The Old Car Lady is joined by Paul Gardner, founder of Speed Broker. Paul and his wife manage private treaty sales on behalf of collectors: photography, listings, storytelling, negotiation and handover, with the car staying exactly where it is.
Paul’s career went from a paper round to Halfords, through valeting, wrapping, three years travelling with the Gumball 3000 and a restoration centre in Essex. Along the way: The Beatles’ E-Type, a Ferrari F40 in Switzerland, 70s Astons and a De Tomaso Pantera that started up outside a block of flats in North London and changed everything.
Featured Stories
The De Tomaso Pantera on the Paper Round: Paul was 13, delivering papers in North London, when a man started up a De Tomaso Pantera outside a block of flats. That was it. Sold for life. The E-Type his dad had admired at 10 was the first spark. The Pantera was the one that lit the fire.
The Beatles’ E-Type: Bought at the Coys auction in 2016. It had belonged to Ivor Arbiter, the man who created the logo on The Beatles’ drum kit and assisted with instruments and bookings. The car had been left rotting for 40 years. Paul’s restoration centre in Essex spent two years returning it to a Series 1 flat-floor E-Type in crimson. It won awards.
Speed Broker: Matchmakers for Classic Cars: Paul Gardner and his wife manage private treaty sales without the car leaving the owner. No dealer risk, no auction floor. Full photography, storytelling, negotiation and handover for a commission. The car stays in the owner’s garage until it is sold to the right person.
One in, One Out and the Cars You Regret: Paul has owned close to 400 personal cars. Both he and Sam have sold things they wish they hadn’t. Paul’s approach was to own everything he had an opinion about so he could form that opinion himself. His conclusion: brilliant strategy, terrible financial plan.
Square Pegs in Square Holes: The best deals Paul does are the ones where he already knows the buyer before the car comes to him. Building the community, running the events, staying in the room: all of it means that when a 70s Aston or a flat-floor E-Type needs a home, he usually knows exactly whose home it should be.
A Nod To
Speed Broker, Paul’s private treaty sales business. Find them on Instagram. The restoration centre in Essex where The Beatles’ E-Type was rebuilt. Ivor Arbiter and the Coys auction where it was found. And the man in North London with the De Tomaso Pantera who will never know what he started.
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This has been a Worth A Listen Production.
I hope you enjoy this episode, if you do I’d be grateful if you could like, subscribe, review and pass it on to anyone else that might enjoy it too. You can see what’s going on in my old car garage by following The Old Car Lady on all the usual social media channels and please get in touch with any questions or to discuss collaborations.
📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com
📞 Tel: 07851 694637
💬 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
