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About Dereliott Conversions

How It All Started

Derek Morrissey and John Elliott were old school friends who had a passion for cars and motor racing. Neither of them intended to get involved in the motor trade as they each took their own career paths, they kept their cars for personal enjoyment and racing which involved travelling to race circuits most weekends.

It soon became apparent that they had something special in their understanding and ability of race preparation of the cars they were involved with by the results they achieved, this was not lost on others who tried to copy them.

It all started one Sunday morning when a fellow motor club member turned up outside John's house with his race car on a trailer to ask how to carry out a suspension modification, and it was at a race meeting the following weekend, where as normal, they found themselves going round the pits helping other club members, that it dawned on them that just maybe they could start charging for their service which would in turn help pay for the running and preparation of their own cars, and hence Dereliott Conversions was born. The name was compiled by using the first part of Derek's name and part of John's surname Elliott to make Dereliott and the Conversions name being what they were all about, car conversions.

The business was originally run part time from a double workshop in Westbourne Road, West Kirby, Wirral.

In the late sixty's they used to deal with Lotus Racing for parts for race cars and Lotus Cars Ltd for general spares, as both also ran Lotus's. It was during a telephone conversation with the Lotus factory one day when it was  suggested to them that they may like to consider looking after Lotus road cars as a dealer, this was originally rejected as they had no intention to move away from race preparation. However, during a visit to Lotus Cars in Norwich their minds were changed and they ended up taking on the Lotus Service dealership for the Wirral.

At that time they had moved to a small workshop at 122d Market Street in Hoylake, and now with the Lotus franchise John decided to give up his job and work full time in the business which then took off, this resulted in Derek also joining him full time a few months later. In fact so successful were they that they found themselves working seven days a week flat out. All was going well until late one Sunday morning in March 1972, as they were working a gas explosion caused a serious fire from adjoining premises which engulfed the whole property. The net result was that they had to find new premises urgently. Fortunately some old garage premises came up for sale, Heatherlands Garage in Thurstaston Road, Thurstaston, Wirral, which they were fortunate to secure, and moved in during February and March of 1973, it was from here the company that most people knew flourished.

As new dealerships were added, Lotus Main, TVR, Scimitar, Maserati & DeTomaso they started trading as The Prestige Car Centre. They expanded in to North Wales and opened in Llandudno Junction where they held the TVR, Scimitar, Maserati & DeTomaso dealerships and also became Lancia Main dealers for North Wales.

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