ABC Motors - Tacoma (WA) - Maserati importer

Hi All,

while chatting with mr. Collina it came out that my Ghibli has been sold new to the west coast importer ABC Motors in Tacoma, WA. Anyone knows if this company still exists?
I wish to trace, as much as possible, the life of my car.
I still have the previous California blue plate: is it useful to get some info?

Thanks



Francesco

 

I live very near Tacoma (10 minutes away). I can recall that the Maserati franchise in the late Sixties (early Seventies?) was Tom Hawkins, who had a Pontiac dealership with several sidelines. From a quick look in a box of old literature, I find a booklet of Sales & Service facilities for Triumph automobiles, dated August 1968, and it lists ABC Motors at 8233 South Tacoma Way. I believe they had a later store at another location in Tacoma, possibly on what is now Tacoma Mall Boulevard. I can remember seeing a Maserati Mexico in there, and Lotus Elan and Europas, and one of the Alfa Romeo Quattroruote replicas. I don't specifically remember seeing a Ghibli, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if they had one there.

The latest Tacoma telephone book that I have here does not show a listing for either Tom Hawkins or for ABC Motors. I think they have been gone for many years.

Good luck with your hunt!

 

Edit: The February 1972 issue of "Road Test" magazine has a full, six-page road test of a Ghibli SS Coupe provided by Tom Hawkins of Tacoma! There are 14 pictures, but all are in black/white, so I can only guess at the color. This test would have been conducted late in 1971, I presume. Is it POSSIBLE that this is your car???

 

Yes, it was officially called Tom Hawkings, ABC Motors. They were a Pontiac dealer and the Maserati Distributor for the North West.
Janet and I bought their complete Maserati parts inventory in late 1976 which would become our first parts purchase.
After that purchase, we began buying inventories all over the world, such as the German importer, the Spanish importer the UK importer etc etc.

Is your Ghibli green? It was our very efficient legal system and commission based lawsuits that caused them to drop the franchise.
Ciao,
FGM

 

Thank you for the feedback. My 1967 Ghibli is Avorio Santa Anita, a custom shade requested by the first owner. Unfortunately I can not know the first owner's name, I know that there are few probabilities but maybe he's still living around there.

Is there any chance that I can know something from the previous CA blue plate in my possession?


Francesco

 

Francesco,

You may want to try this website, although chances are their records will not go back that far:
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/newsrel/newsrel10/2010-07.htm

Your odds are likely better hiring a company like this one:
Auto Ancestry Home
The owner called me while investigating a car I had previously owned. He seems like a nice guy with good investigative tools.

Ivan

 

Ivan, thank you for the tip!


Francesco