The Vancouver Napier Dealer

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Captain A. S. French came from a family in the tug boat business. When not on the boats he preferred to be called by his first name, Austin. He was also a car enthusiast and in 1909 took delivery of a 60hp Napier. He must have subscribed to The Autocar magazine, because in the June 5, 1909 issue there is a nice photo of him with his family in the Napier. This was taken in front of The Hollow Tree in Stanley Park, which was a Vancouver tradition.

In that year Austin also became the Napier dealer for British Columbia. He named it the A. S. French Auto Co. and set up an office on Westminster Avenue. Business was good and soon the decision was made to construct a proper dealership building with a showroom, service and repair department plus a storage area for new and used car sales.

At this time purpose-built car dealerships were beginning to appear. The first one in B.C. was in Victoria in 1907 selling Rover, Humber and some French cars. What Austin had in mind was going to be one of the finest in Vancouver. A location was chosen between West Pender and Seaton Street right next to the downtown core. It measured one chain by two chains (66 ft. by 132 ft.) and sloped down to Seaton. This would become the planned size of the building.

In the October 1910 issue of The British Columbia Magazine, there was a very good article about the thriving automobile business in Vancouver. The A.S. French Auto Co. was mentioned and it stated that their new building was under construction. This was going to be five stories high and would be fireproof, Vancouver's first such building. It goes on to say A. S. French already has one hundred twenty orders on the books for cars in the next season. It also mentions that all the other car dealers are doing great business and expect 1911 to be even better. All of this in a dynamic young city which had just crested one hundred thousand in population.

This new building was five stories high with the bottom two being constructed entirely of reinforced concrete for the car dealership. The top three stories were a hotel of regular construction including wood. The sloping lot worked well providing level street access for cars on both Pender and Seaton. Also, at the Seaton entrance, there was a fuel pump with an underground storage tank. The first of its type in the city.

The new building opened in early 1911. A newspaper article announcing the opening described the space on each of the dealership floors was ' commodious'. Austin French was delighted to report he was very busy taking new orders. He was having to work in the evenings and was very close to selling his allotment for the year. He also announced he was going to start selling Stoddard Dayton cars as well which he proclaimed to be the best cars in their class.

The Napiers were sent by train in boxcars from the east coast. Montreal was most likely the port they arrived in and then loaded into the boxcars. It would be about a four thousand mile trip to Vancouver.

There is a very good photo of the building taken on Pender Street in the Vancouver Public Library Archives taken in 1931. You can see the showroom with the double doors in the middle to move cars in and out. There would have been a new car on display both sides of the doors. Also on display would have been a good selection of car accessories and driving apparel. A. S. French was the Michelin Tire dealer and advertised a good stock of various sizes, so there would have been some of these displayed. I am still looking for a good photo taken from the Seaton side.

In 1910 our Prime Minister, Sir Wilfrid Laurier arrived in Vancouver for a visit. He was a popular man and a welcoming crowd was at the train station to greet him. Also waiting for him was a brand new 45hp Napier with a chauffeur to drive him around. The City of Vancouver Archives has a very good photo of the occasion. Sir Wilfrid Laurier is the man wearing the bowler hat. The other men are the Lieutenant Governor, the city Mayor and the Premier of the Province.

I am quite sure the chauffeur is Austin French. Take a close look at him and you will see he has a very prominent round chin. Then take a look at him in his 60hp Napier. Although it is a poor quality magazine photo, you can see that big round chin shining in the sunlight. This is the best photo I have found of him.

I am still looking for photos and would love to find some of the dealerships in its heyday with the Napiers in it. This was truly a significant building for the city and the cars sold there a good part of Napier history.

Words by Steve Diggins. Pictures BC Archives.

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