In spite of the long-term growth of his multinational car dealership chain, this key driver of the local motor industry always kept his finger on the automotive pulse and his enthusiasm never waned. Among his unique abilities was an exacting memory for people, cars, and even number plates. Colin could recite a used car that had passed through his hands perhaps two or three years earlier and detail its ownership record and approximate mileage, while also knowing what it was worth.
While residing in Britain in 1973, one Sunday evening at home in West Horsley in Surrey, I was readying for a hectic Monday work schedule when the phone rang. “Donn? Colin Giltrap; fancy a beer down the road at the Duke of Wellington in East Horsley with Eoin Young and myself?” Giltrap was on a busy buying trip to Europe and yet still found the time to call up a pair of New Zealand motoring writers.
This was typical of his thoroughness and attention to detail. Colin was no extrovert and was rarely keen to be interviewed or photographed, while still appreciating the business benefits of exposure. In the dealer showroom or yard, he rarely stood still. Even when engaged in conversation, he was something of a moving target.
“Giltrap was a master at bringing together willing sellers and willing buyers”
Early in 1980, Giltrap granted me a session for an industry publication interview at the longgone Coutts and Company car dealership premises in Auckland’s Great North Road. I settled down in one of the sales offices with a notebook and tape recorder while Colin stood nearby, but it was apparent that he would soon be on the move. Sure enough, while we were still in conversation, the shuffling began, and Colin was out the office door and walking around the showroom cars, expecting me to follow – which I didn’t, and he returned to continue
