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"Keep a customer happy with service, and he'll come back time and time again."

This was the thought of a man by the name of Weldon McFarlane who, over five decades ago, mortgaged everything he had to do it alone in the highly competitive automotive sales, leasing and service industry with a staff of less than a dozen people.

In 1958, his new company Zephyr invaded the North Shore and quickly sold over 1,800 cars. Merely a year later, the company had 144 employees and its main locations included 130 West Broadway, 8th Ave. and McBride in New Westminster, and 5605 West Boulevard in Kerrisdale.

In the early days, Zephyr Motors Ltd. was an exclusive British Ford dealership selling Anglia, Prefect, Consul, Zephyr, Zodiac and Thames trucks. But when Ford discontinued the importing of British built vehicles in 1960, the company became a Lincoln Mercury franchise under the name Zephyr Motors (1960) Ltd. and consolidated its activities at 130 West Broadway.

This was also the year Zephyr Motors Lease was formed, which would lead the forefront on full maintenance leases.

The next location, 300 West Broadway was acquired in 1966 by consolidating the former Bow Mac used car lot along with three small stores. Significant remodeling over the years would result in buildings that stood at these two locations for the next 30 years.

The late 60's once again saw Zephyr on the cutting edge of technology by being one of the first automotive dealerships in North America to develop an in-house computer software system.

By 1972, Zephyr Motors was:

• The nation's leader in Ford Truck sales.
• The largest total new car and truck volume for any Mercury franchise in Canada.
• The fifth largest total vehicle volume in 1971 for all Ford of Canada dealers.
• Third in Heavy Duty and Extra Heavy Duty Ford Truck sales for 1971.
• The second largest Ford of Canada dealer lease fleet with more than 1,000 units in operation.

Ten years later the company was granted an exclusive Ford Truck franchise and commenced the operation of Zephyr Ford Truck Center Ltd. in Burnaby. This operation was eventually moved to Coquitlam in 1985.

The assets of the former Musgrove Ford Sales were purchased in February 1986, and a new Ford franchise, Stadium Motors Ltd., became part of the Zephyr Group. The Ford franchise was relinquished in July 1990, and the Stadium business amalgamated into Zephyr on Broadway.

In August of 1994, Zephyr relocated their Service and Parts departments to 2311 Boundary Road (the former Weston Bakery site) and Zephyr ­– now known as Zeemac Vehicle Lease­­­ – relocated to 2293 Douglas Road, Burnaby on 1.9 acres, in a 9,000 sq. ft. building, which is where we are today.

During the following December the Sales department and the Administrative offices were relocated to Boundary Road, thus covering all aspects of the operation under one roof.

Four years later, history was made once again as Weldon's son Ian McFarlane sold the franchise and all its operations back to Ford, but maintained ownership of the leasing company, Zeemac Vehicle Lease Ltd., which today is still owned and operated by the McFarlane family.

After all these years, and well over 140,000 trucks, vans, cars, sport utility vehicles sold, leased and rented, you can rest assured we know the automotive industry. We're not being bold when we say it's in our blood to provide total service at competitive prices with one objective in mind - saving you time and money.