‘Forget Monaco. The real drama unfolds in a muddy field in Sussex, with a clipboard, a DB5, and a man called Nigel on the phone to Dubai.’
Once upon a time, the UK was the undisputed epicentre of the classic car world.
Ferraris flew out of Mayfair, and Astons crossed continents with ease.
Then Brexit arrived, and moving a DB5 to Düsseldorf felt like smuggling a grand piano through airport security.
The market shrank. The paperwork exploded.
And yet… the competition? Fiercer than ever.
Here’s why…..
♔ Pre-Brexit, the UK classic car scene was global.
Hammer down at Goodwood.
Car on a truck to Munich, Monaco, or Monterey by Monday.
Money flowed. Cars moved. Life was good.
♔ Then along came Brexit:
VAT.
Customs.
Paperwork is thicker than a Bentley manual.
Selling cars abroad?
Now, it’s as fun as assembling flat-pack furniture in a gale.
♔ The Result:
Fewer international bidders.
More local buyers.
European collectors quietly looking elsewhere.
And yet…
The UK remains brutally competitive. Why?
Home to many of the world’s top ten classic car dealers.
Kensington to Oxfordshire is the Champions League of car sales.
♔ Why it matters:
Auctions aren’t just sales. They’re theatre.
Where prices are set, reputations made—and trends are born.
♔ Today’s Market:
Smaller. Local. Ruthlessly competitive.
Fewer cars. Fewer bidders. Same hungry dealers circling like sharks.
And there’s no better place to watch the feeding frenzy than a draughty auction tent in Chichester.
‘The UK auction scene: where Ferraris are plenty, patience is thin, and the only thing colder than the marquee is the glare from the underbidder.’
