DEALERS

There are few corners of the international collector-car world that Simon Kidston has not encountered during a career spanning auctions, private sales, concours events and some of the most significant motor cars to change hands in recent decades.

Kidston was established in Geneva in 2006, but the story behind the company reaches considerably further back. Simon's early career developed within the auction world, including the creation of Brooks Europe and his subsequent role as President of Bonhams Europe, placing him at the centre of a collector-car market that was becoming increasingly international.

There is also a more personal connection to motoring history. His family includes Glen Kidston, one of the celebrated Bentley Boys of the inter-war period and a winner of the 1930 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Today, Kidston occupies a rather different position from a traditional auction house or dealership. Private sales remain an important part of its work, but so too do research, acquisition, collection advice and the supervision of significant restoration projects.

The common thread is the cars themselves — and an interest in understanding why certain examples matter.

The story can be as important as the car

At this level of the market, two apparently similar cars can have remarkably different histories.

One may retain much of its original construction; another may have been rebuilt several times. A competition car might have accumulated important results in period, while a road car may have passed through the hands of a notable owner or remained hidden within the same collection for decades.

Untangling those histories has become an important part of Kidston's work.

Factory records, period photography, correspondence and previous ownership can all contribute pieces of the story. Sometimes the most valuable information comes from speaking to the people who raced, maintained or owned the car many years earlier.

That research explains why Kidston's presentation of significant cars often reads more like biography than catalogue description.

Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Aston Martin and many of the great marques appear regularly, but the emphasis frequently falls on the individual chassis rather than simply the model.

This is particularly relevant with cars that have led complicated lives.

Competition machinery was modified constantly when new. Road cars changed colour, specification and ownership. During periods when today's collectability could hardly have been imagined, historically important cars were simply used, repaired and altered as necessary.

Understanding what happened during those intervening years can be every bit as fascinating as knowing how a car originally left the factory.

Behind the collection

Some of Kidston's work takes place long after a car has been acquired.

Important collections rarely remain static. Cars are restored, exercised, entered into events, researched further and occasionally replaced as the interests of their owners develop.

Kidston has been involved in the restoration of significant cars by coordinating the specialist businesses appropriate to individual projects. With Italian machinery in particular, this can mean returning a car to craftsmen and workshops whose knowledge is closely connected to the people and methods responsible for building such cars originally.

The objective can vary enormously.

A highly original survivor may require remarkably little intervention. Another car may need years of work to recover a specification lost through previous restoration. Occasionally, research undertaken during a project can alter the understanding of the car itself.

That makes collection management less about accumulating machinery and more about stewardship.

The most interesting collections tend to develop a personality of their own. Some follow a marque or period; others concentrate on competition history, engineering significance or simply the cars that fascinate their owner.

There is no universal formula for what belongs.

Still motor cars

The collector-car market has changed dramatically during Simon Kidston's career.

Cars once bought primarily because enthusiasts wanted to drive them can now carry values comparable with important works of art. International concours events have become increasingly sophisticated, historical research more rigorous and originality considerably more closely examined.

Yet the objects at the centre of this world remain motor cars.

They have engines that need warming, gearboxes that reward familiarity and chassis whose qualities only become apparent once the car begins moving. A competition Ferrari or pre-war Bentley can be historically important and financially valuable while still possessing the mechanical character that made somebody want it in the first place.

That perspective runs naturally through Kidston.

Research matters because the history matters. Restoration matters because original details can disappear. Market knowledge matters because values influence what happens to significant cars. But none of those things completely explains why generations of collectors have become fascinated by them.

Ultimately, the best cars possess something that cannot be reduced to auction results or production numbers.

Kidston's place within this world has been shaped by decades spent around those cars — finding them, researching them, driving them and following their histories as they move between generations of custodians.

It is that combination of historical curiosity, collector-car experience and an enduring interest in the individual stories behind significant motor cars that makes Kidston recognised as a HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Kidston
Geneva, Switzerland

+41 22 740 1939

At the highest end of the collector-car market, finding an expensive motor car is relatively easy.

Knowing whether it is the right one is considerably harder.

A Ferrari 275 GTB can have the correct chassis number yet carry decades of restoration and alteration. Two McLaren F1s can ostensibly be the same model while differing enormously in provenance, mileage, specification and history. Even among contemporary limited-production hypercars, colour, factory options, ownership and originality can separate the exceptional from something that is simply rare.

It is within those distinctions that Tom Hartley Jnr has built his business.

The name will already be familiar to many within the international collector-car world. Tom entered the motor trade extraordinarily young, working within the family business from the age of 11 and becoming a partner at 16. More than 25 years of personal experience have subsequently taken him from contemporary performance cars into some of the most significant historic machinery to have changed hands privately.

McLaren F1s, Ferrari 250 GTOs and Testa Rossas have passed through the business, together with important Grand Prix cars including the Mercedes-Benz W125 and James Hunt's championship-winning McLaren M23. More recently, the same market has expanded to encompass the latest generation of limited-production supercars and hypercars.

The remarkable part is not simply the value of those cars.

It is the breadth of knowledge required to move convincingly between them.

When the Individual Car Matters

At this level, buying the model is not enough.

Condition matters. Provenance matters. Originality matters. So does the quality of previous restoration, the completeness of documentation and, increasingly, the history of an individual chassis.

Tom Hartley Jnr's approach is built around selecting cars against precisely those criteria.

That becomes particularly important with historic machinery. A Ferrari may have been repainted several times, rebuilt after competition use or restored according to standards very different from those expected today. A racing car can carry an extraordinary chassis number while the physical components attached to it require considerably more investigation.

The process therefore begins with understanding what is actually being bought.

That might mean examining documentation and ownership history, establishing whether major components remain original or correct, consulting marque authorities and specialists, or assessing the quality of previous restoration work before deciding whether further work is necessary.

Occasionally, preservation is more valuable than perfection.

Tom Hartley Jnr's discovery and subsequent sale of McLaren F1 chassis 060 illustrated the point particularly well. The car had remained with its original Japanese owner and survived in extraordinary as-delivered condition, including factory protective coverings. Its significance came not from restoration but from precisely the opposite: remarkably little had happened to it.

That judgement — recognising when something should be improved and when its untouched condition is the very reason it matters — becomes increasingly important as the collector market matures.

The same principle applies to considerably older machinery.

The company's previous sales have included the Le Mans-winning 1959 Ferrari 250 TR59/60 and an Aston Martin DBR1 that finished second at Le Mans in 1959, while its current offering ranges from a 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Le Mans Berlinetta and alloy-bodied 275 GTB to an unrestored low-mileage Dino 246 GTS.

They are not simply different models.

Each presents a different argument for collectability.

From the 250 GTO to the Hypercar

Perhaps the greatest change in the collector-car market during Tom Hartley Jnr's career has been the definition of an important car.

The established hierarchy once centred heavily on pre-war machinery and the great sports and GT cars of the 1950s and 1960s. Those cars remain important, but the market around them has been joined by another generation.

Ferrari F40s, F50s and Enzos, Porsche Carrera GTs, McLaren F1s and the limited-production hypercars that followed now sit comfortably within serious international collections.

Tom Hartley Jnr operates across both worlds.

That is significant because the knowledge required is different. Assessing a 1950s competition Ferrari demands historical research, an understanding of restoration and familiarity with decades of ownership. Evaluating a contemporary hypercar can involve factory specification, allocation history, mileage, servicing, paint protection, battery condition and whether apparently insignificant options affect desirability.

Yet the underlying question remains the same.

Is this the example worth owning?

The company's stock policy makes that question particularly relevant. In the majority of cases, Tom Hartley Jnr purchases the cars it offers rather than relying primarily upon commission consignments.

That changes the relationship with the machinery.

Selecting the wrong car does not simply create a difficult conversation with a consignor. The business has invested its own capital in it.

It also allows decisions to be made quickly when important cars become available — something that matters considerably in a market where exceptional examples can change hands privately without ever being publicly advertised.

Some of the most significant transactions consequently happen away from auction rooms, websites and public sales.

At that level, international relationships become as important as inventory.

A New Home for the Collection

In June 2026, Tom Hartley Jnr opened a new headquarters in the Cotswolds, marking a significant change for the business.

The new facility was conceived as considerably more than somewhere to display cars. Alongside the showroom are client areas, detailing facilities, a photography studio and landscaped grounds, creating an environment intended around the experience of viewing and acquiring important motor cars.

It also reflects how much the high-end collector market itself has changed.

A business dealing with a Ferrari 166 MM one week and an Aston Martin Valkyrie the next no longer sits neatly within the traditional definitions of either classic-car dealer or modern supercar specialist.

The clientele increasingly crosses those boundaries too.

A collector who begins with contemporary Ferraris may eventually become interested in a 275 GTB. Somebody whose collection was built around post-war competition machinery might decide that a McLaren F1 represents an equally important piece of automotive history.

Understanding that progression has become part of the modern collector-car business.

It explains why Tom Hartley Jnr's inventory can appear almost deliberately contradictory: an unrestored Dino beside a modern Ferrari Speciale Aperta; a Porsche 356 Speedster alongside a limited-production 935; a 1950s Ferrari competition car occupying the same collection as machinery created more than seventy years later.

Look more closely and the connection becomes clear.

They are cars considered significant within their own generation.

After decades spent at the top of the international market, the skill is no longer simply knowing what something is worth. Markets change, tastes move between generations and values inevitably rise and fall.

The more enduring ability is recognising the individual motor car that deserves to matter.

That combination of market knowledge, international reach, provenance-led selection and experience across everything from significant historic competition cars to contemporary hypercars is why Tom Hartley Jnr is a trusted and HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Tom Hartley Jnr
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
+44 (0)1608 532500

Girardo & Co. specialises in the sale, sourcing and presentation of historically significant collector cars, combining international market expertise with an unusually detailed approach to provenance, research and storytelling.

Operating from its Oxfordshire headquarters and facility in Turin, the company has established a global reputation for representing some of the world's most important competition and collector motor cars, with particular emphasis on understanding and communicating the history that makes each individual car significant.

More than the motor car

At the heart of Girardo & Co. is the belief that an important collector car is defined by considerably more than its make, model or specification.

Competition history, previous ownership, period documentation, originality and the events surrounding a car throughout its life can fundamentally influence both its significance and its position within the collector market.

For this reason, detailed provenance research forms an integral part of the company's approach. Supported by an experienced in-house research team, individual cars can be investigated through historical records, archives and period material to build a comprehensive understanding of their history.

This depth of research is particularly important when dealing with significant competition machinery, where an individual chassis may have accumulated decades of racing history and association with important drivers, teams and events.

Presenting significant cars differently

Girardo & Co. has also developed a distinctive approach to the way collector cars are presented to the market.

Its in-house media capabilities combine photography, film, historical research and editorial storytelling to communicate not simply what a car is, but why it matters.

Rather than treating presentation as a conventional sales exercise, the objective is to document the individual story surrounding each motor car and provide prospective custodians with a deeper understanding of its place within automotive history.

This combination of specialist market knowledge and sophisticated presentation has become one of the defining characteristics of the business.

An international collector perspective

With operations in both the United Kingdom and Italy and an established international client base, Girardo & Co. works across the global collector car market.

Alongside the sale of significant motor cars, the company assists clients with sourcing and acquisition, collector advisory and wider ownership support. Its expertise encompasses important road cars alongside historic motorsport and competition machinery, providing clients with access to knowledge across some of the highest levels of the market.

For collectors, this means the relationship can extend beyond an individual transaction to identifying opportunities, researching potential acquisitions and providing informed guidance as collections develop.

It is this combination of historical understanding, meticulous provenance research, international market expertise and distinctive presentation that sets Girardo & Co. apart — and is why the company is recognised as a HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Girardo & Co.
Oxfordshire, England
+44 (0)20 3621 2923

There are dealers who sell classic cars, and there are businesses whose stock occasionally reads more like an index to motor racing history.

Fiskens belongs firmly in the latter category.

From a cobbled mews in Kensington, some remarkable machinery has changed hands over the years: Ferrari competition cars, Jaguar C- and D-Types, Ford GT40s, significant Bentleys, Porsche prototypes and Grand Prix cars, alongside exceptional road machinery extending from the pre-war period to the modern supercar.

The diversity is considerable. The common denominator is significance.

For a business operating at this end of the collector-car world, finding an important model is only the beginning. The difficult part is understanding why one particular example matters more than another.

That requires considerably more than knowing its current market value.

Fiskens was established by Gregor Fisken following a career that had already placed historic motor cars at the centre of his life. Early experience came under respected restorer Bunty Scott-Moncrieff before a period within the London auction world helped develop an understanding of both the cars and the international market surrounding them.

The business that followed found an appropriate home at 14 Queen's Gate Place Mews.

Kensington's mews have a long association with the London motor trade, once accommodating coachbuilders, trimmers, painters and dealers within the small workshops originally built behind the capital's larger houses. Much of that industry has disappeared from central London.

Fiskens remains.

The Car Behind the Description

At the highest level of the market, the name on the bonnet tells remarkably little of the complete story.

Two Ferrari 250-series cars can have profoundly different histories. One Jaguar C-Type may retain significant original material while another has undergone decades of competition, repair and restoration. A racing Porsche can become considerably more important because of one chassis number, one driver or one afternoon at Le Mans.

Provenance therefore becomes inseparable from the motor car itself.

Fiskens places considerable emphasis on research before presenting a car, tracing competition history, ownership, specification and restoration where possible. For significant competition machinery, period photographs, race entries and documentary records can be as important to understanding the car as inspecting what remains physically in front of you.

That expertise is particularly relevant because Fiskens operates across an unusually broad period.

Its current and previous inventory stretches from early twentieth-century machinery and vintage Bentleys through Alfa Romeo 8Cs, Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs and Ferrari GT cars to Porsche 956s and 962s, Aston Martin GT racers and modern cars such as the Ferrari F50, Porsche Carrera GT and Bugatti Chiron.

The market has changed considerably during the company's lifetime, but the requirement to establish exactly what is being offered has not.

Sometimes the most important cars never need to be publicly advertised at all.

Decades spent working with major international collections have created a network through which acquisitions and sales can take place privately. For an owner of a particularly significant motor car, discretion can be every bit as important as achieving the correct price.

Knowing who might buy a car can consequently matter as much as knowing what it is worth.

Understanding Competition Machinery

There is another element to Fiskens that distinguishes it from the conventional historic-car dealer.

The cars are used.

Gregor Fisken has competed at the Le Mans 24 Hours in all four classes, including as a works Courage driver in the C70 LMP1 prototype and in a factory-backed Aston Martin DBR9. His historic racing experience has included machinery such as the Maserati 250F, Ferrari 250 GTO and McLaren F1 GTR, with successes at Goodwood, Tour Auto and the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique.

Other members of the Fiskens team compete too.

That matters when the object being sold was designed principally to race.

A competition car cannot be understood entirely from a history file or concours inspection. Gear ratios, driving position, eligibility, preparation and the availability of appropriate events all become relevant to the person considering ownership.

The difference between possessing an important racing car and actually using one can be substantial.

Fiskens' involvement therefore frequently extends beyond the transaction itself, connecting clients with race preparers, event organisers, transport specialists and others required to put a historic competition car back onto a circuit. The company also maintains relationships with restorers and marque specialists when significant work is required.

It reflects a straightforward philosophy: important machinery should not necessarily become static simply because it has become valuable.

A D-Type still makes sense at speed. A vintage Bentley reveals considerably more from behind its steering wheel than beneath exhibition lighting. A sports prototype designed for Le Mans arguably loses part of its meaning if its engine is never started.

From One Custodian to Another

Perhaps the most interesting part of dealing in significant motor cars is that ownership is usually temporary.

A Ferrari that raced internationally in the 1950s may have passed through numerous collections before arriving in Kensington. Its next owner becomes another name within a history that began decades earlier and, in all probability, will continue long afterwards.

At this level, the dealer occupies an unusual position between those custodians.

Sometimes the task is highly visible. Fiskens has maintained a substantial presence at Rétromobile in Paris for many years and regularly presents cars at major concours and international motoring events. Its 2026 Rétromobile collection alone ranged from an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spider and Jaguar C-Type to a Porsche 956 B and Aston Martin Vantage GTE.

At other times, the transaction remains entirely private.

Both require judgement.

The strongest price is important, but so is understanding the market into which a car is being offered, how it should be presented and which collectors are likely to recognise its significance. For buyers, the same knowledge works in reverse: identifying the right example rather than simply finding an example that happens to be available.

That distinction becomes increasingly important as the collector-car market evolves.

The machinery attracting serious collectors now extends across more than a century. Pre-war competition cars coexist with 1960s GTs, Group C prototypes, 1990s supercars and comparatively recent endurance racers. Fiskens' own stock illustrates how far the definition of an important collector car has expanded.

Yet the fundamentals remain remarkably consistent.

History matters. Originality matters. Competition success can matter. The quality and sensitivity of previous restoration matters. Above all, knowing precisely what sits in front of you matters.

From Queen's Gate Place Mews, Fiskens has built its reputation around making those distinctions.

That combination of historical knowledge, international market experience, discretion and an understanding of significant motor cars developed both through trading them and using them is why Fiskens is a trusted and HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Fiskens
London, England
+44 (0)20 7584 3503

There are many ways to understand an important motor car. You can study its history, examine its provenance, restore its components or analyse the market around it. There is another perspective, however, that comes from understanding what happens when machinery is used properly.

That distinction has shaped Joe Macari for more than three decades.

Joe began competing and preparing his own racing cars in 1988, initially financing his racing through buying and selling cars. What began as a means of supporting competition gradually developed into a much broader automotive business, encompassing sales, servicing, restoration and racing. By 1998, the operation had moved to London and, in 2007, Joe Macari Servicing became an official Ferrari and Maserati franchise with a purpose-built service centre.

Today, the businesses remain in south-west London, combining an independent collector and performance car showroom with a substantial classic workshop, Ferrari Classiche certification, restoration and competition expertise. The showroom itself, opened in 2014, has capacity for more than 60 cars.

What makes the operation particularly interesting, however, is not simply the breadth of what it does. It is the connection between the different disciplines.

Understanding the Car Beyond the Showroom

The inventory at Joe Macari can move comfortably between generations.

A Ferrari 250 GT Lusso or 275 GTB might share the showroom with a modern limited-production Porsche, an Aston Martin DB4, a Jaguar E-Type or contemporary performance machinery. The business has handled cars from many of the marques that now define the international collector market, but Ferrari has remained particularly important throughout its history.

That familiarity extends considerably beyond buying and selling.

Within the classic workshop, the list of Ferraris that have passed through the business reads like a condensed history of Maranello's most significant road and competition machinery: 250 GTO, 250 GT SWB, 250 Tour de France, 250 California Spider, 250 Testa Rossa, 275 GTB, 365 P2 and Daytona, followed by later cars including the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and FXX.

The same workshop has also worked with machinery as varied as the Maserati MC12 GT, Lamborghini Miura, Lancia Stratos, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, Porsche 959 and Carrera GT, Ford RS200 Evolution and Lancia Delta S4.

That breadth matters because significant cars rarely fit neatly into a single category. A collector may own a 1960s Ferrari alongside an F40, Carrera GT and contemporary hypercar. Understanding such a collection requires knowledge of very different engineering periods, materials and maintenance requirements.

The showroom and workshop therefore complement one another. Knowledge acquired through maintaining and restoring cars informs the understanding required to buy and sell them, while exposure to important examples provides a continually evolving reference point for what originality, provenance and correct specification should look like.

Restoring the Cars That Matter

Restoration is where that accumulated knowledge becomes particularly visible.

Joe Macari Classics has undertaken ground-up restorations of cars including the Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France, 250 GT Lusso, long- and short-wheelbase 250 California Spiders, 275 GTB, 365 GTB/4 Daytona and 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder, alongside cars such as the Lamborghini Miura P400 and Maserati 3500 GT Vignale Spyder.

The workshop encompasses body restoration, mechanical rebuilding, engine work, trimming, servicing and race preparation. Its restorations have subsequently received recognition at major concours events, while other cars prepared by the business have returned to competition.

Yet the most important measure of a restoration is not necessarily how a car appears beneath concours lighting.

Joe Macari's philosophy places considerable emphasis on ensuring that restored cars drive as they should. That distinction becomes particularly relevant with machinery conceived during an era when road and competition engineering were closely connected. Steering weight, braking behaviour, engine response, gearbox operation and chassis balance all contribute to the character of an historic car. Correct presentation without correct operation preserves only part of its identity.

Competition experience provides another reference point.

Joe has competed internationally in contemporary GT racing, including the FIA GT Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while the business has also been involved in historic competition. Its race operation can provide technical, logistical and operational support ranging from individual technicians through to complete race-team support.

There is a practical consequence to that experience. Racing exposes weaknesses quickly. Preparation has to withstand sustained loads, elevated temperatures and repeated use in circumstances where cosmetic perfection alone has little relevance. The disciplines learned in that environment inevitably influence how road and historic competition cars are prepared.

For collectors who actually use significant machinery, that understanding is particularly valuable.

Provenance, Authenticity and Ferrari Classiche

As values have risen, the documentary history surrounding important cars has become almost as closely examined as the machinery itself.

For Ferrari collectors, Classiche certification has become an important part of that process. Joe Macari is actively involved in undertaking Ferrari Classiche certifications for UK clients, with cars inspected through its workshop as part of the factory certification procedure. The business states that it has completed more Ferrari Classiche certifications than any other UK dealer.

That process demands a different form of expertise from conventional servicing. Engine, transmission, chassis, bodywork and specification must be considered against the identity and history of the individual car. Previous restoration work, replacement components and changes made during decades of use can all become relevant.

It is here that the different sides of Joe Macari begin to converge.

The business can encounter a car as a potential acquisition, understand its position within the market, investigate its history, inspect it mechanically, undertake restoration where appropriate, pursue Classiche certification and subsequently maintain it for continued road or competition use. Those are not isolated services but different stages in the life of the same motor car.

That continuity becomes increasingly important as the collector market matures. The best-known cars are rarely simply bought and placed into collections indefinitely. They move between custodians, appear at concours events, undertake tours, return to circuits and occasionally require major restoration. Their histories continue to develop.

Joe Macari's position within that world has similarly developed from the straightforward buying and selling of cars used to finance racing into an organisation capable of dealing with some of the most important Ferrari road and competition cars, alongside significant machinery from across the wider collector market.

More than three decades later, the racing remains relevant. It created an understanding that an exceptional motor car is ultimately still a piece of engineering — one whose history deserves to be understood, whose originality should be respected and whose mechanical qualities should remain accessible to the person behind the wheel.

That combination of collector-car knowledge, significant restoration capability, Ferrari Classiche expertise and genuine experience of preparing and competing with high-performance machinery is why Joe Macari is a trusted and HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Joe Macari
London, United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 8870 9007

There are few names in automotive history capable of inspiring the same level of devotion as Ferrari.

For some, the fascination begins with the competition cars that established Maranello's reputation. For others, it is the elegance of a front-engined V12 grand tourer, the unmistakable shape of a Testarossa or the engineering sophistication of a contemporary limited-production model.

What connects them is something that extends beyond the cars themselves.

Ferrari has developed an international following in which history, engineering, design and personal enthusiasm are inseparable. Yet the market for its cars has traditionally remained spread across individual dealerships, auction houses and general automotive advertising platforms.

Mercato Tifosi was created to bring that world together.

Based in the Netherlands, the business has developed a dedicated international marketplace exclusively for pre-owned Ferraris, connecting specialist dealers, private sellers, collectors and enthusiasts through a single marque-focused platform.

Its approach combines vehicle sales with editorial features, specialist dealer profiles and information about the events that continue to shape Ferrari culture.

The distinction is important.

Mercato Tifosi is not attempting to become another general marketplace for prestigious motor cars. Its purpose is to provide an environment in which every vehicle, every seller and every conversation begins with a shared understanding of Ferrari.

A marketplace devoted to Maranello

The Ferrari collector market is unusually diverse.

A 1950s 250 GT Coupé, a 1970s Berlinetta Boxer and a modern SF90 Spider represent very different periods of the company's development. Each appeals to a different kind of owner, with expectations shaped by mechanical character, production history, specification and long-term desirability.

Bringing these cars together within one dedicated marketplace creates an interesting perspective on the marque.

Mercato Tifosi allows visitors to explore Ferrari models across successive generations, from historically significant grand tourers to contemporary performance machinery.

Its listings are supplied by specialist dealerships and private sellers, providing an international selection rather than an inventory restricted to one business or geographic market.

Among the participating dealers are businesses such as GTO Motors in Italy, Moteur & Sens in France and Autobedrijf Wim Prins in the Netherlands.

Their presence reflects the international nature of Ferrari ownership.

A collector searching for a particular model may find the right example hundreds or thousands of miles from home. Restricting that search to a domestic market can mean overlooking cars whose specification, provenance or condition makes them especially desirable.

Mercato Tifosi addresses this by providing a platform through which buyers can discover cars offered by sellers across different countries.

The search facilities recognise that serious collectors often have very specific requirements.

Visitors can narrow their selection by model, production year, mileage, body style, transmission, exterior and interior colours, price and location.

More specialised criteria include naturally aspirated engines and competition cars, acknowledging that mechanical configuration and intended purpose can be just as important as model designation.

For a collector seeking a manual Ferrari F355, an early Testarossa or a particular specification of 550 Maranello, those distinctions matter.

Two examples of the same model can differ considerably in desirability.

Factory colours, equipment, service documentation and individual histories can all influence the decision to purchase.

The value of a dedicated marketplace therefore lies not simply in the number of cars available, but in making it easier to identify those whose characteristics meet a collector's particular requirements.

Connecting specialists with collectors

The relationship between specialist dealers and their customers has always occupied an important place within the Ferrari market.

An established dealer contributes considerably more than access to available stock.

Knowledge of individual models, familiarity with their mechanical characteristics and an understanding of provenance can help a prospective owner distinguish between superficially similar cars.

Mercato Tifosi recognises the importance of those relationships.

Rather than removing the dealer from the transaction, the platform provides specialist businesses with a dedicated environment in which to present their inventory and introduce themselves to an international audience.

Participating dealers can establish individual profiles, explain their areas of expertise and display the Ferraris they currently offer.

This creates a distinction between a conventional classified advertisement and a more complete presentation of the business behind the car.

For collectors, understanding who is offering a vehicle can be as important as understanding the vehicle itself.

A dealership with extensive experience in historic Ferrari restoration may appeal particularly to someone acquiring an early V12 model. Another business whose activities concentrate on modern supercars may be better placed to assist with a contemporary limited-production Ferrari.

The individual dealer profiles help visitors identify those specialisms.

Mercato Tifosi also accommodates private sellers, recognising that significant cars frequently change hands outside the established dealer network.

For owners wishing to sell, the platform provides access to individuals already interested in Ferrari rather than requiring an advertisement to compete for attention within a much broader automotive marketplace.

This concentration of interest is one of its defining characteristics.

A Ferrari advertised on a general platform may be viewed by thousands of people with little intention of acquiring one. A dedicated Ferrari marketplace is designed to attract visitors whose interests are already aligned with the marque.

The business supports this exposure through its website, social media activity and newsletters.

For dealers, this provides an additional means of presenting their inventory internationally while maintaining their own identity and customer relationships.

Mercato Tifosi operates as a marketplace rather than the direct seller of the vehicles advertised.

Buyers and sellers communicate with one another, while responsibility for the individual vehicle and transaction remains with the parties involved.

It is a model that places the emphasis on facilitating connections rather than replacing the specialist businesses whose experience underpins the collector car market.

That distinction is particularly relevant in a sector where trust is developed through knowledge, reputation and the ability to provide accurate information about individual motor cars.

Preserving the culture behind the cars

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Mercato Tifosi is its recognition that Ferrari ownership is only one part of a much wider automotive culture.

The marque's history extends from the earliest competition cars to contemporary Formula One machinery, incorporating coachbuilding, endurance racing, technological development and some of the most recognisable designs of the twentieth century.

For enthusiasts, these subjects remain interesting whether or not they are actively considering a purchase.

Mercato Tifosi has therefore developed an editorial section alongside its marketplace.

Its magazine explores significant Ferrari models, unusual coachbuilt examples, special editions and lesser-known chapters of the company's history.

Subjects have included the extraordinary Ferrari P4/5 commissioned by James Glickenhaus, the one-off 330 GT Shooting Brake by Vignale and Ferrari's comparatively obscure relationship with Carrozzeria Ghia.

These stories illustrate the breadth of material available within the marque's history.

The P4/5 represents a contemporary interpretation of bespoke Italian coachbuilding, while the 330 GT Shooting Brake demonstrates the individuality that could emerge when a production Ferrari became the starting point for a personal commission.

Such cars are important because they reveal aspects of Ferrari's development that extend beyond conventional model histories.

The editorial approach also recognises that understanding a car's significance requires an appreciation of the circumstances in which it was created.

Coachbuilders, designers, competition programmes and individual customers have all contributed to Ferrari's identity.

A collector researching a particular model may therefore discover connections with other cars, historical developments or individuals whose influence remains visible decades later.

Alongside its magazine, Mercato Tifosi maintains an events section covering international automotive gatherings and motorsport.

These include concours events, collector-car celebrations and Formula One races, reflecting the relationship between Ferrari's historic achievements and its continuing presence within contemporary automotive culture.

The combination of marketplace, editorial content and events information gives the platform a purpose beyond the immediate buying and selling of cars.

It provides a place where collectors can discover available machinery while continuing to explore the history and culture surrounding it.

That wider perspective is particularly valuable as the Ferrari collector market evolves.

Cars once regarded primarily as contemporary performance machinery have increasingly become objects of historical interest.

The Ferrari 308 and 328 generations, the Testarossa, the F355 and the last of the traditional front-engined manual V12 grand tourers now attract attention for qualities that were not always fully appreciated when they were new.

Mechanical individuality, design character and the experience of driving have become increasingly important considerations.

For younger enthusiasts, these cars may represent the Ferrari models that first established their fascination with Maranello.

For established collectors, they offer opportunities to explore different periods of the company's history.

Mercato Tifosi brings these interests together without imposing a narrow definition of what constitutes a significant Ferrari.

Ultimately, its contribution lies in recognising that a dedicated marketplace can serve both a commercial and a cultural purpose.

The cars themselves remain central, but so do the specialist businesses, individual collectors and historical knowledge that sustain interest in them.

By bringing together international Ferrari sales, specialist dealer representation and editorial coverage within a single marque-focused environment, Mercato Tifosi provides a distinctive connection between the cars of Maranello and those who appreciate them.

That commitment to Ferrari's automotive heritage and the international collector community is what makes Mercato Tifosi a HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Mercato Tifosi
Utrecht, Netherlands

There is a particular kind of knowledge that cannot easily be accelerated.

It comes from watching cars move in and out of fashion, seeing which examples remain exceptional long after their contemporaries have been forgotten, and understanding the difference between rarity created by production numbers and significance earned through history, engineering and provenance.

William Loughran has spent more than six decades developing precisely that perspective.

He began buying and selling cars at just 17 years old, without what he describes as a grand business plan. The motivation was considerably simpler: he loved interesting cars, wanted to find them and believed other enthusiasts would want them too. At a time when independent prestige specialists were relatively unusual, instinct and enthusiasm became the foundations of a business that would ultimately span several generations of the collector-car market.

Today, William Loughran remains family owned and run, operating from an appropriately unconventional setting near Preston, Lancashire. A former family home, farmhouse, barn and stables have been converted into a series of relaxed showrooms containing machinery from Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce, among others.

The surroundings may have evolved considerably since William began trading, but the principle behind the business remains remarkably familiar.

Find the right cars.

Experience Changes What You Notice

The longer somebody spends around significant motor cars, the less important the badge alone becomes.

Model, specification and production numbers provide the starting point, but the individual car ultimately determines whether something deserves a place in a serious collection. Originality, provenance, condition, ownership history, factory specification and the quality of previous care can separate an exceptional example from one that merely carries an important name.

William Loughran's approach has been shaped by decades of making those distinctions.

The breadth of cars handled by the business provides some indication of that experience. Its previous inventory has included the Ferrari 250 GT SWB, F50, 512 BBi, 599 GTO, 575 Superamerica and 458 Speciale Aperta, alongside cars such as the Porsche Carrera GT, 918 Spyder and Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight.

The current collection continues the theme. At the time of writing it includes a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTC, 1960 Aston Martin DB4GT, Porsche Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight, Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider and Aston Martin V12 Zagato alongside considerably newer machinery such as the Ferrari 12Cilindri and Porsche 911 GT3 Touring.

It is an inventory spanning very different periods of automotive history, yet the underlying criteria remain remarkably consistent.

Consider a Ferrari 250 GT SWB previously handled by the business. One of only 14 right-hand-drive examples produced, it was also the first right-hand-drive SWB to leave the factory in 1962. Or an Argento Nürburgring Ferrari F50, one of only a handful believed to have been finished in silver, retaining exceptional originality, single-family ownership from new and an unusually comprehensive archive of correspondence, invoices and original accompanying material.

These are details that transform an already desirable model into a particular car with its own significance.

After six decades, recognising those differences becomes less about following the market and more about understanding the machinery.

From the DB4GT to the Modern Icon

One of the more interesting characteristics of William Loughran is that its definition of a collector car has never needed to remain fixed in time.

Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin have been particularly important throughout William's career. Yet within those marques, the cars attracting serious collectors have continually evolved.

The traditional end of the market is well represented. Cars such as the Aston Martin DB4GT, Ferrari 250-series machinery, Porsche Carrera RS 2.7 and Lancia Aurelia have long-established historical importance. Their production stories, competition associations and places within the development of their respective manufacturers are extensively understood.

But today's collector market extends far beyond them.

William identifies Ferrari's sequence of 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari as particularly important modern collector cars, while also pointing towards limited-production machinery such as the 599 GTO, F12tdf and 812 Competizione as cars likely to remain significant.

The business has handled examples from across precisely that progression.

It creates an unusually long perspective. Someone who has watched an F40 progress from contemporary supercar to established collector icon approaches today's limited-production machinery with a different frame of reference from somebody encountering the market for the first time.

The same applies to Porsche. A Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight and a 911 R belong to completely different generations, but both demonstrate how weight, specification, production numbers and engineering intent can distinguish one derivative from the broader model range.

Aston Martin provides another example. William Loughran has handled seven DB4GT Zagatos over the years and has spoken of owning two of the original 19 cars at the same time. Few cars illustrate more clearly the intersection between rarity, design, competition heritage and provenance.

Alongside such established historic machinery, the business has also dealt with later Zagato collaborations and contemporary limited-production Aston Martins.

The collector market changes. The principles used to identify an important car change much less.

Buying the Car, Not the Story

Experience becomes particularly valuable when rarity itself becomes part of the sales language surrounding a car.

Limited production does not automatically create historical importance. Low mileage does not automatically make one example superior to another. A fashionable specification does not necessarily carry the same relevance decades later.

The individual car still has to withstand examination.

William Loughran describes every vehicle entering its collection as being selected for provenance, originality and quality before earning its place in the showroom. That language is significant because it places selection ahead of presentation.

It also reflects William's own position as both dealer and lifelong collector. Over six decades, the relationship with significant cars inevitably extends beyond individual transactions. Cars are bought, sold, rediscovered and sometimes handled again years later. Owners become long-standing clients, while knowledge accumulated around particular chassis, specifications and histories remains within the business.

Discretion is an important part of that environment. William has deliberately avoided publicly discussing many of the rarest cars to have passed through his hands, reflecting a collector market in which some of the most important transactions never require public exposure.

That world depends heavily upon reputation.

The internet has transformed the way cars are advertised, researched and compared, while auction results and market information are now available almost instantaneously. Yet access to information is not the same as judgement. Knowing that a car is rare is relatively straightforward. Understanding whether it is the right example — and whether its history, originality and condition justify its position — remains considerably more nuanced.

That is where six decades matter.

William Loughran began with the straightforward belief that if he could find remarkable cars, other enthusiasts would want them too. The scale of the market, the values involved and even the definition of a collector car have changed enormously since then.

The instinct behind the business has not.

Whether considering a Ferrari 250 GT, Aston Martin DB4GT, Porsche Carrera GT or one of the limited-production cars now beginning its own journey towards collector status, the objective remains to recognise what makes the individual example exceptional.

That combination of more than six decades of experience, an enduring family-led approach and a deeply established understanding of provenance, originality and the qualities that distinguish significant motor cars is why William Loughran is a trusted and HACCA Trusted Specialist.

William Loughran
Lancashire, England

+44 (0)1772 613114

Collecting significant motor cars has never really been about buying cars alone.

The acquisition may be the exciting part, but what follows can be considerably more complicated. Cars require maintenance, storage and transportation. Provenance needs researching. A historic competition car may need preparing for an event, while an important road car can require specialist attention before covering serious mileage.

Build a collection rather than owning a single car and those responsibilities multiply.

Schaltkulisse has developed around precisely that reality.

Founded by Kevin Braun in Bavaria in 2010, the company began from comparatively modest surroundings in Ottobrunn near Munich. The ambition, however, extended considerably further than simply establishing another specialist dealership.

Over the following decade and a half, Schaltkulisse evolved into a business encompassing acquisition and sales, research, engineering, storage, collection consultancy, finance, logistics and motorsport support. Its Munich operation expanded into several dedicated facilities, while the opening of Schaltkulisse North America in Miami in 2023 established a permanent presence on the other side of the Atlantic.

The cars passing through those locations illustrate just how broad the modern collector market has become.

Ferrari 250-series GT cars and Porsche 904s sit within the same world as F40s, F50s and Enzos. Porsche 959s and Carrera GTs appear alongside Lamborghini Miuras and Countachs, Mercedes-Benz CLK GTRs, Maserati MC12s, Bugatti Chirons and contemporary limited-production hypercars.

Different generations. Different engineering. Different reasons for collecting them.

Understanding how they belong together has become part of the job.

Finding the Right Car

There is an important difference between finding a particular model and finding the right example.

At the upper end of the collector market, rarity alone is rarely enough. Originality, specification, mileage, provenance and previous restoration can create enormous differences between cars that appear almost identical in an auction catalogue or online advertisement.

Schaltkulisse approaches acquisition with that distinction in mind.

Its research extends beyond publicly advertised stock into an internal database containing thousands of off-market cars. That international network has been used to locate machinery ranging from a Porsche 959 S showing approximately 500 original miles to one of 18 Ferrari 400 Superamerica LWB Aerodinamicos and a Bugatti Divo.

But locating the car is only the beginning.

Before an acquisition, its history and physical condition need to make sense together. Documentation can establish where a car has been, but examination can reveal whether the motor car in front of you supports the story surrounding it.

That becomes particularly important at auction.

The atmosphere of a major sale can make an extraordinary car remarkably easy to buy and considerably harder to assess rationally. Schaltkulisse's specialists attend international auctions on behalf of clients, inspecting potential acquisitions before bidding and looking for anomalies in condition, specification and history.

Sometimes the correct advice is to buy.

Knowing when not to can be equally valuable.

The same principle applies when a car is being sold. Schaltkulisse can purchase cars directly, represent them on consignment or place them privately through its network. Many significant cars consequently change hands without ever appearing publicly on the company's website.

For collectors operating internationally, discretion can matter almost as much as exposure.

Looking After What Comes Next

Selling an important motor car is one thing.

Maintaining one is another discipline entirely.

Schaltkulisse Engineering was created because the company wanted greater control over the condition and preparation of the machinery passing through its hands. What began as a requirement to maintain its own classic and modern sports cars developed into a dedicated workshop supporting clients' collections as well.

Its technicians work across an unusually wide mechanical period.

A 1960s Ferrari presents fundamentally different requirements from a Porsche Carrera GT. A carburetted Lamborghini Miura has little mechanically in common with a hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder, while a competition car introduces another set of demands again.

That breadth requires knowing when work belongs inside the workshop and when a project should involve an outside specialist.

Schaltkulisse handles servicing, maintenance and mechanical repair in-house, while larger restoration projects can be managed in collaboration with specialist craftsmen elsewhere in Europe. The result is less about attempting to perform every traditional discipline under one roof and more about retaining responsibility for the complete project.

The relationship continues into storage.

Close to the Munich workshop sits a high-security facility housing both Schaltkulisse's own machinery and clients' cars. For somebody maintaining a collection internationally, the attraction is straightforward: the same organisation that understands the cars can store them, maintain them and prepare them for whatever comes next.

Sometimes that means a concours or tour.

Sometimes it means a circuit.

Schaltkulisse's motorsport support extends to preparing and transporting cars for track days and historic events including Le Mans Classic, with mechanics accompanying clients to handle the practical work required throughout an event.

It is an important reminder that a collection does not necessarily have to remain static.

The Modern Collector

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Schaltkulisse is what its growth says about collecting itself.

The traditional collector-car business was often relatively straightforward. A specialist might buy and sell one marque or period, while owners built relationships separately with restorers, mechanics, transporters and storage companies.

Today's international collections can look very different.

A single garage might contain a 1960s Ferrari, Porsche 959, Carrera GT and contemporary hypercar. Cars may be registered in different countries, stored in different locations and used at events across Europe and North America.

The infrastructure surrounding the collection consequently becomes almost as important as the acquisition itself.

Schaltkulisse has deliberately developed around that broader ownership experience.

Its Munich showroom perhaps demonstrates the philosophy particularly well. Created within a former 1950s potato storage building in Taufkirchen, the original timber structure has been incorporated into an interior influenced by the atmosphere of an English pub. Around 15 cars can be displayed at a time, but the intention is noticeably different from the conventional glass-and-marble supercar showroom.

It is somewhere designed for enthusiasts to spend time around motor cars.

That philosophy extends into the company's Caffeine Injection gatherings, which began in Munich and have subsequently expanded to Miami. The 2026 Munich season opener brought together more than 120 cars, ranging from Porsche Carrera GTs and a 918 Spyder to a BMW 327 Coupé, Lamborghini machinery and contemporary Ferraris.

There is a useful informality to that side of the business.

Because however sophisticated the collector market becomes, the enthusiasm underneath it remains remarkably simple.

People want to find interesting cars. They want to understand them, drive them, maintain them properly and occasionally stand around drinking coffee while talking about them.

What has changed is the complexity surrounding those cars.

From its beginnings in a shared building near Munich in 2010 to operations spanning Germany and the United States today, Schaltkulisse has grown by attempting to bring those different elements of ownership together.

The result is not simply a place from which to buy another collector car.

It is an environment designed around what happens before and long after the keys change hands.

That combination of international acquisition expertise, historical research, engineering capability and an understanding of the complete collector ownership experience is why Schaltkulisse is a trusted and HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Schaltkulisse
Taufkirchen, Germany
+49 89 6387912910

There was a time when a Lamborghini Countach was simply an old supercar.

It was too young to sit comfortably alongside the established classics, too dramatic to be considered particularly scholarly and, for a generation who remembered seeing them new, perhaps not yet old enough to require serious preservation.

The same could once have been said of the Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Diablo or even the Ferrari F40.

That has changed.

The great European supercars of the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s have moved decisively into the collector world. Original paint matters. Factory specification matters. Documentation, mileage and provenance increasingly influence how individual cars are judged, while exceptional examples now appear on concours lawns that would once have been dominated by machinery several decades older.

In Miami, Curated has built an entire business around that transition.

Founded in 2015 by John Temerian and Jordi Ricart, with Alan Lazowski as a partner, Curated specialises principally in low-production European supercars from this period. More than 750 have passed through the business, encompassing everything from Lamborghini Miuras and Countachs to Ferrari F40s and F50s, Bugatti EB110s and some of the more unusual machinery created during an extraordinary period of automotive development.

The interesting part is not simply finding them.

It is recognising which ones matter.

Finding What Has Survived

Collectors have become remarkably good at identifying perfection.

Preservation requires a slightly different eye.

In 2026, Curated located a 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000 S that had remained with the same owner in the Bronx for more than forty years. Finished in Bianco Polo over Rosso, it showed fewer than 3,600 documented kilometres and retained its original paint and interior.

There was dust on the car. It had not been prepared for a concours or subjected to a comprehensive restoration.

That was precisely what made it interesting.

Curated's assessment was that the car could eventually be sympathetically recommissioned and shown, but preservation remained an equally legitimate possibility. Four decades of inactivity had inadvertently protected evidence that restoration could easily remove.

This is becoming increasingly important with modern classics.

During the years when these cars were simply used performance machinery, originality was not always treated with today's reverence. Countachs acquired different wings and wheels. Testarossas were modified. Diablos were repainted. Interiors were retrimmed and mechanical components replaced because nobody imagined that future collectors might one day examine the precise specification in which a car left Sant'Agata or Maranello.

Finding an untouched example consequently becomes considerably harder with time.

Curated's inventory reflects that search for individuality. It has included low-mileage cars, unusual factory colours and specifications, prototypes and culturally significant machinery alongside the recognised blue-chip supercars. One example is a white Ferrari Testarossa used in Miami Vice, documented as one of two cars supplied by Ferrari to Universal Television and subsequently owned by racer and collector Preston Henn.

The significance lies not merely in owning a Testarossa.

It lies in owning that Testarossa.

Restoration for a New Generation

Preservation only works when enough survives to preserve.

For everything else, another challenge begins.

Restoring a 1980s or 1990s supercar properly is not necessarily easier because the car is younger. Plastics, finishes, electronic components, decals, fabrics and production techniques can be surprisingly difficult to reproduce accurately. Factory documentation can be incomplete, while components once regarded as disposable may have disappeared from manufacturer inventories decades ago.

Curated has consequently developed restoration and servicing alongside its acquisition and sales activities, with mechanical restoration, preservation and ongoing maintenance forming part of the operation.

The philosophy becomes particularly interesting with cars that have only recently crossed into genuine historic significance.

A Ferrari F50, for example, does not necessarily need to look as though it was restored yesterday. It needs to look and feel as an exceptional F50 should. The distinction means researching original finishes, understanding how components were manufactured and resisting the temptation to make everything cosmetically better than Ferrari originally did.

Curated's restored cars have increasingly appeared at major concours. Its published results include awards for Countachs, Diablos, Ferrari F40s, F50s and 512-series cars at Amelia Island, Pebble Beach, Cavallino and Greenwich. At Pebble Beach in 2023, a Lamborghini Countach appeared in the Preservation Class — perhaps one of the clearest indications of how attitudes towards this generation have changed.

These are no longer simply used supercars being made presentable.

They are becoming historical objects whose details are worth studying.

Collecting the Cars We Remember

There is another reason Curated's particular corner of the market feels relevant.

The collector is changing.

Someone who was a teenager when the Countach appeared on bedroom walls is now considerably more likely to have the means to own one. The generation that watched a white Testarossa cross Miami at night, saw an F40 tested in magazines or encountered a Diablo at a motor show increasingly represents serious purchasing power within the collector market.

Curated understood that shift relatively early.

Its focus on what it describes as vintage European blue-chip supercars effectively anticipated the point at which these cars would cease being regarded merely as second-hand exotica and begin receiving the historical attention afforded to earlier generations.

The definition has continued to move forward. Its inventory now stretches into machinery such as the Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT and other cars from the early years of the twenty-first century, while consulting, provenance research and collection advice have developed alongside the traditional business of buying and selling cars.

Yet perhaps the most interesting aspect of Curated is its willingness to look beyond the obvious.

A perfect red Ferrari will always have an audience. An oddly specified Lamborghini, unusually preserved Countach or supercar with a story that has almost disappeared can require considerably more knowledge to recognise.

Sometimes the important car is not the one that has already won the concours.

It is the one still sitting beneath forty years of dust in a garage.

That change in perspective tells us something about where the collector-car world is heading. Every generation eventually begins preserving the machinery that defined its own enthusiasm. The cars of the 1980s and 1990s have reached that point, while those of the early 2000s are rapidly following.

Curated has positioned itself directly within that transition — not simply trading the supercars of a particular era, but researching, discovering, restoring and preserving the individual examples that help explain it.

That combination of historical research, preservation, restoration expertise and a deep understanding of the European supercars that shaped a generation is why Curated is a trusted and HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Miami, Florida
+1 305 330 4665

An Aston Martin DB2 and a modern Vanquish may carry the same badge, but the similarities in how they are maintained, restored and understood can end surprisingly quickly.

Nicholas Mee & Co has built its business around precisely that breadth.

Nicholas Mee's association with Aston Martin began in 1976, when he joined the company as a salesman. By 1984 he had become Sales Manager, remaining with the marque until 1991 before establishing Nicholas Mee & Co in Kensington two years later. What began as a specialist sales operation subsequently expanded into servicing, restoration and aftercare, eventually moving in its entirety to Essendonbury Farm on the Hatfield Park Estate in Hertfordshire.

Today, the cars passing through the business can span more than seven decades of Aston Martin production — from Feltham-built DB2s and the celebrated David Brown-era DB4, DB5 and DB6 through the muscular V8s of the 1970s and 1980s to DB7s, Vanquishes and the later Gaydon generation.

That continuity gives Nicholas Mee an interesting perspective: the ability to see Aston Martin not as a collection of separate eras, but as one evolving story.

Life beyond the showroom

Sales may have established the Nicholas Mee name, but much of the relationship with these cars now takes place behind the showroom.

The workshops at Essendonbury Farm undertake routine servicing and diagnostics alongside mechanical repairs, partial rebuilds and complete restorations. Dedicated trim and upholstery, valeting and detailing capabilities broaden the work further, while the business also maintains a substantial inventory of original Aston Martin components.

This range becomes particularly relevant as the cars age.

A DB5 that has passed through several restorations presents very different questions from a low-mileage modern Aston requiring careful maintenance. A 1980s V8 may need mechanical recommissioning after years of limited use, while an early Gaydon car increasingly sits somewhere between contemporary servicing and specialist modern-classic ownership.

The answer cannot always be found simply by replacing parts.

Older cars often require an understanding of previous workmanship, specification and the compromises inherent in hand-built machinery. Later cars introduce electronic systems, diagnostics and increasingly complex components. Supporting both demands knowledge that moves with the marque rather than stopping at an arbitrary point in its history.

Nicholas Mee's workshop has developed around that reality, with specialist equipment and technicians working across both heritage and newer Aston Martins.

Restoring more than appearance

Restoration occupies a particular place in the Aston Martin world.

The great DB-series cars are elegant objects, but their appeal has never rested on appearance alone. Engines, gearboxes, suspension, brakes and the way the entire car behaves on the road are integral to the experience.

Nicholas Mee undertakes restoration and recommissioning with that complete car in mind.

Some examples require extensive intervention after decades of use and previous repair. Others have survived remarkably well and call for a more restrained approach. As values have risen and attitudes towards originality have changed, deciding what not to replace can become every bit as important as deciding what should be renewed.

The same consideration extends to interiors. Leather, carpets and trim contribute enormously to the atmosphere of an Aston Martin, particularly where original materials have survived. Having specialist upholstery capability within the wider operation allows this aspect of a project to be considered alongside the mechanical and cosmetic work rather than in isolation.

The finished car still has to feel like an Aston Martin, not simply a newly restored object wearing the correct shape.

Following the marque forward

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Nicholas Mee is that its involvement with Aston Martin has never remained fixed in the traditional classic period.

When the business began in 1993, cars such as the DB7 had only just arrived. They are now established modern classics. The first Gaydon-era DB9s and V8 Vantages are following the same path, while cars that were once ordinary used Aston Martins are increasingly being approached with the preservation and specialist maintenance previously associated with much older models.

That evolution changes the role of an established marque specialist.

Knowledge of the DB-series and Newport Pagnell cars remains important, but so does understanding the generations that followed them. Cars move from new to used, from used to enthusiast-owned and eventually into recognised collector territory.

Nicholas Mee has effectively travelled alongside that process.

More than three decades after the company was established — and half a century after Nicholas Mee first became involved with Aston Martin — the business continues to work across the marque's history rather than concentrating on a single celebrated chapter.

It is this long-term understanding of Aston Martin, combined with sales, restoration, workshop and aftercare experience across successive generations of the marque, that makes Nicholas Mee & Company recognised as a HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Nicholas Mee & Company
Hertfordshire, England
+44 (0)20 8741 8822

Founded by James Mitchell, Curated by Pendine provides bespoke acquisition, advisory and collection management services for collectors of significant historic and modern-classic motor cars.

Working closely with private collectors and family offices, the business takes a discreet and highly personal approach to building, managing and preserving important collections, combining market knowledge with an understanding that collecting significant cars often extends considerably beyond the individual acquisition.

Building the right collection

At the heart of Curated by Pendine is a carefully considered approach to acquisition and sourcing.

Finding the right motor car requires more than simply identifying an available example. Provenance, condition, originality, restoration history, market position and long-term suitability within a collection can all influence whether a particular car represents the right acquisition for an individual client.

Through global sourcing, detailed due diligence and negotiation, Curated by Pendine represents the collector throughout that process, providing independent guidance designed around their particular interests and objectives.

This approach applies equally to established historic motor cars and significant modern classics, allowing collections to develop across different periods while retaining a clear sense of purpose.

Beyond acquisition

For many serious collectors, acquiring a car is only the beginning.

Curated by Pendine provides ongoing collection management and advisory services covering the wider responsibilities associated with significant motor cars. This can include restoration oversight, market advice and coordinating the numerous specialists required to ensure individual cars are maintained and presented appropriately.

The business can also assist with event curation, helping collectors determine where and how particular cars might be enjoyed, displayed or entered within the wider international historic motoring calendar.

By acting as a central point of contact, the objective is to simplify the increasingly complex process of managing an important collection while ensuring decisions remain aligned with the owner's interests.

Preserving more than the motor car

An important part of the Curated by Pendine philosophy is looking beyond immediate ownership.

Collections assembled over many years can acquire considerable historical, emotional and financial significance. Thoughtful legacy planning can therefore become an important consideration, particularly where responsibility for a collection will eventually pass between generations.

Combining acquisition, collection management, restoration oversight and long-term legacy planning, Curated by Pendine provides a level of support designed around the collector rather than simply the transaction.

It is this discreet, considered and long-term approach to significant motor cars that distinguishes Curated by Pendine — and is why the business is recognised as a HACCA Trusted Specialist.

Curated by Pendine
Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
+44 (0)1869 357126