In 1953, the little-known Tucker and Company was taken over by the eminent Sir Chittampalam Gardiner and Tuckers Autodrome was born, with its headquarters at Vauxhall Street and later to Union Place. The company was formally declared open by the Rt. Hon. Sir John Kotelawala, who was the Minister of Transport at the time, who would became a Director of the Company, and later, Prime Minister. Over the next seven years, The company secured the distributorship for Cadillac, Opel, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, GM cars, and GM Diesel Locomotive, becoming a force to be reckoned with in the automobile sector. Sir Chittampalam was followed by Mr. N.E. Weerasooria QC, Mr. Cyril Gardiner, Mr. Joseph Aloysius, and current Chairperson Mrs. Bernadette Aloysius.

 

In 1954, the company forged an alliance with Bridgestone Corporation of Japan, being appointed as Sole Distributor for Bridgestone tyres, tubes, & flaps in Sri Lanka. The Company was only the third internatioanl market to do so. This alliance has flourished and thrived over the years, and Bridgestone is today one of the most highly rated and recognisable tyre brands in Sri Lanka, with an islandwide network of over 200 dealers. In 2016, the Company re-started its business with some of Bridgestone's diversified products as well.

 

The company was converted into a public one in 1957, and in 1975 the Autodrome was listed in the Main Board of the Colombo Stock Exchange under the Motors sector. The restriction of vehicle imports saw the end of the GM-related car distributorships.

 

 

The Autodrome moved into its current headquarters and showroom on Union Place in 2003, with the objective of improving its customer service. A state-of-the-art Truck Tyre Centre and warehouse complex was also built during this period in Ekala, Jaela, to keep up with the company's growing warehousing needs, and to provide outstation fleets with convenient service. The tyre centre at Union Place was upgraded in 2013, and two further levels were added for office space rental in 2018.

 

In 2004, the company formed a wholly-owned subsidiary, Tourama (Pvt) Ltd, a travel company that specialises in customised itineraries of Europe, USA and Australia, and Corporate Travel. The company also ventured into website development and management at this time.

In 2007, with the new Companies act, the Company was renamed The Autodrome PLC.

 

Autodrome ventured into the beauty care business from 2010 to 2018, having held the sole distributorship in Sri Lanka for Revlon & Streetwear brand cosmetics and personal care products by Revlon Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. From 2016-2018, Autodrome was also sole distributor in Sri Lanka for Prem Henna (Pvt) Ltd, India's largest manufacturer of henna powder hair colours.