Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady

Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady

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Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady episodes

  • Kieron from Rockstars Cars - The Weird, The Wonderful … & the stories they tell

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    The secret history of rock stars and their cars is wilder than the myths.

    From Tommy Steele's one-off Excalibur to Led Zeppelin's Schuler Range Rover and Ginger Baker's pair of Jensen FF’s, Kieron, the force behind Rockstars Cars, reveals how music legends really drove, bought, and lived with the machines that defined an era.

    What starts as a nostalgic chat quickly turns into a brilliant tour through celebrity provenance, rare classics, and the weird realities of ownership before the internet. You'll hear how a Fiat Samantha was kept alive with scrapyard parts and an automatic washing machine switch, why a luxury Range Rover was once dismissed by British Leyland as a daft idea, and how musicians from the 60s and 70s used cars as symbols of status, freedom, and survival.

    You'll discover:

    •  How Rockstars Cars traces provenance through ledgers, invoices, and vanished management-company records
    •  The surprising difference between a car that's "believed to be" famous and one that can actually be proved
    •  Why celebrity cars from the 50s, 60s, and 70s can still matter, even when they don't always add massive value

    Kieron chats about his own collection, including an E-type, a Porsche 993, a Renault 4 Plein Air art car, 3 Interceptors, his ‘shed of shame’ and the long, expensive journey of resurrecting cars that deserve to be rescued. 

    A nod to:

    www.rockstarscars.co.uk  -  @rockstarscars





    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    1 hr 1 min
  • Classic Car Auctions with Iconic Auctioneers | The Costs, the Risks & the Strategies we should all know about.

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    Most classic car auctions look like glamour on the surface, but the real story is all the unseen risk, cost, and strategy that happens long before the hammer falls. I take a look behind the curtain with Penny & Stacey from Iconic Auctioneers to find out what it really takes to put a classic car auction on, and why the smartest sellers and buyers use auctions very differently than most people think.

    From the obvious cost of staging auctions at giant events like the NEC, Silverstone, and Carfest to the hidden expense of marketing, catalogues, postage, photography, and third-party listings, Penny explains how much an auction house invests before it earns a penny while Stacey breaks down the vendors side, including how guide prices are set, why realistic reserves matter, and what happens when a car arrives with a weak history file, poor presentation, or a price that simply isn't marketable.

    We discuss why glossy catalogues still matter in a digital world, how auction results work as the classic car market's true price guide, and why a well-prepared history file can change everything. We unpack the psychology of bidding, the value of underbidders, how private sellers often misunderstand market reality, and why the right prep can increase both saleability and value.

    For more information regarding Iconic Auctions please visit www.iconicauctioneers.com or you can follow them on social media @iconicauctioneers .

    To discuss consigning a classic car in the upcoming auction at the NEC Classic Motor Show on 14th-15th November please call Stacey on 07472-250306 and for classic bikes Mark on 07958-107974 will be able to help.


    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    30 min
  • The history of the Metro with Tim Ashworth - how a 70’s design dominated the British roads for so long.

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    The humble Metro is far more fascinating than most people remember. From a base-spec 1982 Austin Mini Metro City to a rare Mark 2 MG Metro Turbo, a Rover 114 SLi, and the final Rover 100-era cars, this episode reveals why these small British hatchbacks were everywhere then, and why survivors are turning heads now.

    The Old Car Lady joins Tim from Stockley Classics to compare four very different Metros side by side, uncovering how the line evolved across 18 years without losing its core character. From badge changes and facelifted front ends to interior upgrades, five-door practicality, and the shift from stripped-out city car to slightly more upmarket Rover, the conversation shows just how much car you got for the money, and how much personality came With them.

    You'll discover:

    •  What actually changed between the Mark 1, Mark 2, Rover Metro, and Rover 100
    • Why the base City is so charmingly spartan, with no glove box, no radio, and plastic seats
    •  How the turbo and later K-Series cars altered the Metro formula
    •  Why the Hydragas suspension is both the Metro's secret weapon and its biggest maintenance headache
    •  What makes a low-mileage, original survivor far more interesting than a shiny restored example

    There's also a brilliant look at the market logic behind these cars.
    Some were once worth "two lolly sticks and a balloon, yet now the most ordinary examples are the rarest, because so many were used hard, rusted away, or simply disappeared. If you've ever wondered why a basic family hatchback can now spark more excitement than a Corvette or a Wrangler at a show, this episode has the answer.
    This is essential listening if you love British classics, want to understand why originality matters, or you're shopping for a Metro, Mini Metro, Rover Metro, or Rover 100 of your own. Expect nostalgia, practical buying advice, and a fresh appreciation for one of Britain's most important everyday cars.

    Thanks to Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics for his time, knowledge and of course his Metro’s You can find Tim at:

    Website: www.stockleyclassics.com

    Social Media: @stockleyclassics

    You Tube: Tim Sells Cars

    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    35 min
  • James at Chops Garage - Is Classic & Modern Car Dealing really that different? - Or are raffles the way forward?

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    Two very different corners of the car world collide here - and the result is a brutally honest blueprint for how to buy, prep, sell, and actually make money from cars in 2026. If you care about classics, modern classics, or running a dealership without drowning in comebacks, this conversation is packed with real-world tactics you can use immediately.

    James and The Old Car Lady get into the shift from modern stock to older metal, why project cars can be smarter than perfect ones, and how social media has become a genuine sales tool rather than just a marketing side hustle. They break down what really makes a car valuable, why transparency beats polish, and how knowing exactly who you are selling to can save you from expensive headaches later.

    You'll discover:

    •  Why rough-and-ready classics can be better business than immaculate restorations
    •  How project cars create room for margin, content, and future opportunity
    •  The difference between selling to experienced classic buyers and first-timers
    •  Why honesty about faults, paperwork, and expectations
    • How YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram help build trust
    •  When a raffle model makes sense, and when it absolutely doesn't
    • The conversation also digs into the modern dealership squeeze: rising prep costs, warranty pressure, and why low-margin cars under five grand are getting harder to retail profitably. Against that backdrop, they make a strong case for the dealers who can show their work, explain their process, and prove the value they add before a customer ever steps through the door.
      If you're a car dealer, enthusiast, trader, or just someone who loves hearing how the business really works behind the scenes, this episode is essential listening. It's smart, funny, and refreshingly unfiltered - with plenty of ideas for anyone trying to turn cars into a sustainable business without losing the love for them.
    A Nod To

    Huge thanks to James for joining me this week, to find out more about James and his dealership, classic cars and raffles please look for Chops Garage on all them usual social media channels - an if you don’t already follow him please have a look at his brilliant YouTube channel.

    Website: https://www.cgcarsales.co.uk/

    YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/@ChopsGarage




    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    51 min
  • A Day at a Classic Car Auction | The Cars We Loved & The Prices We Got Wrong!

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    A £50,000 Audi Quattro, a bargain Lagonda Rapide, and a handful of French and German oddballs that prove the market is full of surprises. If you love classic cars, auction drama, and the kind of brutally honest price-picking that only comes from people who are part of the industry, this episode is for you.

    The Old Car Lady puts 6 lots under the microscope with sharp, opinionated calls on value, condition, and desirability. From a 1990 Audi Quattro 20-valve press car with a serious premium question hanging over it, to a rare Lagonda Rapide that's suddenly looking like smart money, every car gets judged on more than just shiny paint and a glossy brochure. 

    She invites Richy Barnett - Markets Editor for Classic Car Weekly, Simon Monks from Lot 76 YouTube channel and dealer Jason Hall from Bramhall Classics to share their market insights as well as challenging them to guess where these cars will end up under the hammer.

    You'll hear detailed reactions to a 1978 Peugeot 604 V6 SL in exceptional condition, a no-reserve 1978 Citroën GS Club, and a beautifully preserved Mercedes 190 Ponton with one of the most obsessive history files you'll ever hear about. Along the way, the conversation digs into what actually adds value at auction, why press car provenance can be both a blessing and a curse, and which classic shapes still stop people in their tracks.


    • In this episode: the 1971 Hillman Hunter Super 1725 is discussed as a no reserve resto-mod-style car that had a strong preview appeal, and the final price lands at £5,344 including fees, above the early estimate.
    •  Simon from Lot76 weighs in on the 1990 Audi Quattro 20-valve press car, arguing that the 20-valve version is more desirable than the 10-valve and that press-car provenance may justify a premium, but only up to a point.
    •  The Audi's press-car history becomes the big question: better documentation and preparation, but potentially a harder life from magazine and TV testing, track use, and repeated wear.
    •  The Lagonda Rapide is highlighted as the speaker's top pick of the sale, with a concise history of Aston Martin and Lagonda being brought together under David Brown and the market shifting from high-value to much more accessible territory.
    •  The Lagonda Rapide is praised for its design and value, with the estimate reset from a lofty prior range to a more saleable level, and it ultimately sells for £50,625 including fees.
    •  Jason Hall of Bramhall Classics joins the conversation outside to talk through a batch of French and German curiosities, and how he very nearly ended up a Maserati main dealer.
    •  The Peugeot 604 is treated as a hidden gem: left-hand drive, automatic, recent cosmetic work, and a strong sense of old-money elegance, though the market estimate looks low for such a tidy
    •  The 1978 Citroën GS Club gets a strong endorsement as a practical, efficient, compact family car that still makes sense today, with special mention of the bi-rotor version and the strength of Citroën enthusiast demand
    •  The Mercedes 190 Ponton closes out the discussion as a car with exceptional history and real driver appeal, but the lot does not meet reserve and remains unsold despite reaching €10,000 on the day.

    I would like to apologise for the reduced quality of today’s episode - the Producer is having a well earnt rest and I’ve had a crack at it myself - normal higher quality business will be resumed shortly.

    A Nod To

    Simon Monks of Lot 76 YouTube channel @Lot76CARS

    Richy Barnett of Classic Car Weekly and www.thespecial.org website

    Jason Hall of Bramhall Classics 

    📧 [email protected]

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    17 min
  • Paul Gardner | The Beatles’ E-Type, a Ferrari F40 in Switzerland & Why the Car Business Is Really a People Business

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    The Old Car Lady is joined by Paul Gardner, founder of Speed Broker. Paul and his wife manage private treaty sales on behalf of collectors: photography, listings, storytelling, negotiation and handover, with the car staying exactly where it is.

    Paul’s career went from a paper round to Halfords, through valeting, wrapping, three years travelling with the Gumball 3000 and a restoration centre in Essex. Along the way: The Beatles’ E-Type, a Ferrari F40 in Switzerland, 70s Astons and a De Tomaso Pantera that started up outside a block of flats in North London and changed everything.

    Featured Stories

    The De Tomaso Pantera on the Paper Round: Paul was 13, delivering papers in North London, when a man started up a De Tomaso Pantera outside a block of flats. That was it. Sold for life. The E-Type his dad had admired at 10 was the first spark. The Pantera was the one that lit the fire.

    The Beatles’ E-Type: Bought at the Coys auction in 2016. It had belonged to Ivor Arbiter, the man who created the logo on The Beatles’ drum kit and assisted with instruments and bookings. The car had been left rotting for 40 years. Paul’s restoration centre in Essex spent two years returning it to a Series 1 flat-floor E-Type in crimson. It won awards.

    Speed Broker: Matchmakers for Classic Cars: Paul Gardner and his wife manage private treaty sales without the car leaving the owner. No dealer risk, no auction floor. Full photography, storytelling, negotiation and handover for a commission. The car stays in the owner’s garage until it is sold to the right person.

    One in, One Out and the Cars You Regret: Paul has owned close to 400 personal cars. Both he and Sam have sold things they wish they hadn’t. Paul’s approach was to own everything he had an opinion about so he could form that opinion himself. His conclusion: brilliant strategy, terrible financial plan.

    Square Pegs in Square Holes: The best deals Paul does are the ones where he already knows the buyer before the car comes to him. Building the community, running the events, staying in the room: all of it means that when a 70s Aston or a flat-floor E-Type needs a home, he usually knows exactly whose home it should be.

    A Nod To

    Speed Broker, Paul’s private treaty sales business. Find them on Instagram. The restoration centre in Essex where The Beatles’ E-Type was rebuilt. Ivor Arbiter and the Coys auction where it was found. And the man in North London with the De Tomaso Pantera who will never know what he started.

    📧 [email protected]

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube

    This has been a Worth A Listen Production.


    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    1 hr 5 min
  • Auction Review | Richie Barnett & Simon Monks | E-Types at £45k, Humber Imperials & the State of the Classic Car Market

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    The Old Car Lady is joined by Richie Barnett of Classic Car Weekly and Simon Monks of the Lot 67 YouTube channel to review three auctions on the same weekend: Historics, Manor Park Classics and Hampsons.

    They cover the state of the market, what auction houses are getting right and wrong, who bears responsibility when a car is not what it appeared, and whether Series 1 E-Types at £45,000 represent the buying opportunity of the decade. Honest, experienced and not always in agreement.

    Featured

    Is the Classic Car Market Dead? All Three Say No.: The doom-mongering is overdone. Good cars at sensible prices are still selling. Values have rebalanced and all three expect a steady plateau. Auction houses investing millions in new premises would not be doing so if the market was finished.

    The Humber Imperial That Made £6,000: Sam expected low four figures. It made £6,000. Someone really wanted it. All three agree Rootes Group cars are undervalued and the Super Snipes, Imperials and Sceptres are quietly finding their audience.

    E-Type Series 1 at £45k: Buy or Watch?: Richie and Simon both think now is the time. Series 1 E-Types at £45,000 represent prices not seen in a decade. A Series 2 in good order starts with a three. A whole new group of buyers who could never afford them before is about to discover them.

    What Auction Houses Get Right and Wrong: Walk-around videos are good. A hundred and fifty photographs of the same car from slightly different angles are not. Silent walk-around videos are somewhere in between. Descriptions that do not match the car when you get there are the thing that sticks. Shit sticks, as all three put it.

    Who Is Responsible When It Goes Wrong?: Joint responsibility between vendor, auction house and buyer. The vendor must declare known faults. The auction house should flag anything obvious. The buyer must do their homework: check the MOT history for free online, read the file, and if something matters to you, ask for a video underneath before you bid.

    What You’ll Learn

    Why a steady plateau is the most realistic market outlook. Why TR6s are now worth more than TR3s and what that tells you about nostalgia having a sell-by date. Why Historics spent £5 million on new premises and what that signals. Why competition cars tend to change hands in the paddock rather than at mainstream auctions. And why you should always look up the MOT history before you bid on anything.

    A Nod To

    Richie Barnett at Classic Car Weekly and thespecial.org. Simon Monks at Lot 67 on YouTube. Historics, Manor Park Classics and Hampsons auction houses, all of whose results from this weekend were still filtering through at the time of recording.

    📧 [email protected]

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube

    This has been a Worth A Listen Production.




    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    28 min
  • Tim Ashworth | Inside the Metro Barn: VP500, Opaline S, Press Car HLS & the Van That Never Was

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    The Old Car Lady heads to Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics for a barn tour. Six Metros, all rare, all significant, all in various states of readiness. Tim walks Sam through each one: what it is, why it matters and whether the maths will ever add up.

    A one-of-six VP500 with the certificate and the champagne long since drunk. A reimported opaline S with its original 1982 invoice. The 200th GJW press car in vermilion. A Kawasaki green go-kart with Type R seats and a bored-out engine. And the Metro van BL should have built but never did.

    Featured Stories

    The VP500: One of Six Left: Built to celebrate the 500,000th Metro. All black, gold stripe, pepperpots, full leather and a bottle of champagne on delivery. Five hundred built. Six remain. Tim has the certificate and plans to restore it next. Sold with a fresh bottle.

    The Opaline S: A Left-to-Right Reimport: Bought new in Belgium in 1982, converted to right-hand drive and sold back into the UK by an official importer. One owner from new. Original purchase invoice: £3,996. Steel sunroof, beige cloth instead of the standard strobe upholstery, 40-odd thousand miles, garaged all its life. A true garage find.

    GJW 200: The 200th Press Car: W-reg, vermilion, number 200 of the 200 GJW press cars. Tim is appealing for anyone with BL archive material from the early 80s to get in touch.

    Kermit: The Kawasaki Green Go-Kart: Started as a 998cc Metro L, bought on eBay, collected down the M6 on a jerry can. Now running a bored-out engine, Type R seats, no rear seats, carbon bonnet and a side exhaust. Sam has asked for a track day at Oulton Park. They are doing it.

    The Van That Never Was: Ex-Midlands Electricity Board 998cc Metro van, now running an MG Metro turbo engine, MG body kit, turbo alloys, pearl white with full colour coding. Tim’s version of the MG Metro van Austin Rover never built. It always gets attention at shows. It will start first time.


    A Nod To

    Tim Ashworth at stockleyclassics.com. Appeal for BL press archive photos of GJW cars. Red MG Metro turbo Mark 2 coming to Stockley Classics soon. Oulton Park track day in Kermit: stay tuned.

    📧 [email protected]

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube

    This has been a Worth A Listen Production.


    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    31 min
  • Martin Buckley | The Aga Khan’s Maserati Quattroporte & the Gold Lancia He Should Never Have Sold (Part 2)

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    The Old Car Lady is back with motoring writer Martin Buckley for Part 2 of the photo archaeology sessions. This time Martin goes bigger: the Aga Khan’s one-of-two Maserati Quattroporte, bought in LA in 2015, thrashed round America and sold for considerably more than he paid. One of only two ever built. The other went to the King of Spain.

    There is also Harold Wilson’s Humber Imperial with its bomb-proof floor and its original HW1 plate, a bomb-proof Silver Spur delivered to a nervous young Mexican in a Madrid hotel, a Crayford conversion nobody knew was a Crayford, and the gold Lancia Flavia 2000 Coupe Martin found in Loot that he will regret selling for the rest of his life.

    Featured Stories

    The Aga Khan’s Maserati Quattroporte: One of two Frua-bodied Quattroportes built on a stretched Indy platform. The Aga Khan had one, the King of Spain had the other. Martin bought his in LA, thrashed it round California, shipped it back, had a stalk repaired with glue rather than pay £600 for a proper fix, tried to sell it through JD Classics in Mayfair and eventually sold it privately. Now worth half a million. He is glad he had it. He is glad it is someone else’s problem.

    Harold Wilson’s Humber Imperial: HW1 on the plate, bomb-proof floor, massive air conditioning unit on the front. Martin’s dad had it, his dad did some daft things with it and it ended up getting scrapped. A C-reg AMC Ambassador parked permanently in Ashton stood nearby and never moved. Neither story ends well.

    The Bomb-Proof Spur to Madrid: Martin’s father sold a bomb-proof Silver Spur to a young Mexican businessman, delivered to a Madrid hotel, keys left with the concierge in the safe. The buyer said he’d collect it at some point. Windows so heavy they went up and down slowly. Doors you could feel the weight of from ten feet away.

    The Gold Lancia Flavia He Found in Loot: Gold with green carpets and black plastic seats, bought from a journalist who’d found it with no brakes. Reliable, smooth, beautiful to drive, took the family on holiday. The faster it went the smoother it got. Martin sold it, suspects it got scrapped and has never found another one he liked as much.


    A Nod To

    Martin Buckley, motoring writer and author. Sam’s photos from the session are on Instagram at @the_old_car_lady. The Car Time Team field trip to Stockport is being planned. And next week: a barn full of Metros that have been sitting untouched for years. Do not miss it.

    Toyota MR2 raffle: two free entries with code MR2POD at Raffall. 51,000 miles, 11-month MOT. Proceeds to Dogs Trust - just google ‘Raffall the old car lady’ or search on www.raffall.com and use code MR2POD for 2 free tickets - the raffle will be drawn on July 18th.


    📧 [email protected]

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube

    This has been a Worth A Listen Production.


    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    20 min
  • Anthony Kearsley | Applejack Rolls-Royces, Richard Harris’ Phantom V & a £550k Bentley Drophead

    Click here to talk to us…..we’d love to hear from you!

    The Old Car Lady heads to the RREC National Rally to meet Anthony Kearsley, classic car collector, Auto Couture owner and star of Channel 4’s Handcuffed. Anthony walks Sam through some of the most extraordinary cars at the event, including a £1,000,000 one-off Bentley S3 Drophead, a 1933 Silver Wraith Landaulet with an Edwardian coachbuilt body, and Richard Harris’ Phantom V…the only car he ever owned.

    A Rolls-Royce Spirit in Applejack reunited with the Vanden Plas 1500 it was built to match, the Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Sedanca built for an oil baron & a Bentley R-Type with no roof and another restoration story.

    Featured Stories

    The Applejack Spirit and the Vanden Plas 1500: A Spirit stripped and restored in Applejack to match a surviving Vanden Plas 1500. The husband who wanted the same colour on a Spirit died before he could order it. Anthony completed what he never lived to commission. £50,000, six years. The two cars met for the first time at this rally.

    The £550,000 Bentley S3 Drophead: No Rolls-Royce or Bentley drophead existed in the 60s if you wanted one, you had it coachbuilt. Anthony commissioned this one to Mulliner blueprints: acrylic white, St James red, electric red mohair roof. Over £550,000 and multiple failed delivery dates later, PNA have quoted a million pounds to build one today. He says never again.

    Richard Harris’ Phantom V: The only car Richard Harris ever owned, gifted reputedly by Princess Margaret, used by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton for their Wales tour, left in a New York car park for 25 years and retrieved with £100,000 in parking fees. Anthony first saw it at Jack Barclay’s in the 1990s. It is midnight blue and it is for sale.

    The Withnail and I Sedanca: A Silver Wraith Hooper Sedanca built for Calouste Gulbenkian, the Armenian oil baron who earned 5% of every barrel sold. Lizard skin interior, a speedo in the back to monitor the chauffeur, and a starring role as Uncle Monty’s car in Withnail and I. Sold for £95,000. Worth considerably more to the right person.

    The Bentley R-Type With No Roof: Converted from a four-door saloon to a convertible at a cost of a quarter of a million pounds, then discovered it would cost another fifty grand to fit a proper hood. It went to auction. Highest bid was £58,500. The lady of the house has decreed it is not coming back.

    What You’ll Learn

    Why buying a fully restored classic is almost always better value than restoring one yourself. Why the pre-war Rolls-Royce market is losing its custodians faster than it is gaining new ones. Why the chauffeur always got the leather seat and the owner got the fabric. What MacArthur Park has to do with a Phantom V. And why a car restored to a quarter of a million pounds can fail to reach £60,000 at auction.

    Key Questions
    • Is it ever worth commissioning a one-off coachbuilt Rolls-Royce or Bentley today? Anthony says probably not twice. The £550,000 Bentley would cost a million to build now. The heartache and failed delivery dates are real. Buy the best restored car someone else has already suffered through.
    • Are pre-war Rolls-Royces undervalued? Anthony bought a 1933 Silver Wraith Landaulet with over £200,000 of restoration for £26,500 at auction. The previous owner had Alzheimer’s. The people who restore these cars are leaving the scene faster than new buyers are arriving.
    • What makes a car genuinely special beyond its condition? Every car Anthony walks Sam past has a human story: a husband’s unfulfilled wish, a hellraising actor’s only possession, a billionaire’s bespoke commission. Anthony’s view is that the story is inseparable from the car and always will be.
    A Nod To

    Anthony Kearsley and Auto Couture, who offer chauffeur hire from £1,500. The film The Ghost of Richard Harris on Sky Arts, featuring Anthony, Jared Harris and the Phantom V. The RRC National Rally. And Hooper, Mulliner and the great coachbuilders whose work still commands rooms full of people who cannot quite believe what they are looking at.

    https://autocoutureltd.com/ 


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    This has been a Worth A Listen Production.


    I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.

    📧 [email protected]

    📞 Tel: 07851 694637

    💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554

    📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady

    🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady

    👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook

    🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube


    21 min

About Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady

From the publisher's feed

Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady,  the UK's classic car podcast for people who love the stories behind the cars.

Sam Grange-Bailey isn't just a presenter. She's a classic car…