Honest John Dixon | Jaguars, Gangsters & the Shotgun Behind the Desk (Part 2)

Anthony Kearsley | Applejack Rolls-Royces, Richard Harris’ Phantom V & a £550k Bentley Drophead

The Old Car Lady heads to the RRC National Rally to meet Anthony Kearsley, classic car collector, Auto Couture owner and star of Channel 4’s Handcuffed. Anthony walks Sam through some of the most extraordinary cars at the event, including a £550,000 one-off Bentley S3 Drophead, a 1933 Silver Wraith Landaulet with an Edwardian coachbuilt body, and Richard Harris’ Phantom V, the only car he ever owned. A Rolls-Royce Spirit in Applejack reunited with the Vanden Plas 1500 it was built to match. Richard Harris’ Phantom V. A £550,000 Bentley S3 Drophead. A Sedanca built for an oil baron. And a Bentley R-Type with no roof and a painful story. FEATURED STORIES The Applejack Spirit and the Vanden Plas 1500: A Spirit stripped and restored in Applejack to match a surviving Vanden Plas 1500. The husband who wanted the same colour on a Spirit died before he could order it. Anthony completed what he never lived to commission. £50,000, six years. The two cars met for the first time at this rally. The £550,000 Bentley S3 Drophead: No Rolls-Royce or Bentley drophead existed in the 60s if you wanted one, you had it coachbuilt. Anthony commissioned this one to Mulliner blueprints: acrylic white, St James red, electric red mohair roof. Over £550,000 and multiple failed delivery dates later, PNA have quoted a million pounds to build one today. He says never again. Richard Harris’ Phantom V: The only car Richard Harris ever owned, gifted reputedly by Princess Margaret, used by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton for their Wales tour, left in a New York car park for 25 years and retrieved with £100,000 in parking fees. Anthony first saw it at Jack Barclay’s in the 1990s. It is midnight blue and it is for sale. The Withnail and I Sedanca: A Silver Wraith Hooper Sedanca built for Calouste Gulbenkian, the Armenian oil baron who earned 5% of every barrel sold. Lizard skin interior, a speedo in the back to monitor the chauffeur, and a starring role as Uncle Monty’s car in Withnail and I. Sold for £95,000. Worth considerably more to the right person. The Bentley R-Type With No Roof: Converted from a four-door saloon to a convertible at a cost of a quarter of a million pounds, then discovered it would cost another fifty grand to fit a proper hood. It went to auction. Highest bid was £58,500. The lady of the house has decreed it is not coming back. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN Why buying a fully restored classic is almost always better value than restoring one yourself. Why the pre-war Rolls-Royce market is losing its custodians faster than it is gaining new ones. Why the chauffeur always got the leather seat and the owner got the fabric. What MacArthur Park has to do with a Phantom V. And why a car restored to a quarter of a million pounds can fail to reach £60,000 at auction. KEY QUESTIONS * Is it ever worth commissioning a one-off coachbuilt Rolls-Royce or Bentley today? Anthony says probably not twice. The £550,000 Bentley would cost a million to build now. The heartache and failed delivery dates are real. Buy the best restored car someone else has already suffered through. * Are pre-war Rolls-Royces undervalued? Anthony bought a 1933 Silver Wraith Landaulet with over £200,000 of restoration for £26,500 at auction. The previous owner had Alzheimer’s. The people who restore these cars are leaving the scene faster than new buyers are arriving. * What makes a car genuinely special beyond its condition? Every car Anthony walks Sam past has a human story: a husband’s unfulfilled wish, a hellraising actor’s only possession, a billionaire’s bespoke commission. Anthony’s view is that the story is inseparable from the car and always will be. A NOD TO Anthony Kearsley and Auto Couture, who offer chauffeur hire from £1,500. The film The Ghost of Richard Harris on Sky Arts, featuring Anthony, Jared Harris and the Phantom V. The RRC National Rally. And Hooper, Mulliner and the great coachbuilders whose work still commands rooms full of people who cannot quite believe what they are looking at. https://autocoutureltd.com/  [https://autocoutureltd.com/] 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com [grangebaileys@gmail.com] 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady [https://www.instagram.com/the_old_car_lady] 🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady [https://www.youtube.com/@Theoldcarlady] 👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/groups/theoldcarladyclassiccarcommunity] 🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Theoldcarlady] This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

Martin Buckley | Fiat 130s in Pub Car Parks, Bristol 406s & a Ferrari in Bredbury

The Old Car Lady sits down with motoring writer Martin Buckley to go through a box of photographs taken on the streets of Manchester and Stockport in the late 70s and 80s. Martin was a teenager with a camera and an eye for anything interesting, and he found plenty. A Fiat 130 abandoned in a pub car park in Audenshaw. A Bristol 406 with no plates and no engine photographed on a night out in Stockport. A Lamborghini Urraco outside a mate’s garage in Ashton. A Ferrari 275 GTS spotted outside an auto electrician in Bredbury. A 300 SL Roadster in a mill car park. This is what was out there if you knew where to look. FEATURED STORIES The Fiat 130 at The Blue Pig: S reg, right-hand drive, badge nicked off the back, sitting in the car park of a pub in Audenshaw for months. Martin went in and asked about it. The landlord said no. He went back twice. It was always there. Espadas on Slip Roads and a Vinyl Roof: A dodgy classic car dealer in the early 80s who promised Martin an E type for Christmas and never delivered. He had two Lamborghini Espadas, took Martin out in one flat out on a motorway slip road doing well over 100. The other one had a vinyl roof. Covering the rust. The Bristol 406 on a Night Out: No plates, possibly no engine, photographed twice: once in colour and once in Martin’s black and white artistic period. He insisted on dragging his mates past it on the way to a club in Stockport. They thought he was weird. He does not disagree. Parking the Bristol in Pall Mall: Martin bought a Bristol 407 cheap, drove it from Stroud to London late at night at 100 miles an hour and parked it in Pall Mall. Found a space immediately. He says there was no Bristol moment that was ever going to top that. The Ferrari 275 GTS in Bredbury: Spotted outside an auto electrician in Bredbury. Worth millions now. Martin followed it in off the street. He has since owned a Ferrari 400 automatic and a 412 manual. His dad had a genuinely lovely 400i that Ferrari UK found nothing wrong with when they got their hands on it. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN Why pub car parks were long-term storage for interesting cars all over Greater Manchester. Why the Bristol 406 six-cylinder is now both Martin’s and Sam’s favourite. Why the Espada is a grenade waiting to go off and why Martin is still not cured of them. Why auto electricians who don’t make things worse are harder to find now than a Ferrari 275 GTS in Bredbury. And why the A6 through Stockport was the place to go car shopping before the internet. KEY QUESTIONS * Is the Lamborghini Espada worth owning today? Martin’s view: only if you have the equivalent of the car’s new price sitting in the bank as a just-in-case fund. You also need a specialist who will actually work on one. He has owned one and is not cured. * Bristol 406 or 407: which is the one to have? Both Martin and Sam come down on the 406 with the six-cylinder engine as peak Bristol. Better proportioned, better balanced, nicer to drive. The V8s are faster but the engine is heavier and the handling suffers. * Did growing up surrounded by interesting cars make you a better judge of them? Martin’s dad had P5Bs, a Lotus Elite, Lancias and Ferraris. Martin had access to an Opel Senator 3 litre as a teenager and thought nothing of it. He now thinks that background makes you harder to impress and slower to buy badly. A NOD TO Martin Buckley, motoring writer and author, whose archive of 35mm photos from the streets of Greater Manchester is exactly the kind of thing nobody else kept. Part 2 is coming. Barry Moran’s garage in Ashton, where the Lamborghini Urraco was a regular visitor. And the auto electricians of Leyland, Preston, who are still doing it properly. 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com [grangebaileys@gmail.com] 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady [https://www.instagram.com/the_old_car_lady] 🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady [https://www.youtube.com/@Theoldcarlady] 👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/groups/theoldcarladyclassiccarcommunity] 🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Theoldcarlady] This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

Andy from My Dad’s Car, E-Types, 944s and the Car Stories That Made Us

The Old Car Lady is joined by Andy from My Dad’s Car, the podcast that asks a very simple question with a very big answer: what car started it all? They talk dads, workshops, car magazines, childhood passenger-seat memories, lockdown podcasting, Porsche side profiles, Halfords friendships, and why the car bug is so often passed down through people rather than horsepower figures. Andy shares the story of his dad’s trim shop, the cars that came and went, and the primrose yellow E-Type that still sits in the memory, even if not in the garage. Featured Stories The Podcast That Started In Lockdown: Andy explains how My Dad’s Car grew out of lockdown, Clubhouse, Instagram Lives, working from home, and the loss of his dad. What began as an idea became a place for people to talk about the parents, memories and cars that shaped them. The Trim Shop Childhood: Andy’s dad was a car trimmer, with a flat above the shop and a workshop full of interesting cars. Visits often meant one question: “What cars have you got in?” Sometimes there was even a quick trip round the block. The Primrose Yellow E-Type: One of the big memories is a 1967 Series 1½ Jaguar E-Type roadster, taken in as payment, restored, and later sold before classic prices went wild. A proper childhood hero car, even if owning one now is another matter entirely. The Cars People Go Back For: Sam and Andy talk about the emotional pull of the cars we grew up with. The Beetles, Escorts, Sunbeams, Sierras, Minis, Golfs and family cars that were ordinary once, but become precious because of who was driving them. The Last Of The Analogue Cars: MX-5s, MR2s, early Golfs, Polos, Saxos, Civics and Boxsters all get a mention as Sam and Andy wonder whether the 1990s and early 2000s cars could become the next big classic scene. EVs, Range Anxiety And The Future Of Car Love: From Teslas on the school run to smart motorways, scrappage schemes and driver aids, the conversation turns to what today’s children will remember. Will they fall for a neighbour’s EV, or will classic car meets, social media and real driving experiences keep the old-car bug alive? A Nod To My Dad’s Car podcast Andy and John, who have now recorded more than 100 episodes about the cars, parents and stories that got people into motoring. Toyota MR2 raffle at Raffall: two free entries with code MR2POD. 51,000 miles, 11-month MOT. Proceeds to Dogs Trust. https://raffall.com/bring_your_trailer_classics [https://raffall.com/bring_your_trailer_classics] 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com [grangebaileys@gmail.com] 💬 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: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

Tim Ashworth | Austin Metro Launch Archive, Applejack Paint & the Cassette Nobody Has Played

The Old Car Lady is back with Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics, and this time Tim has brought the archive: the original 1980 Austin Metro dealer launch pack, brochures, mechanic notes, a Metro Plus brochure even Tim had forgotten he had, and a cassette unplayed for 45 years. They go through it all page by page. The Union Jack campaign, the 9X prototype that never was, the Applejack and Peridot colours that almost nobody ordered, the asymmetric rear seat brochure with its pop-up pages, and British Leyland’s claim that the Metro does 83 miles per gallon at a steady 30. Tim calls that one. FEATURED STORIES The Dealer Pack That Survived: One pack per dealer, not for customers, sent in October 1980 to prepare the showrooms for launch night. Launch schedule, marketing order forms, mechanic guidance notes, Union Jack tease materials and a cassette. Tim’s is intact. The cassette has never been played. The 9X That Never Was: Issigonis designed a Mini successor in 1968 with a hatchback and advanced engine. BL killed it. Ten years later the Metro arrived instead, redesigned after customer clinics rejected the original styling mule. Applejack, Peridot and the Colours Nobody Ordered: Applejack, Snapdragon, Peridot, Cinnabar, Vermillion. Strobe seats colour-coded to match. Almost none were ordered in significant numbers. The Metros that survive are mostly red, white and blue. Metro Plus: The Brochure Tim Forgot He Had: Bucket seats, short shift, spot lamps, Ronal wheels: a separate package on top of a standard Metro, almost a homage to the Cooper S. Tim found it mid-conversation and had forgotten he had it. 83 Miles Per Gallon at a Steady 30: The launch brochure claims 83 mpg at a steady 30. Sam asks Tim whether he is having that. He is not. A NOD TO Stockley Classics at stockleyclassics.com [https://www.stockleyclassics.com/] Rover 100, Ford Street Ka, 18,000-mile Vauxhall Corsa B and a Rover Mini RSP. Find Tim on Facebook. YouTube channel incoming. Toyota MR2 raffle at Raffall: two free entries with code MR2POD. 51,000 miles, 11-month MOT. Proceeds to Dogs Trust https://raffall.com/bring_your_trailer_classics [https://raffall.com/bring_your_trailer_classics]  📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com [grangebaileys@gmail.com] 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady [https://www.instagram.com/the_old_car_lady] 🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady [https://www.youtube.com/@Theoldcarlady] 👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/groups/theoldcarladyclassiccarcommunity] 🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Theoldcarlady] This has been a Worth A Listen Production.

Honest John Dixon | Jaguars, Gangsters & the Shotgun Behind the Desk (Part 2)

The Old Car Lady is back with Honest John Dixon for Part 2, going deeper into the South London motor trade of the 60s and 70s: the characters, the criminal crossover and the stories that didn’t make it into Part 1. John bought an XJ6 in decorating overalls with a suitcase of cash, kept a shotgun behind his desk and knew the fraud squad detective who investigated him personally. This is what the motor trade actually looked like. FEATURED STORIES Never Judge a Book by Its Cover: John walked into a Hendon showroom in his decorating overalls with a suitcase containing 50 grand. The salesman told him he couldn’t afford the XJ6 in the window. John counted out three grand in tenners and fives on the desk. He drove it home that afternoon and slept with his bed by the window to keep an eye on it. The Shotgun Behind the Desk: Four men turned up at John’s Bury Road pitch looking to rob him. He put the shotgun on the desk and told them he only had one cartridge but one of them was staying. He has never seen three men run so fast. The gun was empty. Going Straight in the Motor Trade: John did his stints inside, used the time to read and learn chess, then went straight into the trade. His view: you could earn more as a straight motor dealer than doing anything else. The Fraud Squad, the Rolls-Royce and the Apology: A mis-typed chassis number brought the fraud squad down convinced John was ringing cars. When they realised it was a DVLA error the detective sergeant bought his wife flowers to apologise. He is now a chief inspector. Rating Girls on Cars and Reading the Room: In the pub John and his mates rated women by which car they reminded them of. On the forecourt he switched accents and approaches mid-conversation depending on who he was talking to. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN Why the man in the Rolls is probably less wealthy than the man in the Cortina. Why zeroing a clock is less dishonest than knocking miles off it. Why the motor trade was the cleanest route from a shady past to a legitimate fortune. And why the Long Good Friday is about 80% accurate. KEY QUESTIONS * Was the motor trade genuinely intertwined with London’s criminal world? John says yes, but frames it as history. The motor trade offered a clean route to legitimate earnings for people who’d been operating in the grey. Most of them took it. * Could you really tell who someone was by what they drove? John’s answer is no and yes. Never judge a book by its cover, but you could read the room. The man who owned his Cortina outright was often worth more than the man sweating over the Roller payments. * What made South London’s motor trade different from Manchester’s? The characters were different but the mechanics were the same. Cash, trust, the ability to sell a teacup without a handle. John and Sam both agree the camaraderie that existed between dealers across the country is gone. A NOD TO Part 1 of Sam’s conversation with Honest John Dixon, S1E35, which covers how John got into the trade, the Sid James Rolls-Royce and James Hunt’s car on the forecourt. R. Clarke Motors, still trading today with John’s son Chris. And Dave Ackrinian, now a chief inspector, who John says is one of the good ones. Watch on YouTube: Part 2 Video 1 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BmgHfZb3Q4] and Part 2 Video 2 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQtJ0sCfS-4] 📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com [grangebaileys@gmail.com] 💬 WhatsApp: 07405 813554 📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady [https://www.instagram.com/the_old_car_lady] 🎦 TikTok, Facebook and YouTube: The Old Car Lady [https://www.youtube.com/@Theoldcarlady] 👍 The Old Car Lady Classic Car Community on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/groups/theoldcarladyclassiccarcommunity] 🔔 Subscribe: @Theoldcarlady on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@Theoldcarlady] This has been a Worth A Listen Production.