An inherited passion for motors in Torremolinos

There are few businesses that last over time and can say that they have "tiptoed through the bad times", but car workshops are a good example of these. There are thousands throughout the province, and this one may look like any other except that the history behind it makes it special.

In the heart of La Carihuela, in Torremolinos, on Avenida Carlota Alessandri, there is a garage bearing the full name of one person: Taller Adolfo Trigueros. A great unknown to the masses, but from a family renowned for promoting this trade in Malaga.

Adolfo Trigueros, now 57 years old, is named after his grandfather, who founded one of the first auto repair workshops in Malaga city, on Avenida de la Rosaleda, in the mid-1920s, while still very young. He, a mechanic, fitter, turner, welder and electrician, was an icon at a time when only very few could afford a car. But it was his passion, inherited from his father.

His great-grandson explains: "His father, my great-grandfather, was a driver for the Marqués de Larios from the end of the 19th century into the 20th. My grandfather inherited this taste for cars as he was always surrounded by people cleaning, oiling, repairing..." He continues: "He was immersed in that world so, by the time my grandfather was 20 years old, he had already set up his first workshop. And back then, those who had a car in the area were people like the family of Manuel Heredia and the Larios, plus four or five other wealthy families from Malaga, everyone else had carriages, carts and the like...".

And how could it be otherwise, this passion for the smell of petrol and the way cars worked was passed down the family line. First to his father, Ramón Trigueros. "As a child, my father was always in the repair shop, he learned mechanics from his dad, totally immersed in it. In the 1940s and '50s Malaga was in very bad shape, people were in great need, and it was then that he decided to go to Switzerland to work for Jaguar," he said. Upon his return, he moved to Torremolinos.

"He arrived here in the '60s and when he saw it, he fell in love, calling it paradise. Here he set up his workshop, he met my mother and stayed here. My uncles, who were also mechanics, stayed in Malaga".

The years have slipped by but, thanks to their passion, which Adolfo Jr. has also inherited, the Taller Trigueros de Torremolinos has continued to provide a living for this pioneering family. In fact, several anniversaries are on the go from last year to this: 2022 marked 40 years since Adolfo began working as a mechanic; this year it will be 50 years since this repair shop was created. Also 2023 will mark the 20th anniversary since Adolfo created his own company, allowing his father to put his feet up.

He has renamed the business Taller Adolfo Trigueros in honour of his legendary grandfather, to who he is so grateful for having instilled this passion in him although, sadly, he only got to spend time with him until he was 15 years old. It should also be noted that his current workshop is part of the global Bosch Car Service network for vehicle servicing.

In addition to devoting the entire working day to his business, "I have thrown my whole life into this, never keeping to a schedule, thankfully we have now set a closing time," he has also been president of the Torremolinos Entrepreneurs Circle for the past eight years. In whatever free time he has, he organises projects and round tables or attends talks, meetings and various activities. In addition to managing his company, he battles so that other businesses can flourish.

As to his specific profession, his only complaint is as follows: "We're really short of qualified staff in the world of auto repairs. Young people look for other jobs as this is very hard work, you have to be in constant training, especially when it comes to new technologies. It's very self-sacrificing, each car is a world in itself; new cars are nothing like the old ones and you have to re-learn all the time."

He dreams of his workshop and his family name continuing to last over time, still offering their services, but today the future is unknown.

Of course, being self-employed, he assures us that he will be working at least for another decade.