Page 26 - June 2022

Left: Both diversity and art showcasing beautiful cars
surrounds you at Bishop's Barn in Chapel Hill,
Tennessee.
The British concept of "make do and mend " while
part of his DNA, has likely been modified by the years
he has spent in the practical realities of the modern
automotive industry.

Dave left the UK when he was 14. " A bad economy
and worse weather," is how he describes the
decision his family made to leave Manchester and
come to the United States. They settled on the east
coast, where the economy was good and the weather
marginally improved and began a new life.

From 1989-1991 he ran a new car dealership wheel of history making cars without a minder in
with a partner, selling Hyundai, Peugeot and the front seat. It seems fitting that a Brit, coming
Isuzu. After selling out, he found his way to the from a country that values tradition and maintaining
world of Nissan where he remained until his its buildings, relics, and its automobiles, would
retirement. He still is hired by the company as an ultimately be the person that saved Nissan's history.
outside consultant for some jobs.
Dave gave the cars a proper name, the Nissan
A marketing guru, Dave was the force behind the Heritage Collection, and put the program on a secure
establishment of a proper Nissan car collection, footing before moving on to do his own thing, out
now permanently located in space at the Lane in sleepy Chapel Hill. There, he and his wife, Dawn,
Motor Museum in Nashville. have built a life and a business based on word of
mouth, customer service and referrals, and by
Nissan never had the resources like Porsche or
having great ideas of how to best market caring for
Toyota to build a stand alone museum to display
the cars that enthusiasts love.
the history of the company in a reverential
atmosphere. When Dave took over the collateral Our Interview with Dave Bishop follows.
duty of the "old car" holdings, which had been
The Int erview
passed around through various people, largely
disinterested, he turned his talents into rewriting
his job description; then, with a new sense of
Q. What year did you arrive in the United States and
purpose he began the work of a dedicated but
practical automotive archivist. where in the country have you lived before coming to
Tennesse?
Dave's focus was on useful preservation as well
as historic interest. Not every car in the collection A. The family moved to Connecticut in 1974. I've
need to be restored to factory original condition, lived in CT, NJ and NY before moving to Tennessee in
to be looked at but not breathed upon. He 2008 because of a corporate transfer with Nissan.

searched out cars and made deals and I came to the United States as a student, when I was
arrangements with body shops, upholstery shops, 14. Getting acclimated to a new country that first
and mechanics to bring cars back to a year as a freshman in high school was rough but
presentable condition, and more importantly to after college I joined Ford Motor Company for five
bring them back so that they were dependably years, before going out on my own to become a new
driveable, which paid benefits with automotive car dealer with a partner. After five years in retail I
journalists who could actually get behind the
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