Wheels & Deals with Sam Grange-Bailey

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.
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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

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 1 of her conversation with James Harding from Chops Garage, a modern car dealer with a classic car soul. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's ever dreamed of jacking in the corporate 9-to-5 to follow their passion. James tells the story of how, at 38, he walked away from a career as a national sales manager to start fixing and selling Fiat 500s from a rented garage bay.
James gives a brutally honest insight into the realities of being a modern car dealer, from the public's "Del Boy" perception to the nightmare of consumer law. He explains why he'd rather sell a simple £4,000 Hyundai i10 than a complex modern car with a razor-thin margin and huge potential repair bills. It's a fascinating look at the pressures and pitfalls of the modern motor trade.
Featured Stories
The Corporate Burnout - How zoning out in board meetings thinking about welding an MGB made him realise he had to quit his sales manager job.
The Leap of Faith - With a £12k payout and his wife's encouragement, he swapped his suit for a boiler suit and started his own car business.
The Fiat 500 Years - Started by buying crash-damaged Fiat 500s from Copart and doing them up himself.
The Silver Shadow Saga - Recounts the story of selling a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow to a buyer who spent an entire day inspecting it in a boiler suit, only to then demand an independent inspection.
What You'll Learn
How a childhood memory of a Citroën CX 25 GTI in France sparked a lifelong obsession with cars.
Why he believes the public's perception of car dealers is completely at odds with the reality of consumer law.
How the VAT margin scheme can leave dealers with a huge tax bill even if they make no real profit on a car.
Why he refuses to do distance sales after getting badly burned.
Why he thinks simpler, older-tech modern cars (like the Hyundai i10) are a safer bet for dealers than complex, feature-laden new models.
Key Questions
Is it possible to make a living selling cheap cars?James argues that while the margins are smaller, the risk is far lower. He focuses on simple cars that are built like older models (cable clutch, timing chain) which are cheap and easy to fix, avoiding the huge repair bills associated with modern complex cars.
How has consumer law affected the motor trade?James and Sam discuss how the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which applies the same rules to a 60-year-old classic as a new TV, puts immense pressure on dealers. The 30-day right to reject and the assumption of a fault being present at the point of sale for up to six months makes selling used cars, especially older ones, a minefield.
A Nod to
Chops Garage on YouTube - Where James documents his life as a car dealer.
Mad Mike from Wales - A classic car dealer who pre-filters customers by telling them his cars were "shit when they were new".
Get in touch
📧 [email protected]
💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554
📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady
🎬 TikTok, Facebook & YouTube: The Old Car Lady
#ChopsGarage #CarDealer #MotorTrade #ConsumerLaw #ClassicCars #ModernClassics #TheOldCarLady #WheelsAndDeals #CarSales
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Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for her conversation with Anthony Kearsley, a well-known classic car collector, star of Channel 4's 'Handcuffed', and owner of Auto Couture. This episode charts Anthony's incredible journey from selling Austin Maestros in the Lake District to dealing with the rich and famous at Jack Barclay in London.
Anthony shares hilarious and often unbelievable stories from his early days, including blowing up a customer's Metro, accidentally selling a Fiat X1/9 to a 17-year-old with no finance checks, and getting sacked for being "no good" at the job. We hear how his grandmother saved the day, landing him a new job at a BMW dealership and setting him on a path that would eventually lead to Seattle, where he famously sold Bill Gates an Audi instead of a Porsche 911! 
Featured Stories
The Austin Maestro Launch - Started his career on the launch night of the Maestro in 1983.
The Blown-Up Metro - Mistook a customer's car for a demonstrator and thrashed it to Preston and back, blowing the engine.
The £3.5m Handshake - Shook on a deal to buy a Honda dealership for £3.5m with only £100k in the bank.
The £50k Rolls-Royce Cushions - A famous client complained her new Rolls-Royce Seraph seats were too hard. After two attempts and £50,000 spent on softer stuffing, Anthony finally told her what "hard" really was.
What You'll Learn
How a childhood spent selling imaginary cars in his uncle's Citroën dealership set the stage for a life in the motor trade.
Why having assets doesn't mean you have cash.
What it was like working in the US motor trade in the 90s (pure Pendle system).
How he turned down the Starbucks franchise for the UK in 1989.
Why he was ostracised by colleagues when he joined the Rolls-Royce division.
Key Questions
What was it like selling cars in the 1980s? It was a different world. Strict sales territories meant you couldn't sell to someone outside your area without permission. Cars were going up in value, and the launch of a new model like the Austin Maestro was a huge event. There was a real ceremony to the August 1st registration change.
Who were some of your most memorable customers at Jack Barclay? Shirley Bassey, Cilla Black (hard work!), Princess Margaret (horrendous), the Dalai Lama (who asked for a taxi), and Julio Iglesias. Anthony learned that with very powerful people, you must stand up to them and not be starstruck.
A Nod to
Pilkington's of Bolton - His family's BL, Peugeot & Citroën dealership.
Rayrigg Motors - His first job selling Austin Rover.
Bateman BMW Windermere - His second job, where he fell in love with BMWs.
Jack Barclay, London - Where his Rolls-Royce & Bentley career took off.
Auto Couture - His current business: autocouture.co.uk.
Get in Touch
📧 [email protected]
💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554
📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady
🎬 TikTok, Facebook & YouTube: The Old Car Lady
#AnthonyKearsley #AutoCouture #JackBarclay #RollsRoyce #Bentley #ClassicCars #CarStories #TheOldCarLady #WheelsAndDeals #MotorTrade
Produced By Worth A Listen Productions

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 2 of her conversation with Simon Hope, co-founder of H&H Classic Auctions. This episode centres on one of the most interesting stories in recent classic car auction history: the sale of Richard Colton's Ferrari 250 GT SWB and 275 GTB with proceeds to the RNLI, raising £10 million in a single sale for the charity. Simon also shares his thoughts on auction transparency, how to buy at auction like a dealer, and his exciting new venture Hope Classics.
Simon explains how he won the Ferrari pitch against Bonhams, why he waived his commission, and how the sale transformed the Ferrari short wheelbase market overnight. We also discuss historic racing, why the people you race with matter more than the car, and how to get into single seater racing without getting a bum steer.
Featured Stories
The RNLI Ferrari Sale - Ferrari 250 GT SWB sold for £6.6m, 275 GTB for £1.9m, nearly £10m to the RNLI
Lotus 49 at Buxton - Valued at £250k when rivals said £50-100k, sold for £367,000
The Man Who Bought Blind - NCA dealer who stood with his back to the car and bid with one hand
The Jacket That Lost the Job - Simon wore a flamboyant striped jacket to a pitch and lost the consignment
What You'll Learn
How Simon pitched against Bonhams and won the RNLI Ferrari consignment
Why he waived commission on £10m worth of cars
How the Ferrari SWB sale changed the market overnight for comparable cars
Why auction records are useful but dangerous if used as the only reference
How to buy at auction with three prices in mind
Why a car's file and history can be 50% of its value
How to get into historic racing without being taken advantage of
What Hope Classics offers and how Simon can help buyers and sellers
Key Questions
How do you value a classic car for auction?
History and file are as important as the car itself. Sam works with three prices: the best she can get with the wind behind him, what she'd be happy with, and the minimum she needs to get out. Always factor in buyer's premium before bidding. Never rely solely on auction records as a price guide because condition, color, and provenance can swing values dramatically.
What is Hope Classics?
Simon's new venture at hopeclassics.co.uk offers free advice on which auction house to use for your particular car. He can also help buyers find specific cars, especially rare single seaters and historic race cars. His time is chargeable for more detailed consultancy, but the initial guidance is free.
What's the secret to getting into historic racing?
Choose the people you race with carefully. The team looking after your car should be the best available regardless of whether you like them. But the people you spend the day with, share the dinners and drinks with, and experience the whole event with, they need to be the right fit. Networking into the right circles first is essential.
A Nod to
Richard Colton - Owner of the RNLI Ferrari collectionRNLI - Received nearly £10m, the largest single donation in their historyDK Engineering - Sold a comparable Ferrari the same day the Colton car hammeredAdam Singer - Bought the Bentley 3-litre at Buxton, did the Peking to Paris with SimonHope Classics - hopeclassics.co.uk
Get in Touch
📧 [email protected]
💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554
📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady
🎬 TikTok, Facebook & YouTube: The Old Car Lady
#SimonHope #HHClassics #Ferrari250GT #RNLI #HopeClassics #HistoricRacing #ClassicCarAuctions #PekingToParis #Lotus49 #TheOldCarLady #ClassicCarMarket
Produced By Worth A Listen Productions