The Building, the People, the Brand

Welcome to Alan Smith Garages Limited, your car is serviced in one of the oldest established garages in Derby.

In 1850, Christopher Pritchard founded a drinks firm selling homemade ginger beer in brown stoneware bottles and large flagons to passing traffic from the old Toll House on Kedleston Road. The building which is now Alan Smith Garages was used to service the delivery vans that delivered the product. The photograph on the home page shows a fleet of delivery vans belonging Burrows and Sturgess outside the firm’s Manchester Street garage in Derby in 1933.

Later, the building became occupied by Alan Smith Garages and the new owner Alan Smith brought with him a background in developing motor racing engines, dating back a number of years. The building housed the continued development of motor racing engines, alongside the specialist servicing of Range Rovers and Land Rovers. The business grew to the point where it was decided to split, with a new company – Alan Smith Racing – continuing the development of motor racing engines, and Alan Smith Garages continuing to provide the specialist service of Range Rovers and Land Rovers, owned by Peter Allman. In 1981 Steve Bennett joined the company and in 1987 took over as owner.

Alan Smith Garages is a family run business having been owned by the same family since 1987. In 2015 Steve’s son Josh joined the team and both work to run the company together. The staff are highly trained and we aim to maintain the high standard of workmanship and give its specialist service to all customers.