he had sold fruit from the fruit market when he was a young boy. He earned enough money to buy and sell some horses and he used to catch the old Aust ferry to Wales, buy a cart, drag it back to Bristol, dismantle it and sell the parts.
The cart parts business expanded and he rented a garage in Hotwells in Bristol where he discovered mechanically propelled vehicles. He told his friends these automobile things might just catch on. They said he was mad and don’t bother to deal in them, but after he sold his first one he was convinced they were the future.
After WW 1 he started selling cars from Grosvenor Street in St Pauls in Bristol, but soon outgrew that and he bought an old dairy in Eastville, Bristol with the land around it. He took on the Riley, Austin, Wolseley and Morris franchises. This was soon followed by MG and he also sold used Morgan three wheelers. By the outbreak of WW2 he was one of Bristol’s largest car dealers and he had bought one of Bristol’s most prestigious houses overlooking Clifton suspension bridge and the river Avon.
During WW2 the company’s site was requisitioned by the food ministry so he had to stop trading in cars and after being bombed out of two houses in town he moved his family into the country.
After the war the company re started and dealt with army surplus vehicles (I remember some great stories I was told about them) until my father Cliff Williams took over the business in the early fifties and expanded it with BMC, before it became known as British Leyland, a sorry period in our motoring history.
I joined the company in the early seventies and despite having the luxury of driving new MGBs and TR7s, I chose to drive a Morgan and thats when my passion for Morgan cars started. I hill climbed, rallied them and rebuilt them from chassis up.
As Austin Rover declined, the company took on Saab, then Skoda and Suzuki as well as Noble, Lotus, TVR, Subaru, Isuzu and Mazda and of course Morgan when the long standing dealer, a lovely guy and great friend called John Dangerfield retired. The company developed some high profile sites in central Bristol for these franchises.
In 2010 the pressure to sell volume in the mainstream franchises had intensified so much it was taking away the enjoyment of business so in consultation with my family we decided to sell the volume car operations to large PLCs and lease out some the properties.
My son Henry wanted however to get back to our personal family business roots and keep Morgan and Lotus aftersales and re locate to this much smaller, friendly operation in some original Cotswold Stone farm buildings in beautiful countryside, on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment between Bristol and Bath, just a few minutes from the M4 and M5 junctions, in fact much easier to get to than the city centre sites we had. We converted them as a modern business complex in the most eco friendly way using traditional materials and heating them with a wood burning stove. With a very small team the business was reborn.
With the use of the Internet, Sat Nav and the mobile phone we think we have entered a new era of niche retailing and our customers tell us they like it. The company has since grown rapidly and we are now full Lotus and Caterham dealers as well as growing into one of the largest Morgan dealerships in the world.
The Company
~Williams Automobiles – Driven with passion, Fuelled by heritage~
Williams Automobiles is one of the UK’s oldest Morgan, Lotus and Caterham car dealers. Founded in 1911 by the Williams family, we have unrivalled expertise and knowledge of these unique vehicles.
At Williams our aim is simple - to grow our business by continually exceeding customer expectations and delivering unparalleled levels of service through all aspects of our 105 year old company. With over 35 Morgan, Lotus and Caterham cars on site, our extensive selection of both new and used cars can be viewed and test-driven.
Our showrooms are based in a stunning rural location in South Gloucestershire yet are easy to access form both the M4 & M5 motorways. We are dedicated to being as eco friendly as possible and have custom built our Cotswold stone showrooms to have as little impact on the environment as possible. We offer the perfect location from which to purchase your car or have your pride and joy worked on in our workshops. In the winter, you can warm yourself beside our log-burning fire. Or during the warm summer months, why not enjoy a drink on our south-facing courtyard?
Should you wish to discuss any aspect of Morgan, Lotus or Caterham, be it buying, selling, servicing, racing, parts or upgrades, please call Williams on 01454 315112 or drop us an email at [email protected]
Meet the team at Williams Automobiles
Henry is the fourth generation family member to run Williams Automobiles. At the age of 25 Henry sold the main dealer franchises run from city centre premises and started again building the company to its present status. In 2014 at the age of 29 Henry won the Institute of Directors Entrepreneur of the Year award and also the South Wests Young Entrepreneur award. In 2015 in won the Class D trophy and overall points winner of the Morgan Challenge in which he races.
