100 years in 100 pages

100 years in 100 pages
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:13 Side 14
Vilh. Nellemann 1900-2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
page 6
The new owner and the
innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 42
Motor sports and the
Nellemen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 46
Bicycles throughout 99
years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 58
Trucks and vans can be beautiful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.page 64
Tractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
page 68
The
marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page
72
The family behind the
wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 80
The new owner: Car accessories, Motorsport and "Den Blå Avis" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . .page 88
The company
today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 92
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:13 Side 35 6
100 years in 100 pages
The story of three generations of Nellemann
By Torry Lindstrøm
The story of Vilhelm Nellemann and the companies created in his name follows the
mechanical
revolution in Denmark.
It started with popular articles for everyday use like bicycles and sewing machines and
was quickly
expanded to include luxury items such as motorcycles and cars.
Today, the sewing machines and the bicycles are gone. The products that remain, the cars
and the
motor cycles, have turned into today's popular articles during the course of the last 100
years. Even the
heavier objects, the tractors, are becoming popular after the successful expansion into
garden tractors.
The story of Vilhelm Nellemann is also the story of his motivation, vision and talent for
industry and
commerce - the exact abilities, which will take the renewed and reorganised company
name into the
next century. Plain and simply: Nellemann.
With thanks to the former DOMI-staff Ulla Nielsen, Viggo Jacobsen and Aage
Moustgaard for their

invaluable help during the collection of material for this book.
Vilhelm Nellemann
The Vilhelm Nellemann company celebrates its 100th anniversary as one of Denmark's
oldest privately owned
companies. At the same time Vilhelm Nellemann is Denmark's oldest privately owned
car importer as the
founding of the company and the import of the first automobile almost coincide.
"You are not going into farming", said the founder to his sons. He was a farmer and
disillusioned
after a crisis in agriculture in the 1890's.
The sons took the advice. Out of a family of seven, four brothers became independent
businessmen.
Lauritz became a master cabinetmaker in Copenhagen, Sophus became a bicycle and car
dealer in Århus
and later moved back to Randers, and Christian travelled to France where he married and
ended up as a
iron wholesaler.
Vilhelm Jacob Nellemann was apprenticed as a smith and was greatly admired for the
construction
of his own velocipede, which he rode to and from work. He was appointed as a skilled
smith at a factory
producing agricultural machinery in Randers. Back then, the city had more daily visitors
than any other
city in Jutland, and every Saturday he helped in the shop: "This was the first time I
gained an insight into
commerce and economics, things which I found much more interesting than my job at the
factory."
Three bicycles for one horse
At the age of 22 Vilhelm Nellemann took the plunge and went into business for himself.
It was 28 April
1900 in Brødregade in Randers and he used his father's citizen’s licence which, in those
days,
corresponded to a licence to trade. The beginning was modest in a basement with a shop
sign in the
The first car, 1905 or 6. All employees of the Vilhelm
Nellemann company were out for the photograph and they
were in a hurry, because the Minerva was sold the next
day. Vilhelm Nellemann stands in the back row wearing a
bowler hat. The little girl in the car is the eldest daughter
Edith, who married and became Edith Eefsen.
Vilhelm Nellemann in one of his first cars, a Belgian
Minerva, in front of the Postgården Hotel in Mariager.
A daring drive in those times.

street offering sale and repair of bicycles and sewing machines. There was nothing wrong
with his
commercial talent, so many citizens found their way to Nellemann's basement.
Soon, both the customers and his own ambitions demanded a larger workplace and
Vilhelm
Nellemann moved to the corner of Storegade and Trangstræde later that year. With 200
Kroner lent to
him by his mother-in-law he purchased a lathe. A man who owned a lathe was somewhat
of a wizard in
the year 1900, and this status might just have had an influence on the further development
of the
company.
The business went brilliantly from the beginning. Vilhelm Nellemann sold the major
status symbols
of that time for both sexes. Randers was, as mentioned, a sizzling commercial town and
on his Saturdays
off he could easily sell 30 to 40 bicycles, which were extraordinary sales figures at that
time.
People did not always have ready money, but that was no obstacle for a deal with
Vilhelm Nellemann. Late at night one could hear the sound of tramping horses in
Trangstræde: The market price that
night was one horse for three bicycles.
Riding instruction and bicycle race
Vilhelm Nellemann possessed a considerable talent for marketing and service. He
personally participated
in bicycle races in that part of the country to prove the merits of his bicycles and he often
won. He was
proud of his prizes which, at the turn of the century, were genuine works of art by famous
artists and
later he had some of them photographed and displayed in the company premises.
Every purchase of a new bicycle included riding instruction, and it was a spectacle for the
citizens of
Randers when the young bicycle dealer ran up and down the street with a firm hold of
some slow pupil.
Come and have a test ride! It was a necessary
sales promotion when selling bicycles around 1905.
The customers liked to discuss whether a bicycle was
running smoothly or not and the ride on a test
bicycle was consequently of great importance for the
future ownership.
Becoming the owner of a car ws quite an event
around 1910, so Vilhelm Nellemann arranged to have
his first car-customers photographed. Here it is Hans
Nielsen, Hobro, in his new Loreley.
Skilled workers and apprentices from
the garage pose for the photographer

around 1908. The eldest Nellemann-daughter,
Edith, has been allowed to join in.
But it probably struck the citizens of Randers most when Vilhelm Nellemann paraded
with Mrs Ragnhild
on a tandem.
However, it was not the leisure activities which characterised the first couple of years.
Despite an
increasing number of children, Mrs Nellemann put in quite an effort at the shop as
Vilhelm Nellemann
was busy travelling about selling his bicycles.
The first car sold in one day
The cars came into the picture very early thanks to Vilhelm Nellemann's reputation for a
profound
understanding of mechanics. Vilhelm Nellemann was interviewed by Randers Amtsavis
when his company celebrated its 50th anniversary and he said:
"The thing about the cars started in 1903 when one of the sons from Randers
Margarinefabrik
came to my repair shop driving his car. He had been to France and had taken the car with
him to
Randers where it attracted enormous attention. I repaired it for him without knowing the
difference
between the clutch, the gear, the gas pedal and the brakes. But I had become interested. I
have got to
get me one of these, I said to myself and of course I plunged into it almost right away.
The next year I
got my first car, a Minerva which was admired by everyone."
The Belgian car added another dimension to Nellemann's reputation, because it arrived in
Randers
with a French manual. It was translated by an employee, and a few hours later the car was
ready and
Vilhelm Nellemann disappeared out of town:
"People were very surprised when I returned after a rather long ride without being hurt in
any way."
He sold the Minerva the next day.
Wholesaler of bicycles
Now, Vilhelm Nellemann devoted his time to wholesaling the bicycles while his brother
Sophus took care
of the retail side. The cars, however, were still retailed. In the year 1907 the company
moved to
Jernbanegade and the two brothers split up. The wholesale business was still a relatively
new concept
within the bicycle business so it was a big leap, but Vilhelm Nellemann had seen the
potential:
"It should be possible - it has to be!"

The following period, in which Vilhelm Nellemann travelled about selling his products to
the bicycle
dealers, was very busy.
The car import was expanded to include the German Loreley in 1908 and again in 1910
with the
British brands Singer and Alldays. The company also imported the German Wanderer
motorcycles and
cars for a period. In 1914 an import from the U.S. was initiated with Dort, Oakland, H.C.
and Jefferey.
Car imports increased and both the French Delahaye, the Austrian Steyr and the Italian
Ansaldo were
added.
Vilhelm Nellemann was no longer content to sell cars only to people who passed by
Randers.
He arranged a successful tour around the hotels of the country to present his cars and to
invite potential
customers to have a test drive. The doctors of the provincial towns always received a
written invitation.
They could afford a motor car and they were thrilled by the thought of not having to
harness the horse
when going on a visit to a patient.
"The tour paid off. I sold no less than 26 vehicles", a proud Vilhelm Nellemann recalled.
Proud car-owners in the year 1915 had their picture taken
in their new toy and some even had the pictures made as
postcards. C. Waarst from Ålborg sent this postcard of
himself in his Loreley to Vilhelm Nellemann for Christmas.
Wonder how many modern car drivers do that?
The widely travelled employee Mr Ankerstjerne, here in a
relaxed pose by the telephone, obtained the first cars for
Vilhelm Nellemann from the U.S. in 1914: Dort, Oakland,
H.C. and Jefferey.
The range of cars was expanded in 1910 with the
introduction of the British Singer and Alldays of which the
latter is depicted here from a brochure. It was a light car
with three gears and only brakes on the rear wheels.
It cost 3600 Kroner.
To Copenhagen with Nash
Both the cars and the bicycles were a success and this encouraged Nellemann to expand
the activities in
Copenhagen. This was in 1916, at the same time Vilhelm Nellemann became chief
importer of the
American Nash cars, a cornerstone in the business for many years to follow. He bought a
property in
Fredericiagade, where he expanded with an import of bicycles the next year.

The neutral Denmark escaped the worst consequences of Word War I and despite the
subsequent
economic crisis, the company experienced a noticeable increase in sales, especially of
bicycles, in the
years that followed.
In 1919 Vilhelm Nellemann took over the bicycle company Otto Drewsen in Copenhagen
and split
the bicycle and the car sales into separate businesses. The range of cars was expanded
with Chevrolet.
After a couple of slow years the car sales started to increase in 1926 and for the first time
the
company was divided into Vilhelm Nellemann Cykler en Gros, Randers (wholesale
bicycles) and Vilhelm
Nellemann Automobilforretning A/S, Randers (Car Dealer Company Ltd). The same year
the eldest son
Svend started as a car salesman in Copenhagen. The following year Vilhelm Nellemann
obtained the
import of the German Horch, which was later expanded to include DKW, Wanderer and
Audi.
The American Nash cars were good for the business. After General Motors and Ford the
company
obtained the largest sales figures in Denmark in 1928, kept growing and moved to
Blegdamsvej 30 in
Copenhagen.
From 1926 the car industry settled down comfortably
again after the economic crisis, and Nellemann
expanded his range with the elegant German
Horch cars. Here are the eight-cylinder top models, in the
front, at one of the first elegant motor shows in Forum,
Copenhagen, which opened in 1927.
The leap to Copenhagen came after Vilhelm
Nellemann had obtained the import of the
American Nash which, on the far left, rolls through
the gates from the new shop in Fredericiagade. In
the middle, the busy garage in Randers and above,
a marvellous four-wheeled Nash Squad, which
Nellemann sold to the military around 1918.
The company's men. All the employees at
Kirkegade, Randers posing for the photographer in 1929. Typical for the time only
one woman was employed and the men
are clearly distinguished by their white or
blue collars.
The Morrises are coming

January 18th 1929 became a new red-letter day in the history of the company as the
import of the
British Morris was obtained. Oxford Motor Company Ltd was formed with its address on
Grønningen in
Copenhagen. K.W. Bruun was employed as CEO. He later went independent and
imported Peugeot.
In 1931 the big financial crisis set in as a result of the Wall Street crash which
immediately led to
import restrictions in Denmark. American cars were not allowed to be imported fully
assembled, which
was a serious setback as Nash had just become the best selling American car in Denmark.
Ready-made cars were only allowed to be imported from Britain, but the Morris was
difficult to sell
because they came with the steering wheel in the right side only and the Danes did not
like that. Only
existing assembly plants were allowed to import parts for the assembly of cars from other
countries,
which favoured General Motors and Ford.
But after intense negotiations with Prime Minister Thomas Madsen-Mygdal in 1933
Svend
Nellemann received permission to establish an assembly plant at Nygårdsvej in
Copenhagen. The plant
assembled Nash passenger cars and Morris commercial trucks.
In 1934 the Nellemann Company had stores in Randers,
Copenhagen and Århus besides having agents in Kolding,
Ålborg and Odense.
The American Nash cars became a major source of income
for Vilhelm Nellemann Ltd. up until World War II.
This picture shows one of them decorated with flowers in
connection with a civic festival.
Royal visit! Vilhelm Nellemann in the background and
Svend Nellemann are presenting the new Morris cars as
the Prince of Wales, later King Edward the 8th, visited
Denmark and came to the motor show at the Forum.
Golden years with the Morris Eight
A decisive turning-point for Vilhelm Nellemann's car sales was when the Morris factory
introduced the
Morris Eight in 1934. This was an ultramodern passenger car with a monocoque steel
body, synchronised
gearbox, hydraulic brakes and balloon tyres - and it came with the steering-wheel in the
left side.
None of the small car models from the competitors, the Ford Y from Britain or the Eiffel
and Opel
Kadett from Germany, were a match for the Morris Eight and this was the start of five
golden years for

the Nellemann Company.
At the peak of the progress new car dealerships with integrated garages and spare parts
facilities
were built in Copenhagen and Randers. The architect Hans Rahlff designed the buildings
which, by the
standard of those days, were functionalistic palaces, monuments to the motoring of the
future. They
were uiniquely suited to their purpose which they served well for many decades. The
store at Vodroffsvej
in Copenhagen opened in 1938 with Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. as its CEO and the one at
Hospitalsgade in
Randers opened in 1939, just before World War II broke out.
The Vilhelm Nellemann car shop in Randers, completed just before
the German Occupation in 1940. The car shops were monuments to the
motoring of the future.
The Vilhelm Nellemann premises at Vodroffsvej in Copenhagen, built in
1938. The award-winning building contained a complete car store with
sales, garage and stocks. The premises were sold in the eighties and have
now been torn down.
Exhibition in style. The new Morris cars were presented
with pomp and circumstance. The picture is not dated but
it is probably from Nellemann's car store at Blegdamsvej
in Copenhagen.
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:13 Side 21Vilhelm Nellemann offered to
electrify cars and he also developed and electric delivery bicycle. However, the regular
delivery boys were cheaper.
23 24
The electric delivery tricycle
The war was hard on the entire car industry. All import of cars was stopped and all
private traffic was
prohibited, so almost all private cars were put on chocks. Trade immediately stopped.
Vilhelm Nellemann was severely affected, because the company had used all of its
import licences
for the popular Morris passenger cars. Other car importers created some income during
the occupation
by converting the customers' trucks to gas while the Nellemann business had to minimise
their activities
and were forced to send home many employees.
The company offered special electric cars, an electric delivery tricycle and the conversion
of cars to
carbide power or even to tractors, but they did not make an impression.
The garages managed to survive by repairing Bedford-engines and by producing pistons,
bearings
and cylinder liners.
Activities during the German Occupation from 1940 to 1945
were slow. Vilhelm Nellemann had not focused on trucks and

his customer base was not fit for conversion from petrol into
wood gas like the competitors. A couple of trucks were made
- of course the ice cream from Randers Dairy co-operative
had to be distributed!
The conversion into wood gas was fairly comprehensive.
On the back of the car gas was extracted from hardwood
in a large container through the so-called "incomplete
combustion" and in the front large aggregates were
required to make the gas usable for the engine.
DOMI burned down completely only a few years after
its construction. In the picture Svend Nellemann inspects
the burnt-out hall. The entire company was back in action
again later the same year.
Major post war visions
Already by the end of the thirties it was clear that the Vilhelm Nellemann businesses
could no longer
continue to be all three, importers, wholesalers and retailers.
During the occupation father and son, Vilhelm and Svend Nellemann, worked out long-
term plans
for an import company that would be equipped with facilities for the assembly of both
passenger cars,
vans and trucks. The latter was important to avoid the company running into the same
problems that it
had during the occupation.
The Danish Overseas Motor Industry Ltd - DOMI - was set up on 12 August 1946 and
the plant
was already opened in 1947 on a 50.000 square meter site at Sdr. Ringvej in Glostrup
with Svend Nellemann as CEO. From the outset, four hundred employees were hired to
work at an advanced production
line designed by leading American and British experts.
It was a major and visionary step during the economically hard-pressed years following
the occupation. Vilhelm Nellemann wanted to be ready to sell as many cars as possible.
This required the most
effective use of the scarce currency allocations by purchasing the cars in parts and
assembling them in
Denmark.
The company was reorganised as DOMI took over all import and wholesale of the cars,
whereas the
two Nellemann-shops in Copenhagen and Randers were to conduct retail sales in line
with other dealers
who were helped extensively.
DOMI - Danish Overseas Motor Industry - was constructed
at Sdr. Ringvej in Glostrup immediately after the end of
World War II. The company itself intended to assemble the
cars in order to make the best possible use of the scarce

currency allocations. Here the Morris Commercial trucks
stand side by side with the American passenger cars.
Purchasing permits and showy American cars
During the first years DOMI experienced problems with administration and suffered
losses in the truck
department. However, on the positive side, it probably would not have been possible to
obtain the
Leyland truck agency - and later the entire line of passenger vehicles from Leyland -
without the truck
department.
DOMI now imported Nash, Morris, Wolseley - "the little Rolls Royce" - and the sports
cars Riley
and M.G. Furthermore, the company sold the Morris Commercial vans and the American
REO trucks.
Already in 1948 Morris introduced a new and modern car, the Morris Minor. It was later
to become
a sort of a British Volkswagen far into the sixties with a faithful following in Denmark
until the imports
ended in 1971.
Sales went slowly during the first couple of years as not many people could afford a new
car - or
were allowed to buy one. The buyer had to prove his need in order to obtain the coveted
purchasing
permit.
On the night between 24 and 25 May 1951 DOMI burned down completely. Lack of
water also
caused the loss of the spare parts stocks. The damage amounted to eight million 1951
Kroner. But
before the end of that year the plant had been rebuilt and was back in business. In the
same year DOMI
entered agriculture by importing the Nuffield tractors.
American REO trucks were added to the range
immediately after the launching of DOMI.
The truck chassis were assembled up until the year 1962.
It is really this old: The Morris Minor arrived in 1948 and
it had a very modern construction. It was produced up
until 1971 and in the year of the jubilee many Danes still
use one everyday.
Hansa, Borgward and BMW
In 1952 Morris joined forces with its strongest rival, Austin to create the British Motor
Corporation,
BMC. This caused a dilemma as DOMI now had the same supplier as the Austin
importer, De Forenede

Automobilfabrikker (the United Automobile Plants) in Odense. Through the years DOMI
tried to obtain
the full import of the BMC cars to Denmark but for a long time the company only
received polite
rejections.
1952 saw the start of an increase in car sales as the Danes could now buy a car without
having to
obtain a purchasing permit. Those who could afford it could settle by paying a so-called
dollar-tax.
In the fifties DOMI imported the German brands Goliath, Hansa, Borgward and BMW in
addition to
the British and the American cars. The company also imported the Güldner-tractors, and
the truck
department was later expanded by the addition of the American Fargo as well as the
building of DOMI's
own bus on a self-sustaining steel body. The American portfolio was expanded by the
addition of
Chrysler and Plymouth in 1954.
However, Danish car sales were still modest. Vilhelm Nellemann therefore chose to
motorise the
Danes with the Skylon-moped, the best year was 1954 with 16.000 sold.
The German Borgward were among the finest European
cars in the fifties and they looked decorative in DOMI's
showroom. Insert: A contemporary Nash 0model.
The German Hansa and little silly BMW motorcycle cars
with the door in front were added to DOMI's range in the
fifties. The Danes were hungry for new cars and the sales
increased from 1952 when the "dollar-tax" was introduced.
DOMI in its prime at Sdr. Ringvej in Glostrup. Even when the
assembly of passenger cars ended in 1959 and of trucks in
1962 the facilities were needed for car preparation; a further
preparation centre was established in Varde in 1969.
The front-wheel driven adventure
The MG A sports car was introduced in 1955, but the Danes were to look wistfully at it
for another
couple of years, because the car sales were not deregulated until 1958. The currency
restrictions were
replaced by the taxes on car sales, which have remained ever since.
DOMI had a good dealer organisation ready and the sales of the first year amounted to
2377 cars.
The Morris Minor or the Morris 1000, as it was later called in Denmark, was instrumental
in this success.
One year later, in 1959, the new front-wheel driven adventure was introduced with the
small, compact

Morris Mascot (the Mini), which was the biggest breakthrough of new thinking in
modern car design.
It encountered a lot of scepticism during its first years in Denmark. Some definitely
thought that the
small 10-inch wheels would start to burn if one drove too fast! Therefore, with DOMI,
the Morris 1000
continued to be the favourite family car of the Danes for another couple of years. The
same year DOMI
gave up the assembly of new cars, which no longer paid off, and the assembly halls in
Glostrup were
turned into a preparation centre
The next front-wheel driven model, the Morris Marina, was introduced a short while
later, in 1962.
The model was a new breakthrough for driving comfort with its Hydrolastic liquid
suspension. Now the
sales of the front-wheel driven cars started to increase, aided by the many sensational
victories of the
Mini in car races.
The fast Cooper S sports models which were introduced in 1963 and 1964 won the Monte
Carlo
Rally in 1964, 65 and 66. At the Roskilde Racing circuit the little cars beat all opponents
in 1965 when
they won three different Danish championships driven by Hans Trap-Nielsen, Jan
Heggov and Christian
Nellemann.
Denmarks largest importer
DOMI was in good shape in 1967. The company was Denmark's largest organisation of
its kind with
120 dealers and 61 authorised garages, and the sales were 14.000 cars out of a total of
120.000. The
front-wheel driven Morris cars had taken off well and they took turns being on top of the
sales charts.
Morris became the biggest selling car brand in Denmark in 1968 with approximately
15.000 units
sold and the enormous demand could no longer be met from the facilities in Glostrup
alone. A new
preparation centre in Varde was opened in 1969. It was intended to serve dealers in the
western part of
Denmark as well as preparing trucks and tractors for the entire country. The same year
DOMI took over
the import of Rover and Land Rover as BMC was acquired by the Leyland Group and the
company name
was changed to British Leyland.
A beautiful motor show in the mid-fifties. The new MGA
sports car in the foreground together with the prestigious cars
from Wolseley - "the little Rolls Royce", whereas the more

simple car models like Morris Minor and Morris Oxford are
kept at the back.
DOMI was ready for the big time when it began in
the mid-sixties with a growing economy and the new
front-wheel driven models. Morris Marina, at the
bottom, appealed to the family-car buyers.
Ready to jump into the future! DOMI's dealers have been
invited to an elegant dinner at Copenhagen's d'Angleterre
Hotel in the mid-sixties. A very young Vagn Andersen,
future CEO, sits to the right at the end of the table.
The progress also called for more shops and new Vilhelm Nellemann shops were opened
in Esbjerg
in 1970 and in Ålborg in 1971 as it was not possible to find suitable dealers.
In the midst of this tremendous sales success danger signals came from England in 1971
where the
recently established British Leyland Group had run into a major economic crisis. As an
emergency
solution the company was to construct a cheap, competitive car in a hurry. It was done by
going back to
the rear wheel drive and by using some of the aged techniques from the Morris 1000. But
the car was a
hit. The rear wheel drive Morris Marina saved the Leyland Group and became a solid
sales success.
Taking over the competition
British Leyland finally decided to get rid of its double-importers but it came as a shock to
the Danish car
industry when DOMI took over all imports of the British Leyland cars by buying the
Austin-importer, De
Forenede Automobilfabrikker in Odense in 1972.
The British would probably have preferred to take over all imports themselves and to
create their
own import organisation as had been the case earlier in a number of large countries. But
in Denmark
British Leyland settled for buying 20 percent of the stock in DOMI to ensure that it had a
say. In return
DOMI obtained a long-term contract with British Leyland running until 1990.
Now DOMI not only represented Morris, Rover and Land Rover but also the car brands
Austin,
Triumph, Jaguar and Daimler. The dealer network had suddenly increased to 248 dealers
and many of
them were placed in the same cities and were tough, old competitors. During the
following years up
until 1980 they were reduced to 138. All preparation was moved to the centre in Varde.

The oil crisis in 1973 put no pressure on sales. DOMI achieved a new record selling over
18.000
vehicles. A new, temporarily increased vehicle excise duty of 50 percent in 1974 put the
inexpensive
DOMI cars in a strong position. And when, at the same time, DOMI introduced a
guarantee of three
years, when no other car importer offered more than one year, DOMI become Denmark's
largest
importer of passenger vehicles in both 1974, 75 and 76. In 1976, the rear wheel driven
Morris Marina
was replaced by the Austin Allegro, which was based partly on the same techniques. As
usual the Danish
audience were faithful to the old Morris-models and DOMI found a surplus stock of them
in Spain to
meet the demand for a while.
The sales peaked in 1976; DOMI became the first Danish car importer to sell more than
20.000
passenger cars. Incredible as it may sound the 18-year-old Morris Mini stayed in the third
place both in
1977 and 1978.
The many faces of the Mini. At the top, the original model
from 1959. Below, the model from 1969 with the angular
grill and further below, the Mini Clubman, which came a
few years later. At the bottom, the rear wheel drive Morris
Marina which helped bring the Morris sales up to the
record high of 20.000 cars in 1976.
In motor sports DOMI concentrated solely on the Mini for
a couple of years. The picture showing an ordinary Mini in
racing trim ahead of a Volvo (Now that is what people
liked to see!) was taken in 1960.
The success of the Minis in motor sport changed the
scepticism of the audience. In 1963 the Cooper S sports
versions won the Danish Championships in three different
classes driven by, from left, Hans Trap-Nielsen, Christian
Nellemann and Jan Heggov.
Subaru, Renault and Daihatsu
In 1977 British Leyland encountered another major crisis. The British labour market had
always been
turbulent and imports suffered from the many delays caused by strikes. But this year the
plants lost the
production of 250.000 cars due to strikes. The British government intervened and notice
was given of a
considerable increase in prices, unfortunately at the same time the British cars were
experiencing serious
problems with quality.

For these reasons DOMI started to look for other suppliers. Subaru was introduced in
1977, but
there was no immediate success. However DOMI started selling John Deere tractors in
1978 and they
did prove to be a great success.
In 1979 DOMI was behind another sensation as the company took over the import of the
French
Renault in Denmark. However, the import of the French car only lasted until 1982 as
Renault and Volvo
entered into an international agreement of co-operation which handed over the running of
Renault to
Volvo.
British Leyland suffered sustained beginner’s difficulties with its new model, the Austin
Metro. The
model was very welcome because DOMI's sales figures of the previous year had only
been 2200 cars
- less than the number sold in 1958. Austin Metro received a kind reception from the
press even though
it was based on the more than 20-year-old Mini. But the car never really appealed to the
Danish audience.
By then, almost all of the competitors had launched small, acceptable cars in the Mascot
style, but the
difference was that the improvement in quality of the British cars was not keeping pace
with the
competition. In 1982 the production of the old Morris-models, Mini and Marina, ceased
and the British
marques were now Austin and MG.
Predicting the lack of commercially viable products DOMI had to take over Fredericia
Motor
Compagni who were the importers of the Russian Lada in 1985. The next year a sad
record was set:
In ten years the sales of British cars had experienced a sharp decline from 20.000 to 200
cars. The British
Leyland plants closed down, so DOMI imported Daihatsu, Subaru, Lada, Rover and Land
Rover and had
just signed an agreement for the import of Chrysler in 1989.
Sales crisis, DOMI closes down
One may be wise after the fact and claim that DOMI should have been far-sighted and
should have
jumped at the opportunity, in the late sixties, to acquire the import of what is two well-
performing
Japanese car brands today. DOMI had the chance, but did not dare out of fear of the
British who always
backed one other horse in Denmark - the Austin importer, De Forenede
Automobilfabrikker in Odense.
British cars had suffered from a sales crisis for so long that

the MG-name was used for models like this MG Maestro
2,0 EFI. The car buyers never regained confidence in the
British cars after a perceptible loss of quality in the late
seventies.
DOMI introduced Daihatsu in 1979, the same year the
company took over the Danish import of passenger cars
from Renault. The economical three-cylinder Charade
attracted well-deserved attention.
And besides, the company was busy enough already as the sale of the Morris cars was
soaring at that
time.
Saleswise, DOMI was already experiencing difficulties from the beginning of the
eighties. The
previous giant sales figures could not be maintained. This was reflected at Vilhelm
Nellemann A/S which
owned a number of large shops across the nation who now lost their previously large
turnovers.
Vilhelm Nellemann A/S went through a number of Chairmen of the Board in quick
succession, but
none of them found the way out of the crisis. One of the initiatives was the purchase of
the accessories
and production firm Erik Veng in 1988. It was apparent to the press that there was a
dispute among the
owners, which in 1989 resulted in the last family members leaving their positions in the
company.
Christian Nellemann ceased to be the CEO of Vilhelm Nellemann A/S and his brother
Peter Nellemann
left his position as the Deputy Director and Product Manager of Jaguar.
The same year DOMI moved all passenger car activities from Sdr. Ringvej in Glostrup to
Vejlevej
in Fredericia and Vilhelm Nellemann A/S was forced to close the shops at Vodroffsvej,
Glostrup, Århus,
Esbjerg and Ålborg. The import of John Deere agricultural machinery was separated
from DOMI and
became an independent company.
The Austin Metro dressed up as a MG could not alter the
feeling for British cars either. The British car plants closed
down in 1989 after many years of difficulties.
Vagn Andersen became the CEO of DOMI in 1971.
He obtained the import of Renault, John Deere,
Subaru and Daihatsu for DOMI.
Bjarne Egstrand, CEO of DOMI from 1980 to 1985. Ole Flemming Christensen, CEO of
DOMI from
1985 to 1990.
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:14 Side 41The new owner and the innovation

The import of the Korean passenger car Kia was established
shortly after Jac Nellemann took over the family business in 1996.
The innovation
In 1992 the name of DOMI was erased from the company's activities and the name was
changed to VN
Autoimport. At that time, the company imported Subaru, Rover, Land Rover, Lada and
Chrysler. But the
car sales were going nowhere and the company had lost its way with 40 shareholders,
heirs from the
2nd and 3rd generation after Vilhelm Nellemann with widely differing opinions about
which direction to
take.
Massive losses from the Veng-companies probably was the decisive blow that made the
family give
up, and on 1 May 1996 Jac Nellemann took over all of the Nellemann-companies with
the remains of
the net capital. Vilhelm Nellemann Bicycles in Århus was excepted from the take-over
but Jac Nellemann
retained his share in the business. However, Jac Nellemann is not the sole owner of the
Nellemann
companies as his brother Tim has retained his shares in the family business.
"I could not bear to see the family business fall apart", Jac Nellemann said, and the same
year he
helped launch the most remarkable innovation in car sales with the import of the Korean
passenger car
Kia.
The Kia sales concept caused a stir. At the time of the launch it was not unusual to
experience a
long wait for delivery of a new car model. But to order a car more or less straight from
the plant and
then wait for it to be delivered in Denmark was a first. The sales organisation was new,
with only a few
outlets and a central preparation facility in Fredericia, from where the customers
themselves were to pick
up their cars.
The central and rational operation of the sales organisation resulted in a retail price nearly
30 percent lower than that of well-established brands offering the same type of cars. And
this does not even
include all the expensive equipment such as automatic side view mirrors and windows
and the like.
On the day of the anniversary the difference
between the Kia concept and that of the rest of
the car industry seems huge. But when this is
read at the time of a 125th anniversary,
which we hope to experience, time will

tell who found the right way to go in
terms of the development of the car
sales.
The press went all out: "Price bomb"…."Phenomenal price"….The concept of the Kia
cars was quickly established.
"Save 40.000 Kroner on the new family car!" This was the offer when
Kia Motors launched the Korean family car Kia Sephia in 1996.
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:14 Side 45Motor sports and Nellemann
Vilhelm Nellemann after having won the Danish Championships
in 1953. The sons Jac, left, and Tim always came along. It has
been said that Jac always wore a crash helmet at the motor races.
Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. and Uno
Jensen constructed this Alfa Dana
for the small Formula 3 class with
500 cc engines, which was the
first properly organised racing
class in Denmark.
Motor race in the year 1949. Robert Nellemann, left in a
leather suit with "frogs' legs"and body belt, congratulates
Kaj Hansen on the title as the Danish champion in the
Midget-Racer.
The Alfa Dana team later constructed the basis of the
1000 cc Alfa Dana Formula racer from Morris parts
for a new Formula Junior class in 1959. In the picture
Uno Jensen drives the car.
The name of Nellemann is inextricably linked to the most prosperous period of Danish
motor sports,
from the forties and a generation forward.
The inspiration was hard to miss. Vilhelm Nellemann was known to be a daring and
enthusiastic
driver who never missed out on any occasion to test the abilities of his cars. From the
very early days,
he arranged motor races at Randers Dyrskueplads where he probably achieved the first
ever motor sports
accident in Denmark when he crashed on his Minerva motorcycle and broke his collar
bone because of a
dog that seemed to be interested in motor sport.
The two cousins Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. and Robert Nellemann became keen motor sports
fans in
1948 when the Danish Motor Sports Union was founded. Vilhelm Nellemann Jr.
participated in his first
race in an MG TC sports car at an ice skating race at Sortedamssøen (a lake) in
Copenhagen attracting
an audience of 75.000 in the beginning of 1940.

After the war many of those who were interested in motor sports started building the
small Midget
Racers equipped with 500 cc motorcycle engines, and Robert Nellemann won the debut
race in the class
in the year 1946.
The two cousins often met at races, but they always drove different brands of cars.
Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. raced in his MG sports cars and the Morris Minor and later, the
Formula 3
Midgets. All in all he won approximately ten Danish Championships in the fifties. The
exact number of
championships is difficult to state as many of the championships were not the well
organised racing
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:14 Side 49series, which we know today. In
1953 Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. won two Danish Championships in the
Morris Minor and in the MG TC, and in 1954 he reached his fifth title as Danish
Champion in the MG.
When Roskilde racing court opened in 1955, the class of little 500 cc Formula 3's, the
Midgets
renamed, flourished. Danish drivers abandoned their own constructions and started to buy
British racing
cars, but together with Uno Jensen Vilhelm Nellemann constructed the Alfa Dana for the
class. In
co-operation with Per Krogh they built an Alfa Dana for the Formula Junior class with a
1000 cc Morris
engine in 1959. It was designed with the engine in the front using the Formula cars from
before the War
as inspiration. The British Lotus 18s with the engine behind the driver, which has been
the winning
principle to this very day, eventually became the top contender.
Robert Nellemann's father, Sophus Nellemann was a Ford dealer in Randers, and Robert
stuck to this
brand as a rally-driver up until his 18th and last international rally in 1973 where he won
the old-boys
class together with Carl Nielsen in the Monte Carlo Rally.
Among his best results as a rally driver were two tenth places in the general classification
in Rally
Monte Carlo in 1950 and again in 1958 as well as a victory in his class and a 3rd place in
the Tour
d'Europe in 1965.
Robert Nellemann had a long and conspicuous career in motor sports. In 1950 he
managed to win
three Danish Championships in one season, in the Midget, in the standard vehicle class
with the Ford V8
and in the sports car class with his recently acquired Allard J2 sports car, which was
much feared by all

the competitors for many years to come. With the "C'est ci bon" he won the Swedish
"Djurgårdsloppet"
in front of an audience of 100.000 in 1953. All in all he won 14 racetrack-championships
the last of
which was in the Formula 3, Cooper T42 Norton in 1965.
51
Fast cousins: To the left, Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. is
congratulated with the Danish Championships for
standard vehicles in 1953. On the right, Robert
Nellemann in his Siverbird Formula 3 from the early
fifties.
Robert Nellemann in his Allard J2 sports car with
which he won major races both in Denmark and
abroad. Here he "takes off" with the number 35 on
the Allard at the German Grand Prix at the
Nürburgring in 1952, but he was forced to drop out
of the race due to a defect.
Jac Nellemann's career in motor sports started with the
go-karting in the sixties and led to a 12th place with the
Formula 3 at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1975.
Jac Nellemann grew up with the scent of motor oil in his nostrils: "I remember the
weekends as motor
races and fun". He is the son of Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. and the family always arrived at a
race in a
beautiful motorcade, consisting of at least one and a half MG sports car because the
father had built an
MG model with a small motorcycle engine for his two sons, Jac and Tim who enjoyed
plenty of
attention.
Jac Nellemann was gripped by the sport of go-karting which came to Denmark in 1960.
He mainly
participated in international races and he therefore only obtained one Danish
Championship and a great
number of second places.
In 1967 Jac Nellemann introduced Formula Ford in Denmark where it became a very
popular class.
He continued to participate in international races and reached a 5th place in the unofficial
European
championships in 1970 after which he started competing in the Formula 3.
Jac Nellemann shows off the fine MG model,
which his father built for him and his brother Tim.
The brothers were slightly surprised to realise that
the car has later been placed in a museum!
Formula 1 driver and -owner. Jac Nellemann lost his qualification

for the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix in a Brabham BT 44 by 5/100
seconds and bought a Penske F-1 the following year.
The first international title to Denmark: Jac Nellemann
together with the constructor Max Johansson by his
Formula Super Vee with which he won the Nordic FIA
championship.
Jac Nellemann did not participate in Danish races
very often, but when he did he did it effectively.
Here in his Triumph Dolomite Sprint with which he
won the Danish championship in 1975.
In between the Formula 3 races Jac Nellemann won the Danish championships in 1971 in
a
Chevrolet Camaro Z28, which started a wave of giant American cars.
He repeated the feat in 1975 with the elegant Triumph Dolomite Sprint, while he
continued to drive
the Formula 3 where he reached a 12th place in the F3 race at the Monaco Grand Prix.
At that time he said: "I do not question that there is talent, but as a Dane it is difficult to
raise the
kind of money needed to get any further in Formula 3."
Next season, however, had he managed to obtain enough sponsorship to have a go at
Formula 1
and went to the Swedish Grand Prix in 1976 in a Brabham BT44. He was 5/100 seconds
short of
qualifying for the race. After a 2nd place at a European Championship for the Formula 3
at the Swedish
Ring Knutstorp he was elected Motor Sportsman of the year in 1976.
The dream of participating in the Formula 1 did not go away and Jac Nellemann bought a
Penske F1
in order to start as a private driver in 1977. However, a newspaper-strike in Copenhagen
that year put
an end to the project's sponsorship, but Jac Nellemann can still boast of being the first
Dane to own a
Formula 1 car.
Jac Nellemann ended his active career by winning the first International racing title for
Denmark.
With two 1st and two 2nd places he won the Nordic FIA-championship for Formula
Super Vee.
The following year he started as manager and founded the "national team" for a number
of the
greatest talents in Danish racing including Kurt Thiim and Peter Elgaard in Formula
Super Vee.
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:15 Side 57Bicycles through 99 years
Vilh. Nellemann Cyklers sidste cykelagentur, Raleigh, gled
ud i 1999, hvormed der kun er motorcykler og knallerter
tilbage. Her er man til gengæld flot repræsenteret med

Danmarks mest solgte motorcykel, Honda.
The new top model Honda Fireblade year 2000
marks the Vilhelm Nellemann company's definitive
farewell to the bicycles.
The bicycles form an important chapter in the story of Vilhelm Nellemann. Everything
started with
bicycles. For several periods of time the company even produced its own bicycles and
mopeds, which
formed a solid basis of Vilhelm Nellemann Bicycles A/S for generations. However,
immediately prior to
the 100th anniversary the last bicycle brand was sold, the British Raleigh, which the
company had
represented for almost 50 years.
The two-wheeled branch of the family moved into new premises, at Gåseagervej 12 in
Egå, in the
beginning of the year of the jubilee. It will import Honda motorcycles and mopeds, Nolan
and Grex crash
helmets along with a number of other motorcycle and moped accessories under its new
name of Vilhelm
Nellemann Handelsselskab (trade company) A/S.
Among the very first bicycles were the brands of Adler, Waldeck and Hunter, but
Vilhelm Nellemann,
who got his education as a smith at a bicycle-factory, realised that there was great
opportunity in
producing the bicycles himself, and so he soon offered his own model "Børsen" from
"Randers
Cyklebørs".
The motorcycles entered the picture during the very first years. Vilhelm Nellemann
imported both
the Belgian Minerva and the German Wanderer.
The selection of Danish and imported bicycles was stunning
in the late twenties, brands of which are shown to the far
left. The import of the Hunter bicycles developed into a light
motorcycle in the fifties.
Vilhelm Nellemann's first bicycle of his own production,
the "Børsen", around 1903.
The sale of bicycles expanded to Copenhagen in 1916 along with the car sales. Both
things went
so well that it was already decided to split up the activities in 1919. This happened when
the company
merged with the Bicycle Company Otto Drewsen from Løngangsstræde, later Nellemann
& Drewsen.
Christian Larsen and Preben Nellemann managed this division - the latter took over as
CEO after the

pensioning of the former.
In 1926 the parent company in Randers was split up into the private companies Vilhelm
Nellemann
Cykler en gros (wholesale bicycles) and Vilhelm Nellemann Automobilforretning
(automobile company).
In 1933 a bicycle factory was constructed in Randers. As was the case with the cars, the
company
realised the necessity to produce the bicycles themselves after the world wide financial
crisis due to the
currency restrictions.
The bicycle production quickly ceased as a result of the lack of raw material during
World War II,
but in 1948 it re-emerged as Scandinavian Bicycle Industry Ltd in Randers with P. A.
Sørensen, who had
begun working for Nellemann in 1937, as CEO.
Later, the production of the great craze of the following decades, the moped, was initiated
here. The
bicycle industry was against the mopeds for fear of them ruining the sale of bicycles, but
P. A. Sørensen
looked at it in a different way. He started co-operating with the motor plant Derby and
the result was
the Skylon moped, whose sales peaked in 1954 with 16.000 models sold.
The activities in Randers were flourishing in the late forties which is why the commercial
department
was moved to Vestergade in Århus in 1950. The company initiated the import of Norton
motorcycles and
Seagull boat engines and the Copenhagen department dealt in Royal Enfield motorcycles.
The range also
included bicycle accessories, sewing machines and occasionally products like wringers
and hospital
equipment, and later also BMW, Adler and Parilla motorcycles as well as Lambretta
scooters. The Skylon
moped was produced up until 1964 when the bicycle factory closed down and the
company chose to
increase the import of the Raleigh bicycles instead.
The departments in Århus and in Copenhagen came under one management headed by
P. A. Sørensen after the death of Preben Nellemann in 1957.
The year 1971 became a turning point for the company when it took over the import of
the
Japanese Honda motorcycles and mopeds. The Hondas quickly became the market
leaders and the
activity called for more modern facilities. Therefore, the company moved into new
premises at Lupinvej
in Risskov in 1972. The same year Nellemann & Drewsen moved from Copenhagen to
new premises in

Albertslund, but the following year, 1973, both departments were united under the family
name of
Vilhelm Nellemann A/S, Cykler en Gros, Århus. P. A. Sørensen retired at the time of his
40th anniversary
in 1977 and was succeeded by Kaj Andersen who is CEO today. Vilhelm Nellemann
Handelsselskab A/S
remains a family-owned private company where all the owners are heirs of the founder.
The Skylon moped was a great success for Vilhelm
Nellemann Cykler. 16.000 of them were sold in 1954.
A brochure from the same year tries to persuade
women to ride the moped.
P. A. Sørensen headed the Bicycle Company
until 1977 when he retired at the time of his 40th
anniversary.
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:15 Side 63Trucks and vans can be beautiful
Trucks and vans
can be beautiful
Trucks and vans have formed part of the street life from the very beginning of motoring.
Car dealers
would often perform special tasks for the customers. At Vilhelm Nellemann the interest
in vehicles for
professional use is not a recent phenomenon. The company has always been proud of its
results and had
pictures taken of its commercial vehicles by the leading photographers before letting
them out into the
traffic. The pictures naturally formed part of the sales prospects for new customers.
Here is a random selection from the company archives. Most of the dates have been lost,
but the
cars - they were lovely!
Beautiful cars are always worth taking photos of. The
baker's car for "Arbeidernes Fællesbageri" in Copenhagen
was a beautifully constructed special assignment.
Special cars - it could be anything ranging from a fine road
tanker for Shell to the humble refuse van from the twenties.
The small, customised Morris Mascot for the Tuborg breweries
had the citizens of Copenhagen smiling for many years.
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:15 Side 67Tractors
The import of tractors dates back to 1949, when DOMI became agents of the Nuffield
tractors. They
were marketed through the company's dealer and service network. The Nuffield's were
named "The Red
Horses" from their colour and from a popular, contemporary Danish movie, but in 1970
they were

renamed Leyland and once again in 1983 when their name was changed to Marshall.
Shortly after this,
DOMI stopped importing these tractors to fully concentrate on the import of the John
Deere products.
The American John Deere tractors had entered the arena in 1978. In 1981 they were
supplemented
by the agency for John Deere harvesting machines and the development called for the
establishment of
an independent division, "Agrodomi". The harvesting machines had been joined by the
gardening and
park machines in 1982, a line of products that really broke through in 1988.
Agrodomi was turned into an independent private company, VN Agro in 1990 with its
headquarters
in Vallensbæk.
The American John Deere tractors entered the arena in 1978
and since 1982 a full line of products has been carried, from
garden and park machines to heavy tractors and specialised
harvesting machinery.
The Morris plants produced the red Nuffield
tractors. Their name was later changed to Leyland
and even later to Marshall.
No doubt about the Nuffield tractors' position in the
DOMI hierarchy. They were marketed with the same
exhilaration as the passenger and the sports cars.
DOMI did not miss out on the chance to combine
its products and accentuate the modern times when
it acquired the Nuffield tractors in 1949.
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:15 Side 71The marketing
The popular little car should, quite naturally, have its own
song, performed in 1963 by Grete Sønck and written by
Volmer Sørensen and Jørgen Grauengaard. On the B-side
of the record Lisa Linn sang "Marina, Marina".
"I strongly recommend the "Waldeck". I use it in my job and ride it for approximately 8
miles every
day and it is turning out to be very reliable. Furthermore, it is easy to pedal."
Randers, 1 August 1905. Wilhelm Winge, commercial agent.
"I have been riding many different brands, but should I be asked for my opinion
concerning the
purchase of a bicycle I would not hesitate impartially to say: "Buy a Waldeck and you
will receive the
ideal bicycle!"
Randers, 20 August 1905. Erik Christiansen, Inspector.
Vilhelm Nellemann’s marketing methods was aggressive and inventive. Right from the
beginning it was a
matter of obliging the customers.

"Have a go on a test bicycle" were the alluring words in 1910 for the "Hermes" bicycles.
A couple of years later Vilhelm Nellemann toured the provincial towns with his cars. He
established
his headquarters at the local hotel after having sent out letters to potential customers, e.g.
the doctors.
That paid off.
You couldn’t do this today!
But around the year 1920 the
attitude towards sponsored
road signs was more liberal.
And the need was there.
Road signs were rare and the
car drivers had to be good at
reading maps.
Newly fledged car owners became celebrities
who were sent to the photographer.
Here, in his new Loreley, the painter Ziemesen,
son-in-law of the painter I.T. Hansen,
it says on the back of the picture.
Vilhelm Nellemann was a keen
sportsman and won bicycle
races to prove the value of his
products. The beautiful trophies
have been preserved and pictures
were taken of them in order to
be displayed at the store.
As a part of the marketing of the first cars, the customers were often photographed in
their new car.
Cars were expensive and rare and visiting the photographer was also an expensive thing
to do. Just
exactly how the pictures were used as a part of the marketing has been lost, but a modern
parallel may
be seen in the fact that the press is often alerted when celebrities have purchased a new
car.
As soon as DOMI was created, new signals were sent out concerning the marketing. The
Nellemann
companies concentrated on the women. Practically, no picture of a DOMI-car was taken
without a
woman in it. Not the usual starlets, but more often the wives of car owners or owners in
their own right.
Even a genuinely masculine product like the Skylon moped was marketed with women
riding them. This
was actually rather odd, because during the great "moped days" in the fifties the mopeds
were primarily

owned by the men. Women on mopeds was a rare sight, but maybe it was all about
appeasing the wives
when the husband came home with a brochure of the vehicle of his dreams.
Women behind the wheel was the unmistakable signal
sent out from DOMI right from the beginning of the
fifties. The picture can be dated by the split windscreen
of the Morris Minor.
The actor Hans W. Pedersen was a major car
enthusiast and he had this picture taken around
1930 beside his new Morris.
Singer Dario Campeotto receives the keys to his
new Land Rover, the agency of which DOMI
acquired in 1969.
The popular showman Sejr Volmer Sørensen was
the proud owner of this elegant Borgward Isabella
Coupe for many years.
When the new front-wheel driven Morris cars peaked in 1962 the signal was more than
clear.
Driving was a family matter. The noticeable motor sporting achievements of the Mascots
were only
promoted commercially during the first couple of years. It was the role of the cars as
family transportation that was important.
In the late sixties the Mascot was even introduced as a "girl's car". In reality this was a
rather bold
message to send out, because despite the fact that in those days there were many
independent girls
driving around in the little cars, the car was still mainly a symbol of masculinity.
The delivery bicycle of the sixties: A popular cartoonist
drew this advertisement for the Morris vans in 1962.
The men in the minority: The brochure from around 1970
has the women in the front. They were looked upon as the
source of increased sales. Besides, the men already knew
how to find sporty qualities in a family car.
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:16 Side 79The family behind the wheel
Second and fourth generation: Vilhelm Nellemann Jr.
at his farewell reception in 1974 holding hands with
his grandson Jacob.
For a great number of years, wholesaler Vilhelm Nellemann ran his businesses as a
personal company
with the clerk, "Hadsund Peter" Jensen as head of the wholesale bicycle department and
manager M.
"Daski" Christensen looking after wholesaling and retailing of cars.
In 1926 Vilhelm Nellemann started thinking about a generation change with his many
children -

three sons and six daughters - which is why two of the companies were turned into
private companies.
The consequence of this was that the company employed many of the children. There
was nothing
new to this, because during the first couple of years everybody had to lend a helping
hand. The three
sons, Svend, Preben and Vilhelm Jr. were educated within the company and acquired
leading positions.
The same applied to two of the sons-in-law. Ben Eefsen was appointed CEO in Randers
and later also
the CEO of a newly established car dealership in Århus, and P. A. Sørensen was
appointed CEO of bicycles wholesale; a position he kept for the following forty years.
The daughters also chipped in; several
of them worked for the Nellemann companies.
Up until the seventies there was no question that this was a family dynasty.
Svend Nellemann played the perfect part of the eldest son who took on him the major
obligations. He
was trained at the company in Randers after which he received further education in
Germany, England
and France where he established contact with a number of car producers and accessory-
makers, many of
whom would later become business associates.
Svend Nellemann was appointed at the Copenhagen branch of the family business in
1926, a
department dealing mostly in American Nash cars. He ensured the import of Morris and
the German
Horch which, due to buying and mergers, brought along DKW, Wanderer and Audi.
Vilhelm Nellemann was THE wholesaler who personally
controlled his empire of stores and plants in Randers,
Århus and Copenhagen. It came quite naturally that sons
and sons-in-law obtained positions in the company.
The young lions of the family at the wheel! In the mid-fifties this beautiful motorcade of
Nellemannimported motorcycles went on a sales tour round Denmark, as the Nellemann
sons left their offices
and swung themselves into the saddle. From the left, Preben Nellemann on an Italian
Parilla scooter,
Svend Nellemann on a German Adler, P. A. Sørensen on a German BMW, Vilhelm
Nellemann Jr. on a
British Norton and Bendix "Ben" Eefsen on a British Royal Enfield.
The Nellemen of 2nd and 3rd generations at
the 75th company anniversary. In the second
line from the bottom are Vilhelm
Nellemann's children: From the left, Ragna
Martens, Sigrid Sørensen, Esther Winther,
Svend Nellemann, Edith Eefsen, Elly Andersen, Ingrid Brock and Vilhelm Nellemann Jr.

In the right hand corner is the present owner
of the company, Jac Nellemann, and in the
bottom left hand side is his brother Tim
Nellemann who is a shareholder.
Svend Nellemann created a major accessories department in the thirties and later became
chairman
of the auto accessory wholesale union, AUTIC, a member of the board of the car
importers’ union and of
the employers' association of the motor industry. He was the driving force behind the
construction of
two Nellemann car shops in Copenhagen and Randers, and later he was the man behind
the creation of
DOMI. Here he ensured the import of Hansa, Borgward and BMW. Svend Nellemann
experienced, in the
same way that his father did, the rapid development of the entire car industry and he was
personally
acquainted with William Morris, later Lord Nuffield, Charles W. Nash and Carl
Borgward.
Svend Nellemann retired as the CEO of DOMI in 1971, at the time of his 50th
anniversary. However,
for a number of years, he continued to work as chairman of the board for Vilhelm
Nellemann Ltd. where
his son was the CEO from 1973 to 1989.
Preben Nellemann became the CEO of the bicycle company Vilhelm Nellemann & Otto
Drewsen in
Løngangsstræde together with the nephew of Otto Drewsen, Christian Larsen. When the
latter retired
Preben Nellemann continued as CEO alone. The bicycle company later changed its name
to Nellemann
& Drewsen. wholesale bicycles. Quite early on the company took over the import of the
Royal Enfield
motorcycles from the car shop in Copenhagen. In 1956 Preben Nellemann supervised the
moving of the
company to Frederikssundsvej.
Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. served his apprenticeship with the Nash and Morris cars at the
Copenhagen
department of the company. He received supplementary education at the Morris plants in
Cowley,
England and was educated as an engineer in Dresden, Germany, before returning to the
company in
1934.
Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. became the CEO of the Nellemann car premises at Vodroffsvej
and after the
war he established Vilhelm Nellemann's apprentice school in order to ensure good
standards among the

mechanics of the company. He retired at the time of his 40th anniversary in 1974, but
remained as
technical manager until 1982.
Vilhelm Nellemann Jr. was an outgoing and active motor sport man who, for 12 years,
was the
chairman of the Automobile Sports Club, which managed the Roskilde racing track. He
was on the board
of Danish car dealer union for 16 years and for 24 years in the employers' association of
the motor
industry.
Prosperous times: Svend Nellemann received a distinguished
present when he turned 60 in 1964. The DOMI-dealers had
bought a Morris "Bullnose" from 1926 and had it carefully
restored. In the car together with Svend Nellemann are the
board of the dealer association, Knud Sejersen, Bjørn Caning,
Arne Fog and Nicolai Kjær.
In 1971 Svend Nellemann handed over his post as the
CEO of DOMI to Vagn Andersen, who became the first
ever CEO from outside the family.
100 år/Nel-bog/280x280/UK 03/04/00 11:17 Side 87The new owner: Car accessories,
motorsport and “Den Blå Avis”
Jac Nellemann has worked with marketing for the boating business and he has owned a
car accessory
firm. He introduced new projects to motorsport like the Formula Ford and Sport 2000.
In 1981, after his career in motorsport, he started the classified ads paper "Den Blå Avis"
in
Denmark. Today he owns the German versions of "Den Blå Avis".
Jac Nellemann has more or less been following Vilhelm Nellemann Ltd. from a distance.
It was not
until the eighties that he joined the board of Vilhelm Nellemann Ltd. when the family
tried to introduce
the third generation.
"I intervened and bought the company on the grounds that I could not see why ten years
should
tear down what it took ninety years build up. I appreciate the present development. And I
cannot help
being proud to own a company where several employees have celebrated their 50th
anniversary with
Nellemann."
Up until the 100th anniversary Jac Nellemann has been an owner without a secretary or
any fixed
points like a desk to which most people are attached. One might have found him sitting
behind a vacant
desk belonging to an employee who was on vacation. The chairman of the Nellemann
Group has never

had an office! Not until a few months before the anniversary when a renovation of Jaguar
Denmark at
Bryggervangen made it possible for the managers to offer Jac Nellemann his own office,
an offer which
he could not resist.
Jac Nellemann can and does work from anywhere with his advanced mobile telephone
with e-mail,
giving him a stronger presence than can be gained from operating from the boardroom.
"Unusual, no," says Jac Nellemann. "I travel a lot due to the diversity of my businesses
and to the
fact that my home is in Switzerland. I consider it normal business practice to use the
experience of "life's
long university" which enables one to lay down guidelines and to find skilled employees
who are able to
carry out one’s ideas."
Saying this Jac Nellemann almost sounds like his grandfather, the founder of the
company who
always counted himself lucky with his ability to find skilled and loyal employees. Jac
Nellemann himself cannot remember much about Vilhelm Nellemann senior. "Of course
the family talked about the
"wholesaler", the patriarch who kept a watchful eye over everything, but the difference in
age was huge
and I only remember an old gentleman from our visits to the estate "Vigen" by the Furesø
Lake."
Incidentally, Jac Nellemann purchased "Vigen" immediately prior to the 100th
anniversary.
The estate is returning to the family after a great many years. It was also in the jubilee
year that Jac
Nellemann took over the Ford dealership in Randers which, until 1985, was owned by his
uncle Robert
Nellemann.
The circle is now almost completed.The premises of Vilhelm Nellemann, Randers, is the
oldest
of the company properties - operations started in Hospitalsgade in 1939. In this very year
of the jubilee the company is
concluding a major renovation which will turn the property
into a modern and future-oriented car store. That’s why we
can only show sketches of the building in this jubilee publication. This year, Nellemann
Randers will become Denmark's first
"car-supermarket."The company today95
Niels Skjoldager was
appointed Director of
Infonizer ApS in 2005.
Otto Freiesleben was
manager of Agrodomi
from 1985 to 1990 and

has been the CEO since
1998.
Jens Bjerrisgaard has
been the CEO of
Kia Motors since the
establishment of the
company.
Erling Lindener has
been the CEO of
Jaguar-Danmark from
day one.96
The Nellemann import companies
Nellemann Agro
In 1990 the agricultural division Agrodomi was turned into an independent private
company which, in
1995, moved into its present premises at Egeskovvej 2 in Vallensbæk Strand. The
company employs a
staff of 25. Otto Freiesleben was the manager of Agrodomi from 1985 to 1990 and has
been the CEO
since 1998.
Jaguar-Danmark AS
The import of Jaguar cars was taken over in 1972 at the same time DOMI took over De
Forenede
Automobilfabrikker. The agency was transferred to an independent company by the end
of 1989 as the
premises at the present address at Bryggervangen in Copenhagen were purchased. Jaguar-
Danmark has
been importing Aston Martins since 1992 and from 1996 it also started importing Lotus
cars. The company employs a staff of 18. Erling Lindener has been the CEO since the
company was created.
Jaguar-Danmark AS, Bryggervangen 39, 2100 København Ø.
Kia Import Danmark AS
Kia Motors AS was founded on 1 April 1995 and it launched its activities on 30 March
1996. The company had a marvellous start with its new sales concept and has grown into
a company employing 44
people. The selection of models has increased from the Kia Pride and Sephia to Clarus,
Carnival and
Sportange. Kia Motors has set up its own stores in Roskilde and Silkeborg and sells the
Kia cars from the
established Nellemann-stores in Århus, Randers and Odense. The latter also deals in
Saab. Kia's dealer
network comprises 28 sales outlets in total plus four service garages.
Jens Bjerrisgaard has been the CEO since the company was established.98
Nellemann Group Companies
Jaguar-Danmark AS

Jaguar-Danmark AS, Bryggervangen 39, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. Import and
sales.
Kia Motors AS
Kia Motors AS, Vejlevej 6, 7000 Fredericia, Denmark. Import and sales.
Nellemann Odense AS
Nellemann Odense AS, Odensevej 101, 5260 Odense C, Denmark. Former: E.M. Jensen.
Shop and garage.
Nellemann AS
Nellemann AS, Hospitalsgade 8-10, 8900 Randers, Denmark. Shops and garages in
Randers,
Grenå and Hadsund.
Nellemann Roskilde AS
Nellemann Roskilde AS, Betonvej 1, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark. Nellemann-shop from the
seventies.
Dealer in Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Kia. Shop and garage.
Nellemann Århus AS
Nellemann Århus AS, Jens Juuls Vej 14, 8260 Viby J, Denmark. Kia dealer and service.
Nellemann Baltic
Established distributor operations in the Baltic.
Premium Cars, Poland
Established automobile retail operations in Poland.
Infonizer ApS
Infonizer ApS, Bryggervangen 39, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark. IT solution
provider.99 Text: Torry Lindstrøm. Layout: Maria Bergsøe Kommunikation. Repro/print:
Annoncen Avis, Hamburg.
Infonizer: Providing Next Generation IT Solutions to the Automotive Industry
Although the Nellemann Group, since its inception over 100 years ago, has always been
known for its
commitment and deep engagement in the Car importer and dealer industry, information
technology has
actually been an imbedded part of the corporate strategy even from a very early stage of
technological
evolvement. The history of information technology thus begins in 1981, when 12 Luxor
ABC 80 computers with extended memory were setup to run on a local network. Today,
this sounds trivial, but connecting computers through a network was something that
required a substantial amount of pioneering spirit!
Pioneering the IT frontiers in the automotive industry has ever since been of strategic
importance in the
Nellemann Group. In 1995 it was decided that Nellemann should divert from the outdated
industry standard proprietary IT systems and develop its own platform. It was thus
decided to develop an IT system
based on Damgaard XAL. This system was later converted to Damgaard Axapta 2.5 and
implemented
in stages throughout the group of companies. Today, the entire automotive group runs its
business on
Microsoft Business Solutions-Axapta 3.0 DMS (Dealer Management System).

During 2004 outside companies acquired about the availability of the Nellemann Axapta
DMS and discussions between Microsoft Corporation and Nellemann initiated. Infonizer,
being a member of the
Nellemann Group, was thus selected as the operating company for the Axapta DMS
business. The company quickly achieved status as Certified Microsoft Business Solutions
Partner and is now rapidly developing its business on a global scale as a Microsoft
Independent Software Vendor (ISV).
Infonizer strives to provide a world class IT system to the automotive industry and
continuously further
develop its DMS based on new releases of Microsoft-Business Solutions-Axapta and
related technologies,
such as advanced .Net Framework features.
Infonizer is therefore a provider of Next Generation IT solutions, targeting companies in
the automotive
industry that recognize the strategic importance of enabling their business to rapidly
adapt to changes in
the business environment and changes in customer demands.

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100 years in 100 pages