Kerbey Motors History
Eight decades of vehicle trading and transport
1940's
Kerbey Motors was established in 1944 by my late father – Albert Mountain – from a yard in the East End suburb of Poplar. Taking its name from Kerbey Street where his yard was based, he specialised in buying and selling trucks, particularly Albion’s. He would also scrap many old vehicles, upcycling the spare parts and tyres by selling them, often to fairground owners.
1950's
With the local council compulsorily purchasing the yard in Kerbey Street to develop housing after the Second World War, my Father relocated the business to the Southend Arterial Road in Hornchurch, Essex.
I was born in 1954 and as a child, fondly remember how Billy Smart of Billy Smarts Circus would buy used ex-army Scammell’s and Diamond T’s from us. My Father was a big lover of fast cars and owned some amazing cars that are well known classics by today’s standards. Alongside a Jaguar XK150, Austin Healey 3000, 2 Jaguar E-Types, it was the Aston Martin DB4 GT that I so wished he had kept given its value would be anything up to £2 million nowadays.
1960's
Around 1966, my Dad then sold the yard in Hornchurch and moved to a farm in Bulphan, Essex, before business demands meant purchasing a larger yard in Drakes Lane, Little Waltham near Chelmsford, Essex. It was here in 1974 that he bought a brand new Scania 140 Super with the intention that I would pull a new low loader trailer and collect the ex-British Railway cranes and ex-Pickford heavy haulage trucks he would often do deals to buy.
1970's
Very unexpectedly, my Father sadly died in February 1975 at just 61 years of age, and at my Mother’s request, I had the task of selling the new Scania 140 Super along with a litany of stock of old used trucks and cranes that were stored in our 2-acre yard.
I went on to work for Ford Motor Company in Boreham near Chelmsford as a prototype test driver which mainly involved testing the Ford Transcontinental’s which then included the transformation from the D Series to the new Ford Cargo.
1980's & 1990's
It was in the 1980’s that I decided to restart the old Kerbey Motors name where I started buying and selling vans and trucks, most of which were sold to the Channel Islands.Through the demands of moving vehicles I was selling to the South Coast, I came into contact with Boniface Engineering in Thetford and before long, thanks to a strong reputation for negotiating deals, I spent some time co-ordinating sales of all the used recovery vehicles.
2000's
In 2005, I decided to make the move north - to Aberdeen in Scotland and still using the Kerbey Motors name, started a very successful haulage business which at its height operated 3 Volvo FH tractor units , 4 x 3.5 ton vans and pick ups, alongside 6 Scania Top Spec V8 trucks, all of which predominantly worked in the oil and gas industry.
Present Day
Having retired from the transport business in 2016, I now live in rural Norfolk where I became known for specialising in the sale of Mercedes Classic Cars.
More recently, I can see that despite fast changing economic times, there continues to be a market for selling not just modern, everyday trucks but also vintage trucks alongside recovery vehicles and plant and machinery. With a very strong reputation for being honest and genuine in whatever deal I do, it is with this in mind that I am proud to continue the history of Kerbey Motors, now stretching back more than 80 years, by entering this new chapter of commercial vehicle sales and marketing.
I look forward to connecting with you!
More recently, I can see that despite fast changing economic times, there continues to be a market for selling not just modern, everyday trucks but also vintage trucks alongside recovery vehicles and plant and machinery. With a very strong reputation for being honest and genuine in whatever deal I do, it is with this in mind that I am proud to continue the history of Kerbey Motors, now stretching back more than 80 years, by entering this new chapter of commercial vehicle sales and marketing.
I look forward to connecting with you!
