Chairman Cyril Molloy first opened the doors of Fort Service Garage on Cromwellsfort Road in March 1959 on the site of a petrol station. Car sales in Ireland in that year were little more than 25,000, compared with 150,000 last year.
At the 1959 launch, the new Ford Anglia 105E came in at £589 for the standard model, and £610 for the plusher De Luxe. A heater would cost an additional £14. The pricing was set very keenly, designed to undercut the recently launched BMC A40 Farina by some £40, itself some £50 cheaper than the 948cc Triumph Herald. Not only was the price attractive to buyers looking for a new car. A top speed of 75+ mph, and economy when cruising of over 45mpg, was more than a match for the Standard-Triumph and BMC .
“£589 may appear a small amount,” recalls Cyril, “but that equated to 60 weeks working on the average wage. Nowadays a brand new Ford Ka can be bought for less than one third of the average yearly wage.”
Over 50,000 cars and vans have left the showrooms on Cromwellsfort Road and Airton Road over the 50 years. The latter was hailed as Europe’s largest Ford dealership when it opened in 2005 and quickly became one of Ireland’s best known dealerships. The distinctive look of the Fort Motors premises was created in 1999 to mark the company’s 40th anniversary.
Local customers have remained loyal to the family business, now run by Cyril’s sons Paul and Cyril Molloy. Among those present to ‘cut the cake’ on the day was one of Fort’s original customers back in 1959 and who still drives a Ford.
Cyril Senior is philosophical about the current downturn in the car business. “The bottom line is that we have been through several economic downturns, in the 60s we saw emigration, the 70s brought bank strikes & petrol shortages. The 80s brought a deep recession and the early 90s brought interest rates of almost 20%.Through strong customer care and hard work we have stayed in business for last 50 years and we are confident this will continue for many more.”
