James Hanson, Managing Director of Speedmaster Cars, sees buoyant times ahead for the classic and historic car markets. “The under-performance of the stock market and the weakening of the US dollar have encouraged interest among buyers, particularly at the top end of the market.”

And he highlights a second powerful reason for optimism: “Critically, the internet has made it a much less daunting prospect to buy a classic or historic car. Browsing can be done from home; sellers can send digital photographs to narrow down your search; and it gives you far more choice. We’ve sold road cars, let alone race cars, to the other side of the world. The last car we sold was a Ferrari 512 Testarossa, which went all the way to Australia.”

There’s certainly evidence to support his optimism. Speedmaster, which deals in classic road cars, historic competition cars and modern supercars, has grown steadily from a new venture launched in January 2005 to the thriving business it is today. So for those buyers concerned with investment potential, which cars are the best buys at the moment? “There’s a lot of interest in the Ferrari Dino and Daytona, which have long been undervalued,” advises Hanson. He also cites Formula 1 cars from the 1960s onwards as good investment opportunities. “A Ferrari sports-racer with provenance is generally more valuable than an equivalent F1 Ferrari, partly due to a perception that F1 cars are very difficult to drive. They’re not: sports cars from the same era with treaded tyres and 700bhp are far more demanding. But now, more and more people are starting to race in both sports car and single-seater historics, with increasing opportunities to race two cars at one race weekend.”



The company also provides finance, for those buyers who are “asset-rich but cash-poor” – or those who simply want to spread the cost of purchase. “We’re based in Bradford with a showroom of 10,000 square feet and about 35 cars in stock at any one time. People are encouraged to come and take a look – although it’s generally best to make an appointment first.”

Hanson, himself an ex-European Touring Car driver, now races historics. “The historic scene is so much more enjoyable. Modern racers have a different attitude: overly competitive. Historic racing is filled with like-minded people who actually talk to you. It’s highly sociable.”



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For further information on Speedmaster, please visit www.speedmastercars.com.

Speedmaster Albion Mills, Greengates, Bradford, BD10 9TQ, UK Tel: +44 (0)1274 659336 Fax: +44 (0)1274 659344 Email: [email protected]