About Us

Our History.....

The beginnings of Lindsay Saker go back as far as 1902 when, shortly after the Boer War, the two Saker brothers (DH and Charles) founded the company DH Saker Limited which was the first motor concessionaire firm in the Transvaal. In those early days, their record-breaking cars were hitting the headlines with nonstop trips to "remote" destinations such as Durban and, would you believe, Cape Town!

The early DH Saker agencies included such legendary motoring names as Crosley. White Steam and De Dion Bouton. In the early thirties the company acquired the Studebaker franchise which it held until 1966 when the manufacture of Studebaker ceased. This 30 year period saw considerable diversification within the business and in 1946 control was acquired by Anglo Transvaal Consolidated. Control shifted again to former mayor of Johannesburg, Jack Mincer, and under the name Saker Motor Corporation the company continued to be a major force in the motor industry.

Whilst Sakers was under going these changes, GK Lindsay started a business under his own name, back in 1951, to market Volkswagen vehicles on the Witwatersrand. In 1957 he merged with the then Sakers Finance and Investment Corporation and the name Lindsay Saker was born. The Volkswagen business then consisted of a single showroom in Eloff Street and a small workshop in Mooi street. The rest, as they say in the classics, is history...........

In 1963 the company was listed on the JSE and in 1976, following an amalgamation with Cargo Motors, Saficon Investments Limited was formed. Today, Lindsay Saker operates from 14 outlets across the Witwatersrand - from Krugersdorp in the West - to Boksburg in the East Rand. Each dealership operates on a decentralised basis and the group provides employment for just over 1000 members of staff.

The group has had many achievements over the years and in July 1988 opened it's flagship premises in Rosebank, then rated by Dr Werner Schmidt, member of the board of Volkswagen A.G. responsible for marketing and sales worldwide, as amongst the best Volkswagen outlets in the world. The year before saw another first for the company, with the opening of the first exclusive Audi dealership in South Africa, offering selected Audi imports from Germany including the unique and famous Audi quattro.

Lindsay Saker became one of the first companies to implement, the now well known, "Towards Excellence" programs in this country. In recognition of the company's contribution towards VWSA success in South Africa, Dr Karl Hahn, the chairman of the board of Volkswagen A.G. presented Lindsay Saker with a special "Towards Excellence" plaque. Further International recognition in this regard came from USA based, Zenger-Miller, one of the world's leading training companies, who presented South African representative, FSA, and Lindsay Saker with an award for the "World's Best Implementation" of the Towards Excellence program.

On the motor sport front - a key element of Lindsay Saker's overall marketing plan - the Lindsay Saker team won two national titles, Formula Gt and Class B of the national rally championships as well as winning the most prestigious event of all - the Castrol International Rally.

As you can see we have come a long way, and, as you'll no doubt agree, we have earned the right to say we were number one before the Beatles! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!