Driven Since 1903

Bert Arnott Snr demonstrating an Overland motorcar's suspension at Benalla Show in 1921. Overland motor cars encouraged their agents to perform the stunt and provided vital information to set it up: how to make the ramps, the distance between them, what speed to do, remove the windscreen and wear a hat for head protection.

Since those early days his descendants have been innovators moving with the times and researching emerging technologies. Bert's business evolved from being a wheelwright to a bicycle manufacturer, motorcycle manufacturer, motor garage and so on. A family ethos was developing, keep an eye on the future, adopt or adapt and be prepared and willing to change. 120 years later this is still how we do business. 

One example of Bert keeping an eye on the future is when, during the period when the automobile was yet to break out beyond the city limits of metropolitan Melbourne, Australia's largest city at the time, Bert Snr was the first person to drive an automobile into his hometown of Benalla, the Benalla Ensign newspaper records. This is made more impressive because the main highway route that links Australia's two largest cities, Melbourne and Sydney was also Benalla's main street, meaning that no automobile had yet attempted the Melbourne to Sydney journey. Bert may have unwittingly set an automotive endurance record for the time by completing the 120 miles journey along the Hume Hwy that was still a dirt road at the time. And what was the car for? Bert was now a pioneer in the Taxi business!

The Cycle Works soon became a motor garage. Arnotts were agents for Overland (the motor jump car), Oakland, Fiat, Ford and Indian motorcycles from 1912 to mid 1926.

In August 1926 General Motors opened for business in Australia. Once again, on the lookout for the next advancement in technology with that future focused eye of his, Bert was among a handful of businesses to sign a franchise agreement with GM during their first month of operation in Australia.

For the next 87 years, Arnotts were steadfast GM Dealers who witnessed Australia's first car, the Holden by GM from its launch in 1948 through to the brands' and the Australian car industry's sad closure. The pioneering small family business outsurvived the Detroit giant's Australian offspring.

In 2013 Arnott's Motors retired from the automotive sales business as General Motors wound back its Australian Holden operation.

Since then Bert Arnott Snr's creative flame lit nearly 120 years ago has continued to burn as strong and dependably as it always has. 

Aways future focused Arnotts have now come full circle by returning to our roots - invention and the making of things! We are designing, developing and creating  our own range of inventive automotive products once again. This time, not with a forge, anvil, hammer and tong as we did a century ago, but a soldering iron, CAD, 3D printers and CNC. 

We make classic cars & motorcycles run better and cleaner than they ever did.

My team and I hope you enjoy our products, they are created with passion, by passionate automotive engineers for our equally passionate customers.

Cheers, Mike Arnott, CEO Arnott's Motors, inventor of the ⒽⒶⓃⒹ ⒽⒺⓁⒹ ⒹⓎⓃⓄ®