Honest John Dixon | Jaguars, Gangsters & the Shotgun Behind the Desk (Part 2)

The Old Car Lady is back with Honest John Dixon for Part 2, going deeper into the South London motor trade of the 60s and 70s: the characters, the criminal crossover and the stories that didn’t make it into Part 1. John bought an XJ6 in decorating overalls with a suitcase of cash, kept a shotgun behind his desk and knew the fraud squad detective who investigated him personally. This is what the motor trade actually looked like. # Featured Stories Never Judge a Book by Its Cover: John walked into a Hendon showroom in his decorating overalls with a suitcase containing 50 grand. The salesman told him he couldn’t afford the XJ6 in the window. John counted out three grand in tenners and fives on the desk. He drove it home that afternoon and slept with his bed by the window to keep an eye on it. The Shotgun Behind the Desk: Four men turned up at John’s Bury Road pitch looking to rob him. He put the shotgun on the desk and told them he only had one cartridge but one of them was staying. He has never seen three men run so fast. The gun was empty. Going Straight in the Motor Trade: John did his stints inside, used the time to read and learn chess, then went straight into the trade. His view: you could earn more as a straight motor dealer than doing anything else. The Fraud Squad, the Rolls-Royce and the Apology: A mis-typed chassis number brought the fraud squad down convinced John was ringing cars. When they realised it was a DVLA error the detective sergeant bought his wife flowers to apologise. He is now a chief inspector. Rating Girls on Cars and Reading the Room: In the pub John and his mates rated women by which car they reminded them of. On the forecourt he switched accents and approaches mid-conversation depending on who he was talking to. # What You’ll Learn Why the man in the Rolls is probably less wealthy than the man in the Cortina. Why zeroing a clock is less dishonest than knocking miles off it. Why the motor trade was the cleanest route from a shady past to a legitimate fortune. And why the Long Good Friday is about 80% accurate. # Key Questions - Was the motor trade genuinely intertwined with London’s criminal world? John says yes, but frames it as history. The motor trade offered a clean route to legitimate earnings for people who’d been operating in the grey. Most of them took it. - Could you really tell who someone was by what they drove? John’s answer is no and yes. Never judge a book by its cover, but you could read the room. The man who owned his Cortina outright was often worth more than the man sweating over the Roller payments. - What made South London’s motor trade different from Manchester’s? The characters were different but the mechanics were the same. Cash, trust, the ability to sell a teacup without a handle. John and Sam both agree the camaraderie that existed between dealers across the country is gone. # A Nod To Part 1 of Sam’s conversation with Honest John Dixon, S1E35, which covers how John got into the trade, the Sid James Rolls-Royce and James Hunt’s car on the forecourt. R. Clarke Motors, still trading today with John’s son Chris. And Dave Ackrinian, now a chief inspector, who John says is one of the good ones. Watch on YouTube: Part 2 Video 1 and Part 2 Video 2 📧 [grangebaileys@gmail.com](mailto:grangebaileys@gmail.com) 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the\old\car\_lady 🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady 👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook 🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube *This has been a Worth A Listen Production.*