Yonge-Steeles Motors | FerrariChat

Yonge-Steeles Motors

Discussion in 'Canada' started by ///R, Aug 5, 2018.

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  1. ///R

    ///R Rookie

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  2. MS250

    MS250 Two Time F1 World Champ
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  3. Nuvolari

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    I'd love to see any period photos someone may have as I too have no idea what the original dealership looked like.
     
  4. ///R

    ///R Rookie

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    #4 ///R, Aug 6, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2018
    It has been a Kia dealership for a short period of time.

    Timeline of dealers at 7079 Yonge St:

    Richard Motors Isuzu-Toyota 1961
    Shelton-Mansell Motors(Studebaker) 1964
    Yonge Steele Motors 1966
    Autocars North(VW & Audi) 1983
    North Toronto Mazda 1991
    North Toronto Mitsibushi 2001
    Plaza Kia 2009
     
  5. MS250

    MS250 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Wow .... Kia, Mitsubishi, Mazda .... all looked the same to me.

    I had no idea, had that much turnover, good find on the history, won’t be long before Kia leaves and it becomes a condo development.
     
  6. JohnMH

    JohnMH Formula 3

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    I recall stopping there as a kid with my parents to look at a blue 308 out front. Different looking building then (early 80’s).
     
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  7. ///R

    ///R Rookie

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    What is really interesting to me was that they changed their name to Gentry Lane and moved to Scarborough for a few years.

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  8. Marcel Massini

    Marcel Massini Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Thank you for this, excellent information.

    Marcel Massini
     
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  9. SpyderGT

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    Is this correct? I seem to remember both dealers operating in Toronto when I lived there in 1973. I recall Gentry Lane being closer into the downtown Toronto area rather than Scarborough and I seem to recall they only handled "pre-owned". But, it's been 45 years so my memory, never great, might have it all wrong. More recently, maybe a few years ago, I recall see Gentry Lane selling NOS Ferrari parts on eBay, so they might well have been a dealer rather than just a reseller of Ferrari. Just curious. Jon
     
  10. max930

    max930 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    I believe Gentry Lane was a Ferrari dealer for awhile. I know for sure they where the Lambo dealer for awhile in the 1990's.
     
  11. ///R

    ///R Rookie

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    They moved to their Dupont St location in the early 90s and they were 100% in Scarborough. Briefly, there were two Ferrari dealers in Toronto for a couple of years.




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    Click image to enlarge
     
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  12. Nuvolari

    Nuvolari F1 Veteran
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    Here is a piece to add to the YS motors tale. It is an image of a service decal added to the windshield. The logo is of the intersection of Yonge and Steeles :)

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  13. SpyderGT

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    #13 SpyderGT, Aug 8, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2018
    Thank you! And thanks including the attachments.

    I note from your post there were two dealers: Maranello Sports Cars and Gentry Lane. Did Yonge Steeles cease to exist or change name to Gentry Lane, as suggested in post #7. Or, was Maranello actually Yonge Steeles?
    Jon
     
  14. ///R

    ///R Rookie

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    Yonge Steeles became Gentry Lane
    Maranello still exists today doing business as Ferrari of Toronto & Ferrari of Ontairo
     
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  15. SpyderGT

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    Aha! Thanks. Jon
     
  16. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    It was the Ferrari salesman at that dealership who came up with the name of "Gentry Lane" for the dealership. The salesman's name was Paul Menage if I remember correctly and his wife worked at the dealership to, but he eventually moved back to England.
    One of the guys in a Toronto band had a red Ferrari Daytona coupe for sale in the Gentry Lane showroom there. The Daytona had been modified with some competition parts later after it left the factory. The owner still drove the Ferrari on the street though.
    There was also an independent garage farther East on the other side of the road that serviced imports like Lotus cars. Gentry Lane might have also sold Lotus cars as Paul and I went to visit this Lotus guy on one occasion in a red 308 GTSi to get some part that was needed quickly.
    Great info on the history of the Yonge Steeles Motors building.
     
  17. marioz

    marioz Formula 3

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  18. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    Not much to see but this photo was taken in the showroom at Yonge Steeles Motors in Willowdale. That was in 1975.

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    There may have been one or two advertisements for Yonge Steeles Motors in the Canadian Ontario (Northern Prancer?) FCA club magazine or the FCA Prancing Horse Magazine in that same time frame around 1975. The ad shows the front of the dealership building with a row of 308 GT/4 models lined up for sale. There is also an earlier ad with some Dino 246 cars and a 275 GTB out front at the dealership. At the back of the dealership near the door to bring the cars in for service was a sort of covered area. One time I found a blue Ferrari Daytona parked there, just back from an auto show. Bill the dealership owner opened the car and hood for me to get a good look at that big V12! The Daytona had black seats but gray carpet. Paint was a pale color called 'blu dino'. Bill told me they ordered two Daytona coupes in that same color.
    One of the Ferrari salesmen was at an event called the 'Sportsman Show' in Toronto with a red Dino 246 coupe in 1970. Bill Popovich who was the Ferrari dealer / importer was always good about showing the new Ferrari models at the auto shows and local events.
    At the 1974 Toronto auto show on Derry Road he had a brown Ferrari Daytona Spyder with wire wheels and a tan interior on display. Also on hand was a silver Dino 246 Gts. Later they had a good supply of the Ferrari Boxer models for sale. In those days the euro spec Boxer could be registered in Canada. One time they picked up a new red Boxer at CH Pozzi in France for a Canadian customer who didn't want to wait for the factory to build a car for him.
    The white Boxer pictured above came to Canada along with a second dark blue Boxer for 'cold weather' testing and never left the country...
     
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  19. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    Great looking Ferrari with a nice color combination! Was the salesman you dealt with John Graham?
     
  20. of2worlds

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    #20 of2worlds, Aug 16, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2018
    Couple of corrections to post #18 - the two 1971 Daytona coupes that Yonge Steeles Motors ordered were painted 'Azzurro Dino' and looked like the Daytona pictured below. Both of those Daytona coupes have since been painted red.
    Further there was a silver Daytona coupe with a black interior also on display at the Toronto Auto Show for 1974. Courtesy of Yonge Steeles Motors at that time.

    Azzurro Dino>
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  21. of2worlds

    of2worlds F1 World Champ
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    The white 1975 Boxer from Yonge Steeles Motors that was taken to the FCA meet in Illinois. Cover photograph for the Prancing Horse magazine (issue #42) taken at the event>

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    The Boxer was brand new at that time. The car proved very popular there as the Americans could only get grey market Ferrari Boxers registered in the USA after they were modified. The Canadian Boxer was a euro spec version.
     
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  22. Nuvolari

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    Interestingly Dino's delivered to Canada prior to US spec federalization in 1972 were a unique 'Canadian Spec' where they were Euro cars tip to tail with the only change being a British market gauge cluster that gave speed in MPH and markings in English rather than Italian. Both Young Steeles Motors and Luigi Sports Cars in Montreal delivered L and M series Dino's in this spec but I believe the total number in this Canadian spec combined to be less than 10 cars.
     
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  23. Nuvolari

    Nuvolari F1 Veteran
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    Also here is a pic of a cool reunion of sorts. In the photo is 1971 Dino 246GT #01464 originally sold and delivered by Young Steeles motors. Standing next to it is Remo Ferri who now owns Ferrari of Ontario but back in 1971 he was the mechanic that gave this Dino its pre-purchase inspection and early services.

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  24. marioz

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    Michelle was the original salesman I spoke to but John was the one that closed the deal.
     
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  25. of2worlds

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    #25 of2worlds, Aug 16, 2018
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2018
    The 1973 365 GTB/4 listed is actually the 1971 build blue Daytona coupe. That Daytona on license plate AWK 394 was featured in an article for the old monthly car magazine called 'Canada Track & Traffic'. The pictures in the article were out on the road and not photographs at the Ferrari dealership.
     

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