Collier Motors - The Last AMC Dealership

Ride along with Jason OldeCarrGuy Carr & John CustomCarNerd Meyer as they put this episode into gear with Robbie Collier of  Collier Motors AMC, the last AMC dealership.

Robbie has been on Lost In Transmission, American Pickers, Road Worthy Rescues and now the Get Out N Drive Podcast. and Collier Motors sits frozen in time. Attempting to settle Robert Collier's estate, the Collier family continues to sell off the remaining inventory, though most have sat outside unprotected on the lot since the early 1980s. Inventory includes 1970s and 1980s-model AMCs, such as Gremlins, Pacers, Ambassadors, Matadors, Javelins, Eagles, Spirits, Hornets and Concords.

Stick around for the whole episode for some Listener Shout Outs, another edition of Trade SchooleD, we announce the winner of a Racing Junk T-Shirt and find out how you can win a  FREE Racing Junk T-Shirt!

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#AMC
#AMCDealership
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Music Credit:
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Get Out N Drive Podcast
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Purchase Date:
2022-09-07 22:37:20 UTC

Transcript

Collier Motors AMC Audio file 

Transcript 

John 

On this episode of the Get On Drive Podcast, we're going to talk to a guest that has been on road worthy rescues, American Pickers and lost in transmission. Stick around to find out who it is. 

Jason 

To find out how you can win another racing junk T-shirt, we're going to have some listener shoutouts and find out what John learned on a new segment of trade school. 

Tim 

You're listening to the get out and drive podcast with John custom car Nerd Meyer and Jason old car Guy Carr will be bringing you gearheads, everything you never wanted to know about cars and why they should be on the road and not in your garage. Are you ready to get out and drive? 

John 

I'm John, Custom Car Nerd, Meyer. 

Jason 

And I'm Jason, Olde Carr Guy, Carr. I can't believe we just got through that. 

John 

And Jason, you know, it's been everybody's dream to have a an old car dealership or have a car dealership in the in the height of. Activity in an Old Town that's been my dream for quite some time, and I know either having a car dealership or having an old Chevrolet or Ford or AMC dealership or anything in a small town is incredible just to get the the feel of what it was like to be in that small town America. Today, we can actually talk about it with someone living the dream. Well, today on the show we have Robbie Collier from Collier Motors, AMC. Welcome to the show, Robbie. 

Robbie Collier 

Thanks, John. I appreciate it. And you too, Jason. It's a pleasure to be here. This is my first podcast, so. 

Jason 

Robbie, I stumbled upon. Your dealership or the family dealership. Through a YouTube deal that was. Put out about a year ago. And that's when I reached out to you back probably late last summer to see if we could kind of start this ball. Something at some point led to where you are today. Obviously, with your father's passing, you've got this dealership. It's full of cars. You've got the building, you've got a service center. Not to get into any, you know, family detail specifically. But how did you overcome the passing of your father? Who take on this responsibility of all these cars? 

Robbie Collier 

I sort of got weaned away from cars sort of out of necessity in a large part. People would wonder why their cars, you know, have gotten to where they are and and all, and that that's a good question and very good question. Part of it has to do with several stories of payment illness that sort of drew our attention towards the family instead of at the business and and and. And the place would decline. You know, you know, selling cars is OK. But it would be. Nice to work in the place with a benefit. So I actually got a job with UPS and they would provide for my, my family and all my dad was determined not to have another employee. After like 1992, he didn't want to go through the monthly and. All this stuff. So you know you limit your capabilities, but he still was able to, you know, survive and and I didn't sell cars. He sold plenty of cars. And my dad was getting up into his. 80S and he was still working on cars until they had a heart. Attack. He was 85. Some of these cars that we still have were sort of auction the stakes at times. You've heard the Mickey Gilley song. All the girls look prettier at closing time. Well, my brothers overdubbed that song and all the cars look prettier at auction. And uh, some of these cars, you know, I would make a mistake, you know, buy them and not not meaning to, but maybe not doing the homework is good and Chevy Corsica in particular. I wish I'd never. Seen it, each car has its own story. Here some are more glamorous than others, so we've had. Some rare cars here, we had Nash Heelies which is very. Rare they only. Made 506 of those. I I have my dad. That was his dream car and I helped him buy our first one and then we found two in Hollywood and the American Pickers guys. Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz came and bought those two cars from us. And we had another. I found another parts car because the first one we bought. Was not complete. We've had a hydrogen powered gremlin that was UCLA, a project when they were experimenting with hydrogen powered cars or. Fuels that was their entry that came out of Harrah's Museum in Arizona, Harrah's Casino and when they were closing it, I found out about it. And we bought. That car, and it was it, was customized by George Barris of Barris customs, and we kept it here for a while. But you know you can't drive. A hydrogen powered car. And so I decided to. Go ahead and. Sell it. But we took pictures. You look on post on Facebook. You see my dad standing out front of our business with. The sign and. That hydrogen powered gremlin there and that car is in the Don Garlits Museum now. I think he has it in storage right now, so it's not on display, but it was on display a month or two ago there and it's been there for a few years. You know, so that was a that's a rear car, had several AMC convertibles, including the Nash Heelies 2. Two of those are convertibles, but we weren't exclusively interested in AMC, although that was our love. We've had some of everything here from Porsches to 22426280 Z. We had. Triumph Stags and Triumph Spitfires and MGA and we had some kit cars, had a Sebring kit car, which is the Austin Healey replica, but it had a Ford V8 drivetrain only had 45 miles on it from being had a Rolls Royce replica here. 

John 

So Robbie, in the heyday, what was generally the heyday of of Collier Motors kind of give us a time frame of when it started ish to when it when it ended and and and what was the main reason that it had officially ended. 

Robbie Collier 

Nash and Hudson merged to become American. Motors in 1954. They continue to sell Hudsons and Ashes and he. Was doing pretty good. When he had his grand open and. He sort of chuckled about this. He had flowers ordered and streamers for the showroom and the showroom window. The plate glass was not installed yet. Guy that was sweeping up in there so told to the other. One, he said. This showroom is so small he's not going to be able to fit the two cars in there, and he won't be able to sell. But one of those, and my dad overheard that he was in his office and he. Never heard it. And he was determined to make a good go of it up and around 1957 or so. Then they got new leadership and decided to call everything a Rambler. So my dad's company went from Nash Collier Nash Motors, to call your Rambler motors, and he did he he made. He was very good with cars and. Good with people. Like the Wilson Police Department bought a. Lot of cars from. Us, even though he was just mainly the the main salesman and he did a lot of the mechanic work, he was out selling some New England. Dealerships that had service managers and parts managers and all this stuff, he was out selling them. In fact, he won a trip, have the car sold itself and he you could hear in his recounting these things, he he had a sales pitch about. How the springs were tuned to your heart and different things like that. He, he he was a good salesman. But so it we we outgrew the little build building downtown because we were having to pull the cars out during the day and pull them back in at. Night and we. Had a overflow lot and and 72 or three. He bought a a big. School complex, a campus of a a trade school, and he spent the time to rehab that to make a big showroom and in A6 bag garage in the back. It's a big. It's about a five acre property which gave. Us a lot more room. Well, the the prime interest rate for the best borrowers went up to 22% around 1980 just after Carter got out. And it was just fluctuating so bad. And nobody was selling cars. You Daddy said you could go out in front of our property on the highway and lay down out there almost because there's no parking. You know, our local Chevrolet. She went, went out of business, but American Motors dealerships went from about 2600 down to about 1500. In those years, that was just a good time to get out. But that's 1980 might have marked the last. Core, but we'll concentrate on the MC's from from 1980, when I moved back here in 1990, then we. Really was full. Full on collecting AMC, selling AMC's and other cars. It was also marked when we started buying that were collectible. That was. We had a 70 AMX 4 speed car in our showroom for 1980 till 2015. It was in our showroom up there at one time. We had one of each year the two seater. Amx is up there. We had a convertible. Or to we had other cars inside that, you know we're not Jay Leno. So we can't put everything under one roof. So, you know, cars did suffer outside, but you know, we never saw AMC for sale that we didn't like, so. And we would sell a lot of them. We we sold plenty of them, but but they concentrated on used cars and did collect AMC cars. And would buy and sell interesting cars. I'd say 90 to 99 was a heyday support of buying and selling rare. AMC's these cars here. When you buy a car, call your motors. My dad would tell people it's a used car. It comes with the Alabama guarantee. If it breaks in two, you get both pieces. 

Robbie Colier 

I. 

Jason 

John, it's time to announce one of the winners of our racing junk T-shirt giveaway. We've asked to hear about the furthest road trip you've taken recently on our Lister hotline. 

John 

And we have our winner. 

Steve Harris 

Hey, Jason and John, get it and drive with Steve Harris from central New Brunswick. 

John 

Now hold on. Did Jason pick the winner? Steve is from Canada. Is this thing rigged? 

Jason 

Steve ignored John. Please continue. 

Steve Harris 

Our longest trip in 2022 was the last weekend of July when my wife and I piled in. Our Mazda 6, 2013 with 272 horsepower V6. And we booted down for. Yarmouth, NS, driving along the South Shore of Nova Scotia. It's 400 miles one way. We had an awesome seafood meal at Rudders seafood restaurant and near the Cat ferry terminal takes a big catamaran from Yarmouth to Maine. We went to the Cape for shoe lighthouses. And saw some great sights. Hit some local. Eateries and had some awesome food roll over there. Just a terrific trip all the. Way around we came back home through. The Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. So we went across the southern part of Nova. Scotia on the way? Down and we went to the Annapolis. Valley, which is. The northern part of Scotia on the way home. It was great and we saw a lot of. Great sights along the way. 

Jason 

See, it's not rigged. Just a cool story, Steve. If you're listening, be sure to shoot us a message with your address to info at, get out and. Dr.com. And we'll get a racing conjunct T-shirt and some. Other swag, right out to you. 

John 

Jason, let's give away another T-shirt, OK? 

Jason 

Let's do this. Our partners at racing junk are giving away a baroski engine. You know that big. Powerful LS that was on display at. Sema, the question is how much is that engine? 

John 

Well, there's an easy way to find out. Just race over to racingjunk.com, go to the giveaway section and you'll find the information there. 

Jason 

And once you know what that boroski engine is worth, go over to get out and dr.com and scroll. All the way down to the bottom of the homepage and give us your answer in our list or hotline. 

John 

And don't forget to enter the win the BOROSKI racing engine on racingjunk.com. 

Jason 

We know you enjoy. The get out and. Drive podcast John let our listeners know how. They can support the show. 

John 

You can buy the show a gallon of gas. 

Jason 

Please explain. 

John 

You've heard of buy me a coffee, right? Yeah, but who needs coffee? We need a gallon of gas. Just go to our website getoutndrive.com scroll to the bottom of any screen and you'll see the buy us. A gallon of gas. Just click and you'll help to keep our show running. 

Jason 

So Robbie, when you guys were running as a dealership, especially as an AMC dealership, you must have had to have a lot of different materials like, you know, shop manuals, repair manuals, all that sort of thing there. As it's you know. Things are kind of deteriorated. The business is closed down, but yet the building the lot is still there. Do you still have all of these repair manuals? Are they still available? Like, do you still have them in stock? 

Robbie Collier 

Well, we did have some of those. He was sort of choosy about what he would put in in the parts room he did buy out a dealer or two every every once in a while. We had some new signs that are not here anymore, but. I did sell a a big there's a double set of. Parts books recently to a car club guy in Tennessee. They're having the AMC national next year in Knoxville, TN. The cars were made in Kenosha, WI, and they always have every four years or so. They have a big homecoming there. So we went attended both those meetings and I took some good interviews. I'm Wally Booth, who was a NHR, a champion in a gremlin and a Hornet and a Tony Pinto who started this company called American Performance. His daddy. He's a NASA engineer, but they have, you know, sell parts down in Florida and, you know, even some of my friends Josh Green Plate has bought Kennedy American. That's another big parts supplier. I got to meet and talk to all these guys and and actually. Recorded. Got him. Gordie chilson. I've got a you know about 45 minutes with him. You learn a lot about American motors. Even I met some engineers with AMC and and other people, so you know, I'm I'm hoping to continue to do that. Couple of acquaintances of mine are doing this big AMC. Documentary. It's a 6th issue. Video documentary on the history of American Motors and they're working on that. They've they've done most of their interviews and it it they're doing a go fund me thing to sort of support it, but it tells from start to finish the story of American Motors really enjoyed meeting people at the at Big Amo meets too and we're planning to attend the that big national Amo in. And Knoxville, coming up this year so you can become a Amo. American Motors Owners Association Club member for like $25, sort of a small network of support for AMC Parts there's place a couple places in Ohio and then Florida and then there's some other the Facebook clubs, there's I sent shared a bunch with a lot of Facebook clubs of some of this media attention we've been getting. 

Jason 

It sounds like to me that there's two sides to call your motors, and one of them is the history of what your family has made that business to be over the years. And then there's the more current or the more modern history that's being built, being able to tell all these stories through shows like. You know motor. And plus everybody that's been there to visit you over the years and I think that us being able to talk tonight and get a lot of viewers out there and a lot of listeners who are interested in the history of rebel and to hear that, you know what, there's still 1 remaining dealership out there on this planet that still bears the name. 

Robbie Collier 

Believe it or not, you know. These videos that have come out, one of them that Mitchell Stapleton video within a month he. Was very popular. Within a month and went over 1,000,000 views and now it's up to 1.7 million I think. But here people contact me. You know, just different things that we've we've let go from. Here now but. 

Jason 

Robbie, it was Mitchell's video that I saw that called me to reach out to you. And again, even back then, I think that movie was over. That video was out over a year ago. You had a a full lot full of vehicles. 

Speaker 

OK. 

Robbie Collier 

We had a a few TV people come over the years. In fact, Top Gear had wanted to come. We had signed the releases for them to come the three guys, but I was working 50 and 60 hours a week at UPS and they wanted me to get three cars roadworthy to drive to Charlotte and I. You know, I tried to see if I could do it, but I just couldn't do it. And so that time went by. But Rutledge Wood did come. A show called lost in transmission. And and then, of course, American Pickers, they came that, that's. We saw Mike Wolfe back in July. We went to see him. He was if you if people want to meet Mike because he's a very big car nut and motorcycle nut, he said he's fixing to sell a 70. Some of his prized motorcycles. But every third Saturday in Columbia, TN, where is. Near where he lives, he has a car show in the morning early morning at seven 7:00 o'clock to 10:00 o'clock. You can go meet him as. They're usually about 100 cars show up. He bought an old 38 Chevrolet dealership. And he's renovated it to look like an. Old is they call. It gasoline alley and he was really nice. Frank and my dad and Mike out with a Nash Healey that Mike Bob. 

John 

He has that Healey, is that Healey the one that. Had the Cadillac engine in it. 

Robbie Collier 

Yeah, that car was it was. It has an interesting story that there were two Nash Healey coupes. I bought from a girl in Hollywood, her dad, Gene Ashman. If you remember, the the monkeys on TV was their head costumer. He came up with about 5000 costumes for that series. The monkeys. He was actually the President of the Union of Costumers in Hollywood, and he liked cars and he liked these nashes. And he had this one of the nashes hot rotted in Eddie Meyers speed shop in Hollywood, CA. He was. Eddie Meyers is sort of like Big Elbrook out there, but at his speed shop, he would shoehorn Cadillac engines and cars too. Donald Healey originally was coming to America to find Cadillac engines to put in his sports car, so it sort of was, you know, sort of appropriate for somebody to put a Cadillac engine in that car. And they also louvered the hood, I guess for the V8 engine and it was getting hotter and they said they did a really good job of lowering it. But yeah, we've had people come and most recently. Derrick Barry from Vice Grip garage because he took a old rebel and he bought it from Roadkill. It was a mid engine rebel that had put a V8 engine by the driver seat and he drove it home and he said it was like. Being in front of a fire with somebody spitting all. That year, because this mid into the V. 8 Engine was in the engine. I mean the passenger department, but he was so popular on YouTube that Motor Trend offered him a show called Rogue Worthy rescues and they approached us actually within a week. He he gets a car running and obviously he actually gets it Rd. And so the best story was a rebel convertible came on the lot. 67 rebel convertible Red V8 and it wasn't quite really put on the road. It needed the top needed some interior work and a little bit of door work. My dad tucked it away. He he sort of winterized it and tucked it back in this 10 building. And then we put a 64 Mustang in there. Then I put a Marlin in there and then my mom. She was trying to start an antique store. She bought, put a bunch of antiques in there and and 43 years passed by. My brother never got to drive. His first car was a very good story, so the network actually agreed to let us keep the car. They usually buy the car, but they agreed to let us keep it and do the story here so they can. They started sending parts. It was like a kid in a candy store sending parts ahead of time, said Sean. The first box come here, he said. Well, in, in a week or two, you're going to be swimming in boxing. Usually it's a 10 week wait you get. A convertible top cut. I talked to somebody in New York and they cut me one in like 3 days cutting. On carpet sets. Just everything people just pitched in, just pitched into the calls and made that show work really good. Well, they said win or lose, rain or shine. Friday afternoon at 6:00 o'clock, we're leaving town. And then they wanted Douglas to drive it. Nobody had driven it yet, so Douglas drove it around our property. So that's in that. It's a 45 minute. Program on Motor Trend Plus that you can see the whole story since it was. His story. 

Jason 

I want to give a quick shout. Out to one of our. Listeners Scott Schmaltz, Scott posted on our Facebook page. He made her run to Michigan to pick up a door for what we. Call in Canada a Grumman. And he said I had you guys on for the long drive. For keeping me awake. 

John 

Scott, thanks for listening. While you get out and drive. Don't forget to tag. Us in the pics of the Grumman you're building. So current, so current day, I know you've kind of brought us through the history of Collier Motors. Current day. What is happening today and then future, what is what's going to what's what's the future for it? 

Robbie Collier 

We're we're we're looking hopefully within the next two years to find as many homes for the cars as we can. I it's not the Shangri-La. They people always used to think it was maybe. But my wife and I have managing. We've sold several cars in the, you know, probably 50 cars, 50 or 60 cars. So there's now down to about 250 maybe or so it's at one time in the five acres and pretty much full. You know, we're down to, we sold most of the first string. We're down to the second string and then there's some third strings out here that, I mean, where can you go in this world right now and see this many old cars unmolested with? We didn't run a salvage yard. We were selling cars and so these cars are not 99% of them have not been part of the out in their whole car. So, but you know, it's not all Maseratis or anything. And there. 

Jason 

Let's assume for a second that every car is now sold. At Collier Motors, what happens now? 

Robbie Collier 

We're strictly a in a state here and. A trust that's. Dealing with the disposal of the cars and selling them. We have to deal with the building. Hopefully I'd like to sell the building as he is still has a good garage in the back. But you know. It's good to commercial property. They built a food line grocery store across the street from us, and there's a AutoZone. Right out of our front gate. And so it's a good location for commercial property, so. Hope we can end the place with honor there. 

Jason 

And Robbie, I'm so glad that we had a chance to talk and get some of these stories because you made our job so much easier. We just had to sit back and listen to you tonight. But one last question very quickly, if there's one piece of advice that you had to give a young person today who's interested in getting into the automotive. Industry or the business or the trades, what have you? What would that piece of advice be? 

Robbie Collier 

Sell something that you love and we we loved AMC, so it wasn't hard for us to sell them. It was, uh, it wasn't work to to go out and find them and sell something that you love and it won't be work to you. It'll be enjoying it and that's what it was. My dad worked very hard. I mean, many nights he was working till 9. O'clock at night but. So it was just a pleasure to be around cars with him. Unfortunately, my my kids didn't have the same benefit. I was drawing away with UPS and and I we we. Put them through Christian School. Uh, my kids, it was more of a. Place where the all mosquitoes were and a lot of a lot of. Briars and stuff. So they didn't get the the pleasure that we had. I really hate that. 

John 

If our listeners. And our listeners are our viewers, how they can find you and and the best way to contact you. 

Robbie Collier 

We're still we're. Still selling, even though the business is closed, I'm having people come by appointment or my contact information is on Facebook when I call your motors and see. OK, these are our own tags where? Call your motors. AMC in Pikeville you can Google it. I sell these tags for. Like shipped for 262599 or. Something like that. If you if you make a visit here, you you get them. You know, 20 bucks or something. But I've seen those tags fixing to send something to Australia. They've gone to Belgium, Sweden. Canada all over the place. 

John 

I'm glad you were in a good mood tonight, so we can we can hang out with you and and and make you laugh and get the really, really good fun history on Collier Motors. 

Speaker 

Yeah, yeah. 

Robbie Collier 

Anytime if people want to visit, call ahead, don't just show up. I had people show up from Michigan just unannounced, and they bought a javelin from me, but they were just lucky to. Find me there. The place is. Closed and umm, we sell stuff out of the estate and it takes a while to get the title transferable from the dealership to the new owner. But that that we take care of that we have to pay taxes on it and get them registered again and and all. That so it it's. 

Speaker 

A little bit. 

Robbie Collier 

Of a you can't just show up and unless you just want parts or you can show up and leave one today. But it takes a week or two to. Get it lined up? Well, there's one person coming. From wherever or. Haven't got a group of 10 coming shortly. You're welcome to come and tour the place with with advance notice and I'll be glad to show you around. And I treat one person as. Just as well as a treat. 10 people showing up. 

John 

Well, we'll do our best to get some people headed your way. I'm sure you don't need more, but our listeners and viewers of the get out and Drive podcast will certainly learn more about you. Thank you very much for hanging out with us for a bit and telling U.S. history of Collier Motors. 

Robbie Collier 

Thank you guys. Appreciate it very much. 

John 

It's that time again, time for trade schooled. Through our what drives youth initiative and our partnership with the RPM Foundation, we strive to put an emphasis on the value of attending an automotive trade school and passing down information to the next generation of gear. 

Jason 

This week on trade school, John learned something new about MGM's John what did you learn? 

John 

Well, I thought all original, like early 50s MG's. We were riding a 1953 MG an auction for one the other day and I thought they. Were all unibody. And I realized that I was wrong. Yes, John was wrong. They did have a chassis. I don't know if for when they went up to unibody for some reason I thought they were all chassis cars, so stick that in your little your little notebook of information. 

Jason 

If you're thinking about going out into the automotive trade, the get out and Drive podcast wants to encourage you to check out Doug Herbert's brakes, which stands. For be responsible and keep everyone safe. They offer hands on driving classes for 15 to 20 year olds in the controlled environment to learn the Inns and outs of handling cars in different situations so kids and parents of kids, be sure to go to putonthebrakes.org to learn more. 

John 

Well, that's great information, Jason. If you want to work on cars, you need to have as much experience as possible driving and handling all types of cars, even stick shifts. In a variety of situations, this is just one in a long line of skills that can't be taught in the classroom, and that's all for trade school for this episode. Like I always say, the best way to gain knowledge and information is to learn with your mouth shut. 

Tim 

Cruise on over to our website getoutanddrive.com for all the info you never wanted to know about our podcast. Hit us up on our listener hotline, be the first to know what's happening, get industry news, and grab your get out and drive merch. Connect with us on social media. Find us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Follow us on Twitter at get out and drive pod. 

Robbie Collier 

What drives you?