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What began as a small venture by Leslie Vanassche, has grown into a trusted name on the Island, now spanning three generations of dedication and passion. From Leslie’s pioneering spirit to the leadership of his son Graham, and now his grandson Louis, the Leslies Motors journey is a testament to the enduring values of quality, service, and family. Join us as we take a drive down memory lane, highlighting the key milestones that have shaped Leslies Motors into the business it is today.
Leslies Motors humble beginnings start with a Taxi Service. Leslie Vanassche opened his own company in Ventnor taxiing local residents across the Island. Eventually he started selling those taxi's, and in 1949 purchased his first garage in Albert Street, Ventnor.
Over the next few years, Leslie's empire grew. By 1954 he owned 5 garages in Ventnor - 2 workshops and 3 petrol stations. Within those garages Leslie managed a number of car manufacturer franchises; Austin, Morris, British Leyland & MG.
Pictured left you can see an image of the Ventnor Garage, taken in more recent years.
Next came the garage that would still be going strong today. A long time ago, Northwood was home to Fountain Coaches, an Isle of Wight coach business that was formed in 1913. Overtime they were acquired by the state-owned Transport Holding Company. With the formation of the National Bus company in 1967, they became part of Southern Vectis Omnibus Company (SVOC), Southern Vectis being the company many of us use to get around today.
After Fountain Coaches, Wadham Stringer took over the building and sold car brands such as Austin Rover and MG.
We've dug out lots of old photos to mark our big anniversary. Recognise that man in the middle of the group photo there? Yes, that's the late Lionel Blair - choreographer, dancer and TV host. He came down to Leslie's Garage to hand over an oversized check to a lucky lottery winner.
The other picture shows Leslie receiving an award in Ventnor from a Director from British Leyland.
Then, in 1973, Leslie Vanassche acquired Northwood Garage, and continued to sell these brands until 1989, when Mazda came to the Island.
In the front row of this picture (far left) you will spot the late Leslie Vanassche himself. You will also see quite a few people in this photo that you can still see around our Leslies sites today! You'll spot our current managing director, Graham Vanassche on the far right. You'll also spot in the back far left, in his overalls, Colin Kill - our current Toyota Aftersales Manager, Brian Sampson - our Used Car Preparation Manager, and Simon Clarke - used car valeter.
And those with a keen eye will also spot our Suzuki Sales Manager - Keith Ashdown, but we'll forgive you if you didn't spot him as we're sure most of you aren't used to seeing him with hair.
Leslie Vannasche then acquired what is now known as Leslies Suzuki. Hale Common was bought in the mid 1980's, but back then it was an Esso Garage. Then shortly after Leslie made Hale Common the home to Hyundai (pictured left). After stopping trading Hyundai cars shortly after this, Hyundai would make its way back into Leslies Motors in 2015, after Graham acquired Wight Motors Hyundai in Sandown from Roy and Barbara Butler.
Then, in 1999, Suzuki was introduced to its new home on the Island, and would be where it still lives to this day (pictured far left).
Jumping back in time now, back to 1991, Kia arrives into the Leslies empire, setting up in Ventnor initially, then moving to Somerton and finally ending up at its current home of Northwood Garage.
Did you know? Leslies Kia is one of only four original Kia dealers left in the UK!
Around the same time as Kia arrived on the Island, Graham took over day to day running of the business from his father. On this anniversary year, Graham has been at Leslies Motors for 49 years, a remarkable achievement reflecting his dedication to the automotive industry and his family business.
Leslies Motors can proudly say that 18 employees have been with us for over 20 years. We are very proud of this, and we'd like to take the time to thank them for their many years of service. These employees are:
Pictured left is an insert from the County Press back in 1999, with an image of Graham and Leslie on the front. It's so interested to read the news articles in this. It mentions the opening of Hale Common Suzuki!
Pictured right is an insert from the County Press again, this time its about Wight Motors and was written in 2006 - just before Wight Motors moved from Ryde to Sandown! The Yaris is looking great as ever.
Pictured below (left to right) - a baby Louis Vanassche sitting in his grandfathers showroom Mazda MX-5. A Ride and Drive event at the Chequers. Our current Toyota Aftersales Manager, Colin Kill working on a car in 1973. The Northwood Garage sponsored Mazda MX-5 racing.
In 2015, Leslies Motors acquired ownership of Wight Motors in Sandown from the Butler family - Wight Motors Toyota & Wight Motors Hyundai.
Wight Motors has a very rich history of its own, founded 90 years ago, the business has also gone from strength to strength. In May 1975, Wight Motors opened a new premises on College Close in Sandown and the official opening was attended by Miss United Kingdom and former Miss World, Helen Morgan, who greeted visitors. The showroom at the Sandown site was further extended in 1979 and Roy and Barbara Butler took over in the early 1990s. In 2006, Wight Motors left Ryde altogether and moved into a brand new showroom in Sandown, with its 2 successful franchises, Leslies Toyota and Hyundai.
Over the next few years, Wight Motors was fully integrated into the Leslies brand. The Leslies dealerships, while previously known by names such as Northwood Kia, Hale Common Suzuki etc, were re-named to reflect the brand and their founding principle, Leslie.
Pictured left: Graham's daughter - Jess Vanassche, Graham, and his son Louis Vanassche at the opening of our new showroom in Blackwater.
In 2019, Leslies Motors opened its brand new state-of-the-art showroom in Blackwater, and moved Toyota over to this new location. Our new showroom uses sustainable resources to run our business, with recycled water to wash the cars, courtesy e-bikes, solar panels and the Isle of Wight's largest selection of hybrid vehicles. After a long process building the site, we finally moved Toyota into the new dealership in September of 2019.
We've been in this new building for 5 years now, and have been trading as Leslies Toyota, Leslies Suzuki, Leslies Hyundai, Leslies Mazda and Leslies Kia for the same length of time.
As we look to the future, Leslies Motors remains committed to upholding the values that have guided us for the past 75 years—exceptional service, community support, and a deep passion for the automotive industry. With the next generation already in place and exciting developments on the horizon, we’re ready to embark on the next chapter of our journey. Thank you to everyone who has been part of our story, and here’s to driving forward together for many more years to come!