Author |
Message |
René R. Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2015 Posts: 1714 Location: No. Calif.
|
Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2018 1:54 pm Post subject: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
When my '54 sedan's birth certificate arrived I was happy to discover that it showed my car had originally been shipped to an importer only a few miles from me – “Volkswagen dealer Riviera Motors, Ltd., San Francisco.” It was an authorized import, one of only about 8,000 imported to the US in 1954. (According to Automotive News, only 200 of those were imported by Riviera that year.)
By all indications Riviera never used an importer badge originally so I decided to make one. I was inspired by the very attractive badge made for Bob Cropsey's Hoffman Registry, posted in the split forum. Like that one, mine is a fantasy creation but I feel it has a vintage look appropriate to the era and it's a great way to highlight the provenance of my car.
Since it's prohibitively expensive to make a single one, I had a dozen produced in the hopes that other owners of Riviera Motors imports might also want one. I have listed them in the Classifieds.
_________________ Gone but not forgotten: 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1966) - another 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1996) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
56Cabrio Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2008 Posts: 1902 Location: San Fernando Valley, CA
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
EverettB Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000 Posts: 69855 Location: Phoenix Metro
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
René R. Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2015 Posts: 1714 Location: No. Calif.
|
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 9:27 pm Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Interesting that mine has "Volkswagen dealer" listed before Riviera Motors.
_________________ Gone but not forgotten: 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1966) - another 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1996) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
56Cabrio Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2008 Posts: 1902 Location: San Fernando Valley, CA
|
Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 9:37 pm Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Riviera Motors Ltd was a distributor not a dealership in San Fransisco ?
Found on the web about the founder of Riviera Motors, Kjell Qvale.
(In 1953 Qvale, along with partner Reynold C. Johnson, gave his first order to Volkswagen Germany for 12 VW Beetles to sell in Northern California. Along with his brother Knute, Kjell started Riviera Motors as the sole Volkswagen importer for the Pacific Northwest in 1954, which eventually grew to over 2,500 Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi vehicle sales per month. There was a time Mr. Q was the distributor for more than 100 dealerships, selling 10 different brands of German and British cars.) _________________ F#CK CANCER
Make a donation
1956 Rag Top owned since 1988
1956 Convertible owned since 2000
1963 Hard Top
RIP Dad 4/20/1951 - 2/4/2023 |
|
Back to top |
|
|
René R. Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2015 Posts: 1714 Location: No. Calif.
|
Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:19 am Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
I did as much digging as I could on Riviera a year or two ago.
Riviera Motors was founded in San Francisco in 1954 by Knute Qvale, who had been importing MGs, Mercedes, and other European cars since 1947. Riviera was an importer and distributor who primarily sold cars through company-owned dealerships in Oregon and Washington. Despite my B/C saying "Volkswagen dealer" they did not have a retail dealership in San Francisco. According to an article in Automotive News, available online, Riviera Motors sold only 200 VWs in 1954. A 1956 lawsuit indicates that their exclusive dealer in San Francisco was Monte Carlo Motors, about whom there's nothing else to be found today. _________________ Gone but not forgotten: 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1966) - another 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1996) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
salty54oval Samba Member
Joined: May 28, 2018 Posts: 33 Location: Oakland, CA
|
Posted: Sun Jan 30, 2022 11:04 am Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Just received my cars birth certificate and discovered it was part of the Riviera Motors, San Francisco family. Cool to learn more history about her!
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
[email protected] Samba Member
Joined: February 17, 2023 Posts: 1 Location: Woodstock IL
|
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2023 3:48 pm Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Hello..
Appreciate this an older post but I just received my certificate and am a proud owner of a 1954 oval beetle that is a Rviera Motors import.. I am restoring it after by brother passed it on to me having had it 30 plus years..
I would like to know if the badge you made is available / could another run of them be made??.
Thanks!! |
|
Back to top |
|
|
René R. Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2015 Posts: 1714 Location: No. Calif.
|
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 9:08 am Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
I'm afraid they're all sold, and it wouldn't be economically viable to do another production run in the quantities required. _________________ Gone but not forgotten: 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1966) - another 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1996) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
RockStock Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2004 Posts: 3929 Location: England
|
Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 3:38 pm Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
I was one of the lucky guys!
Cool emblem - thanks René
Who else got one?
I’d like to know if these early Riviera cars came in by boat to the port in San Francisco, and then directly distributed across CA, OR and WA…maybe by train…or if they all went up to the original 1954 Riviera premises at 1301 W. Burnside St, Portland, Oregon - and distributed from there. Any theories?
I see on the right it says “Parts & Service Depart. ➡️”
Riviera info:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/info/dealers/rivieramotors_portland_or.php
René R. wrote: |
It was an authorized import, one of only about 8,000 imported to the US in 1954. (According to Automotive News, only 200 of those were imported by Riviera that year) |
It’s interesting how low USA VW Beetle imports were up to 1955. And buses would have been way lower, from what I gather. _________________ -StockRocks-
Last edited by RockStock on Wed Jun 07, 2023 6:54 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
René R. Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2015 Posts: 1714 Location: No. Calif.
|
Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:31 am Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Quote: |
I’d like to know if these early Riviera cars came in by boat to the port in San Francisco, and then directly distributed across CA, OR and WA…maybe by train…or if they all went up to the original 1954 Riviera premises at 1301 W. Burnside St, Portland, Oregon - and distributed from there. Any theories?
|
I have to assume that they came to San Francisco by boat and were (mostly) sent north by train or truck. From what I had found in researching this several years ago it appears that most were sent to the Pacific Northwest.
Riviera did have a dealer in San Francisco, called Monte Carlo Motors, who also had an agency for wholesaling VWs in northern California. This information comes from a 1956 lawsuit, later appealed and settled in 1960. From the final judgment filing:
Quote: |
In 1954 Riviera Motors Corporation was plaintiff's [Volkswagen in Germany] wholesale distributor of Volkswagens in Northern California and plaintiff [Monte Carlo Motors], under a contract with Riviera, had the sole retail agency for the sale of Volkswagens in San Francisco. |
I don't understand legalese fluently, but evidently Monte Carlo got an oral contract to distribute VWs throughout California, which was later rescinded. Hence the lawsuit. You can read the full judgment here: https://casetext.com/case/monte-carlo-motors-inc-v-volkswagenwerk.
Bottom line, it seems Riviera only had retail outlets in the Pacific Northwest, but they did sell in San Francisco through their one authorized agent.
When I had the importer emblems made, I deliberately chose to call Riviera "Official Agents" rather than "Dealers." That was valid. _________________ Gone but not forgotten: 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1966) - another 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1996) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
RockStock Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2004 Posts: 3929 Location: England
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 1:42 am Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Thank you for that summary, René
———
I’ve created a tribute period Riviera Motors ‘dealer sticker’, based on their original address in Portland, to go on my ‘55 bus:
_________________ -StockRocks- |
|
Back to top |
|
|
René R. Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2015 Posts: 1714 Location: No. Calif.
|
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 8:21 am Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Looks terrific! Good job. _________________ Gone but not forgotten: 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1966) - another 1950 Hoffman split (restored in 1996) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
RockStock Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2004 Posts: 3929 Location: England
|
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2023 1:54 am Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Thank you René. Turned out well, I thought.
I have a few spares from my minimum order, so people can get in touch if they’d like one/some. 15cm x 4cm. _________________ -StockRocks- |
|
Back to top |
|
|
56Cabrio Samba Member
Joined: May 22, 2008 Posts: 1902 Location: San Fernando Valley, CA
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
RockStock Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2004 Posts: 3929 Location: England
|
Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2023 10:43 am Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Thanks Dave. I’ve reordered some stickers, correcting the dot after the 1301 and Burnside. _________________ -StockRocks- |
|
Back to top |
|
|
RockStock Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2004 Posts: 3929 Location: England
|
Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 1:39 am Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Have you seen the sister “Mobile Service School” Barndoor of the bus shown here has been unearthed?
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764975
Same Riviera Motors HQ building today:
_________________ -StockRocks-
Last edited by RockStock on Wed Jun 07, 2023 6:55 am; edited 2 times in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
RockStock Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2004 Posts: 3929 Location: England
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
RockStock Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2004 Posts: 3929 Location: England
|
Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2023 1:41 pm Post subject: Re: Riviera Motors, San Francisco |
|
|
Ad from today. Pretty cool story, I thought. Really liked the salesman’s letter.
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=2622751
Some literature is shown right at the end of this clip
Link
_________________ -StockRocks-
Last edited by RockStock on Sat Jun 10, 2023 1:17 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
Back to top |
|
|
EverettB Administrator
Joined: April 11, 2000 Posts: 69855 Location: Phoenix Metro
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
|