Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 1 of an in-depth conversation with Simon Hope, one of the Hs behind H&H Classic Auctions. With over 40 years in the auction world, Simon shares stories from his auctioneering career that started in the late 1980s, including setting up H&H with Mark Hamilton in 1993 and hammering a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB for £6.6 million in 2015 (still a world record for a steel short wheelbase).

This episode explores how Simon went from buying antiques at 12 years old to running one of the UK's most respected classic car auction houses. We discuss consumer protection laws for classic cars, MOT exemptions, auction fees, and why you want an ascending or descending market but never a plateau. Simon explains why dealers are essential to auction houses, the importance of lot order, and his philosophy: "People buy from people."

What You'll Learn

• How Simon started auctioneering at 12 buying antique job lots
• Why he walked into car auctions after running salvage auctions
• Setting up Hamptons first classic car auction in November 1989
• The 1989 market crash and Japanese buyers committing harakiri
• Why H&H started with 5% buyer and seller fees (revolutionary at the time)
• Finding Buxton Pavilion Gardens for £8 for four days
• Why auction houses prefer ascending or descending markets, never plateaus
• The importance of 80% sell-through rates vs industry standard 40%
• Why consumer protection laws don't work for 60-year-old classics
• Should classic cars have mandatory safety checks?

Key Questions

Should classic cars be exempt from MOTs?

Simon believes most classic car owners are responsible and check their cars regularly. The people who'd abuse the system aren't following the law anyway. He MOTs his Rolls-Royce Silver Shadows every 2-3 years for structural integrity because his kids ride in them, but it doesn't need to be an official MOT certificate.

Do consumer protection laws work for classic cars?

"Total bloody nonsense bollocks." Treating a 60-year-old Cadillac the same as a Currys fridge freezer doesn't work. The laws protect buyers from bad sellers, but bad sellers will be bad anyway. Good sellers get caught in the crossfire. Classic cars need ring-fenced consumer protection that protects both buyer and seller.

Why do auction houses prefer moving markets?

"Earn on the turn." Whether prices go up or down, auctions facilitate transactions. On a plateau, if a car's worth £20k, you can't get £22k plus premium because five dealers have it at £20k. Descending markets bring more cars (people offloading) but lower commissions. Ascending markets are numerically better, but both work better than stagnant.

A Nod to

H&H Classic Auctions

National Car Auctions

Get in Touch

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Produced By Worth A Listen Productions