The Leamington branch was on the corner of Winsor Street and Winsor Place, now “The Corner House” a residential property.

The International Auto Safety Centres were an outlet for the Lockheed Automotive Products (AP) components, Specialising in Brakes (Lockheed), Clutches (Borg and Beck), Exhausts (Autela), Filters (Purolator) and Steering Joints (Automotive Products).
At its height, there were around 60 branches all over the country, mainly around the Midlands and up to the Manchester area.
There were there local branches, Swan Lane in Coventry, Wheat Street in Nuneaton and Windsor Street in Leamington.

The Leamington branch usually had an Area Manager a Branch Manager and two Assistant Managers and a part-time secretary and usually around six or eight fitters.

The Head Office was in Trafford House, Chester Road, Manchester.

Earliest advert 5 April 1973 – Advertising “Starting Friday fast servicing for your car”.The last advert found for Leamington Auto Safety Centres was on 18th December 1977.


In 1989 Auto Safety Centres was part of the Super Drive Group which incorporated, Auto Safety Centres (58 branches), Pitstop, Speedy Fit, Leaside and Thompson and Baffles making it 173 branches throughout the UK.
Owned by the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company (Shell)In September 1981 Shell Refining and Marketing UK changed its name to Superdrive Motoring Centres Ltd.

In 1985 they purchased Sir Speedy Silencer systems and Pitstop Auto Services.
In 1988 acquired Midas Motoring Centres.
In 1997 Kwik-Fit was acquired and since then the company has been in profit after several years of significant losses.

But by 2003 Super Drive Group are no longer trading.

Believe that International Auto Centres closed down in the mid-1990s when parts of Automotive Products was sold in a management buy out.