Hastings Forum

I am the proud owner of ADY 756B, a Java Green VW Beetle purchased at WJ Hart Motors, Western Rd on 26/10/1964. I am the second owner of this vehicle which has only covered 82,000 miles since that day. Can anyone tell me if this business is still operating and whether or not still associated with VW. Thank you.

I don't know about Western Road, but in the 60s, WJ Hart Motors was trading from premises at Bo-Peep (just beside the railway bridge). As you might imagine, they were VW agents. The owner was Russell Hart and he had two sons, Charles and Raymond. I worked with both sons elsewhere in the 1960s. Raymond later traded as a car salesman from a property in Bohemia Road.

Found on Google:

The Hart Family have been buying, selling and maintaining vehicles locally since the late 1950's. The first garage was in Western Road, St Leonards on sea at the time it was called the Adelphi Garage but later changed its name to W.J Hart & Son This garage was owned and run by William Hart and his son Russell Hart. On retirement William Hart handed the reigns over to Russell Hart who expanded the business to take on larger premises and become one of the very first UK based VW main agents. Russell Hart traded from this site selling new and used VW Beetles, Type 2 kombi vans for over 20 years and brought his son Ray Hart into the trade and taught him the business, sadly in 1971 Russell died and it was decided to sell the business, Ray Hart Car Sales in 1976.