Fort Motors - celebrating 50 years in Dublin

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Fort Motors: Cyril Molloy Snr., his wife Joan, and sons Cyril Jnr and Paul

Two-thousand-and-nine is a landmark year for one of Dublin’s best-known and longest-established Ford dealerships - Fort Motors in Walkinstown - who celebrate half a century in business this year. Fort Motors has grown in recent years to include Tallaght Ford on Airton Road, and currently employs in excess of 40 staff.

Fort Motors Chairman Cyril Molloy first opened the doors of Fort Service Garage on the site of a petrol station on Cromwellsfort Road in March 1959. 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 version. A heater would cost an additional £14. The pricing was set very keenly, designed to undercut the then recently-launched BMC A40 Farina by some £40 (itself some £50 cheaper than the 948cc Triumph Herald).

Cyril Molloy Snr, with Jack Duffy- Fort MotorsÕ most loyal customer - at the 50th anniversary celebrations

It wasn’t the price alone that proved attractive to buyers looking for a new car. A top speed of over 75MPH, and economy when cruising of over 45mpg were 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 past 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 Jnr. Among those present to ‘cut the cake’ on the day of the official 50th anniversary celebration was one of Fort’s original customers from back in 1959 - who still drives a Ford!

The emphasis at Fort Motors is on customer care with a proud reputation for value and service. Generations of families have bought their vehicles from Fort Motors and continue to do so.
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 and 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 the last 50 years and we are confident this will continue for many more.”

Fort Motors are one of Dublin’s main Ford dealers and have been supplying quality new and pre-owned cars and commercial vehicles for many years. It remains a family-owned, Irish company and has built a reputation that is second to none through total dedication to customer service. Customer care is Fort Motors’ driving force and they are committed to providing customers with the very best in personal service.
Opening Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 9am-8pm
Friday: 9am-5:30pm
Saturday: 10am-4pm
Fort Motors Ltd.
Cromwellsfort Road,
Dublin 12.
Tel: 01 4561811
Fax: 01 4558402
Email: sales@fortmotors.ie
www.fortmotors.ie