Wheels & Deals with Sam Grange-Bailey

The Old Car Lady is joined by Becca Treston, host of the Passenger Seat Podcast, young members coordinator for the Morris Minor Owners Club and a key figure in the Women Driver Social Club.
Becca daily drives Peggy, her 1968 Morris Minor, and has covered 45,000 miles in six years. This episode looks at the future of classic cars through the people coming into the scene today.
From accidental owners who inherit a car and don’t know where to start, to young drivers facing rising insurance costs, this conversation explores the real barriers to entry and what needs to change to keep the hobby alive.
Featured Stories
Meet Peggy: a 1968 Morris Minor, fully restored and driven daily, with 45,000 miles in six years.
The Accidental Owner: inheriting a car and not knowing where to begin, and how community changes that.
The Insurance Wall: why under 25s face some of the biggest barriers to classic car ownership.
What You’ll Learn
Why daily driving a classic car can keep it in better condition. Why 45,000 miles on a well-maintained Morris Minor can be less risky than low mileage neglect. How young members groups support new drivers and why the 25–35 age group is key to the future of the scene. Why rising insurance costs are a major barrier for younger owners. What the Women Driver Social Club actually does and why it matters beyond the people in it.
A Nod To
Passenger Seat Podcast, Morris Minor Owners Club Young Members (MMOCYM), Women Driver Social Club, Evoke Classics

For 15% off all competitons at Vintage & Classic Competitions use SAM15

https://competitions.vintageandclassiccarhire.com/
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Use code SAM15 for 15% off your chance to win a classic car with Vintage and Classic Car Competitions:
https://competitions.vintageandclassiccarhire.com/
Sam Grange-Bailey (The Old Car Lady) sits down with Tim Grigsby of Vintage and Classic Car Competitions for a conversation that goes well beyond the prize draw business. Tim grew up surrounded by veteran cars and larger-than-life characters, raced everything from karts to single seaters, and has built one of the longest-running classic car raffle businesses in the UK.
They get into the real story behind classic car prize draws, why five years in has been the hardest thing Tim has ever done, and why integrity is the only thing that keeps it working. There is also a 1904 Cadillac, a brake rod welded in a French barn, a Ferrari 308 with 26,000 miles he cannot bring himself to drive, and a mum who swapped a Morris Eight for a Rolls Royce 20hp and has never looked back.
Featured Stories
Born Into It: Tim’s dad wrote the technical bible on pre-war Rolls Royce engines. His mum was a BBC makeup girl who may or may not have written off Jim Clark’s car near Tower Bridge. Tim never really stood a chance.
The Brighton Run and the Cars That Should Be Driven: Tim has been doing the London to Brighton since 1971, when he was six, in his dad’s 1904 Cadillac. He still does it today in Annabel, the same car. His view on veteran cars sitting in bank vaults is not a diplomatic one.
The Raffle Business: What It Actually Takes: Tim was one of the first to run classic car prize draws and is honest it has been the hardest business he has ever built. Facebook spend alone ran to £750,000 this year. The margins are not what people with calculators think they are.
The Roadside Repair That Lasted 10 Years: On a rally in France, Tim fixed a broken brake rod in a stranger’s barn using a welder and some thread. A decade later he spotted the same car on the Brighton run. The repair was still there.
A Fleet Worth Talking About: A 1904 Cadillac. A 1914 Sunbeam. A 1923 Rolls Royce 20hp called Daphne. A 69 Morgan Four Four that one lady drove as her only car for 50 years. A Ferrari 308 GTS with 26,000 miles. And a 1977 Lola that takes Copse flat out.
What You’ll Learn
Why running a classic car prize draw is nothing like it looks from the outside. How the British sports car market differs from the supercar lottery crowd. Why paying proper money always gets you the repeat call. What it costs to race a gearbox kart when you are built like a rugby player. And why smart motorways are, in Tim’s words, extremely stupid.
Key Questions
Is the classic car prize draw model as easy as it looks? Tim is emphatic that it is not. Five years in, three world-class businesses behind him, and this has been the hardest. The people getting rich are mostly Mark Zuckerberg.
Who actually wins these cars? Tim’s database is built on proper enthusiasts, not lottery hopefuls. A woman with a blown-up VW Polo bought one ticket and won an MGB. Those are the stories that keep him going.
Should classic cars be used or preserved? Tim’s answer is unambiguous. He has driven his 1914 Sunbeam all over Europe and thinks cars sitting in bank vaults are a waste of what they are.
A Nod To
Vintage and Classic Car Competitions, Tim’s prize draw business. Search online and on social media. Use code SAM15 for 15% off your chance to win a classic car. Links in the show notes or follow this link:
https://competitions.vintageandclassiccarhire.com/
Tim is racing his 1977 Lola at the Oulton Park Gold Cup this year and Sam will be there for a pit lane visit and Part 2. Watch this space.
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👍 The

Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) sits down with Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics for a proper trip down memory lane and an honest look at where the classic car market stands today. Tim is a Mini and Metro specialist with decades in the trade, and he doesn’t hold back.
They cover growing up with cars in the 70s, building a top five iconic cars of the decade, why colour and trim levels defined you socially in ways that just don’t exist anymore, and why the generation that leases their car on a monthly payment may never fall in love with it the way we did. Plus Tim gives his straight-talking take on the state of the classic car market and what he’s got on the forecourt right now.
Featured Stories
Minis, Metros and the Family Car Route: Tim’s mum ran Minis through the 60s and 70s. His dad did a full engine change on the driveway the night before Monday morning work. A conversation about the cars families actually drove and what keeping them going really looked like.
The Lost Art of Loving Your Car: When you saved up for your first car to the penny you looked after it, washed it and made it yours. Sam and Tim on why leasing and monthly payments have quietly killed that attachment.
Top Five Cars of the 70s: The VW Golf. The Rover SD1. The Citroen CX. The BMW E21. The Range Rover. Sam and Tim build their list, defend every entry and argue about the ones that didn’t make it.
Colour, Trim and the Peacocking Rep: Pageant Blue. Citron Yellow. Russet Brown. Your trim level told people exactly where you stood. Tim and Sam on why 70s colour and spec still matter enormously when you’re buying and selling.
The Market Right Now: Too many cars, too few buyers, and some prices that still need to come down. Tim is straight about the challenges but genuinely optimistic, especially about the sub-£20k end of the market and the club scene that underpins it.
What You’ll Learn
Why Mini restorations now cost £20-25k and why that maths rarely works as a business. How to know when to stop spending on a project car and why ‘used and improved’ often sells better than a full restoration. Why 70s cars are far more colour and trim sensitive than their modern counterparts. What makes the classic car club scene the market’s biggest long-term asset. Why the Ford Street Ka is worth putting on your radar right now. And why the generation that financed their cars on monthly payments may never develop the same emotional relationship with them that we did.
Key Questions
Is the classic car restoration business a viable one? Tim’s view is clear. If you’re spending £20k to get £20k back, you’ve wasted your time. The maths only works if you’re doing it for love or if you know exactly when to stop.
Has the next generation lost its connection to cars? Both Tim and Sam think so and worry about what that means for the classic car market in 20 years. The buyers who’ll hanker after a 90s hot hatch when they’re 50 may be fewer than the trade hopes.
What does the classic car market actually need right now? Tim’s answer is realistic pricing, credible ethical trading, and a recognition that the accessible end of the market, fuelled by the club scene, is where the real resilience lives.
A Nod To
Stockley Classics. Tim’s dealership specialising in Minis, Metros, and accessible British classics. Find him at stockleyclassics.com. If this conversation has got you thinking, go have a look at what he’s got.
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This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 2 of her conversation with James Harding from Chop's Garage. If Part 1 was about how James got into the trade, this one is about what it's actually like to live in it.
James explains why he puts his full margin on show, what he paid, what he spent on prep, what's left in his pocket, and why that transparency has made him more trusted, not less. They get into consumer law, warranty claims on cars with 30,000 post-sale miles on them, and why the next generation of classic car buyers might be the trade's biggest headache yet.
He also lifts the lid on car raffles: no VAT, no Consumer Rights Act liability, and the potential to make four times the retail margin. He's raised over £30k for charity doing it. He thinks the window is closing.
Plus a proper nostalgia detour via Talbot Samba’s, bump starts, and the lost art of caring about your key ring.
Featured Stories
The Transparent Dealer: James tells customers exactly what he paid, what prep cost and what he's pocketed. Some dealers hate it. His subscribers love it.
Consumer Law and the Classic Car Problem: A six-month implied warranty on a 40-year-old car is a recipe for misery. Sam and James ask whether the next generation of buyers will ever get why the rules need to be different.
The Raffle Loophole: No VAT, no Consumer Rights Act, four times the retail margin. James has raised over £30k for charity doing it and he's pretty sure it won't last.
First Cars and the Bump Start: A Talbot Samba’s with a brick for a handbrake. A Midget nursed along with a plank and a mallet. Two people who learned to drive in cars that genuinely hurt when they went wrong.
Mileage, Markets and the E-Type Question: James would put his money in a V10 BMW M5. Sam wonders who's queuing up for a £500k Cosworth when the people who wanted them are done with them.
What You'll Learn
Why showing your margins online can make customers trust you more, not less. How VAT on the gross works and why it still shocks people. Why a six-month consumer rights claim on a classic car is a completely different beast to the same claim on a nearly new hatchback. How car raffles work, why they're currently tax and liability free, and why that's probably on borrowed time. Why a motorway-mile 120,000-miler might be in better shape than a Devon-lanes 60,000-miler. And why the classic car market's generational problem is more urgent than most people in the trade want to admit.
Key Questions
Does showing your margins actually help you sell cars? James says yes, unequivocally. Subscribers who've watched him buy, prep and price a car come back and buy it precisely because they trust him.
Should a classic car buyer expect the same rights as someone buying a new TV? Legally they have them. In practice both Sam and James think applying modern consumer expectations to a 40-year-old car is a disaster for everyone.
Is the car raffle model sustainable? James doubts it. Right now it's VAT-free and exempt from the Consumer Rights Act because it's legally a gift. He thinks that won't last, but for now the numbers are compelling.
A Nod To
Chop's Garage on YouTube, where James documents the full reality of life as a car dealer. CG Car Sales, James's retail forecourt in Devon. Next week Tim Ashworth from Stockley Classics joins Sam to talk Metros and the state of the classic trade.
📧 [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 to our YouTube channel @Theoldcarlady 
This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

Sam heads to the NEC in Birmingham for the Classic Car & Restoration Show, joining forces with Richy Barnett — Market Editor at Classic Car Weekly — to walk the Iconic Auctioneers sale floor and put their money where their mouths are on six cars that caught their eye. From a rare lilac Morris Minor Million to a first-gen Firebird and a gorgeously sinister Daimler Sovereign, they predict the hammer prices — then go back to find out how close they got. Along the way, Sam catches up with Frank from Pegasus Classics, who's fitting a Rover V8 into a Jensen Healey live on the show stand, and bumps into returning podcast guest Anthony Kersley for a passionate case in favour of the criminally underrated Rover SD1.

FEATURED 
The Morris Minor 1 Million — One of only around 100 made to mark the millionth Morris Minor — lilac, white leather, and deeply specialist. Sam wins her bet when it sells for £12,600.
The '69 Pontiac Firebird — A first-generation Pontiac with a full photographic restoration file on a known shunt. Big V8 energy, but it narrowly misses its guide at £19,125.
The Daimler Sovereign 4.2 — A Juniper Green Series II coupé dripping in atmosphere — but a tough market means it comes in under estimate at £17,437.
Frank's Jensen Healey Restomod — Frank from Pegasus Classics built his Jensen Healey from two wrecks and found a Rover V8 on a sheep farm for £350. He's fitting the cylinder head live at the show — but wisely trailering it home.
Anthony Kersley on the Rover SD1 — Returning guest and Channel 4 Handcuffed star Anthony Kersley makes the passionate case that the Rover SD1 is a world-beater undone by industrial politics — and still extraordinary value today.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Why the Morris Minor 1 Million is a deeply specialist buy — and who's actually likely to be bidding
How declared saleroom notices work and why auction house transparency protects everyone
Why the Rover SD1 is one of Britain's most underrated classics — and exactly what to look for when buying one
How to build a Jensen Healey restomod on a genuine shoestring (£350 Rover V8 optional but recommended)
Why the classic car demographic shift is quietly changing which cars are considered cool again
There is no such thing as a cheap Rolls-Royce — but an SZ Series Spirit at £10–15k might be the last great bargain in prestige classics

KEY QUESTIONS
Can you predict auction hammer prices with any real accuracy?
Sometimes — Sam and Richie get a few right and call a few badly wrong. The market for specialist cars like the Morris Minor 1 Million is particularly hard to read because buyer pools are small, emotionally driven, and often invisible until the gavel falls.
Should a saleroom notice put you off bidding?
Not necessarily — but it will move the price. Transparency at auction is a positive for everyone. A declared fault protects both buyer and seller from post-sale disputes, as seen with both the Hillman Hunter Restomod and the Lancia Beta Montecarlo Spider, both of which stalled under estimate because of declared gearbox issues.
Is the Rover SD1 finally having its moment?
Anthony Kersley thinks it absolutely should be. The very best examples are touching £35k but cost £50–70k to restore properly — and most serious owners simply won't sell. A presentable driver can still be found for around £15k, representing genuine value for a car that was genuinely ahead of its time.

A NOD TO
Richie Barnett — Market Editor, Classic Car Weekly
Frank, Pegasus Classics — Jensen Owners Club stand, NEC
Anthony Kersley — Auto Couture / star of Channel 4 Handcuffed (Episode 1 available now; Part 2 coming soon)
Iconic Auctioneers — Classic car auction at the NEC
The NEC Classic Car & Restora