Quentin Willson chooses four sleeper classic cars

Owning a classic car can bring years of motoring fun and, if bought carefully, can also be a smart place to park your money – one that’s certainly more interesting than stocks and shares or money in the bank.

The trick is to buy before a particular model becomes popular… but that’s easier said than done.

Unless, of course, you have classic car guru Quentin Willson on your side. And visitors to the Classic Cars magazine stand at the London Classic Car Show (23-26 February, London ExCeL) will have just that!

Quentin, a household name from TV shows such as BBC Top Gear, The Car’s the Star and The Classic Car Show, owns a fleet of classics many of which he has restored with forensic attention to period detail.

But he also has the knack of finding and buying classics before their values reach for the sky. Quentin’s regular ‘Smart Buys’ form part of 16 pages of buying advice in every issue of the magazine.

And he will be on hand at the show to impart advice and to pick four classic supercars that are attainable today but which, he thinks, will go stratospheric soon.

The quartet will be on display on the Classic Cars exhibit throughout the four days of the show, and Quentin himself will be on hand throughout, both at the stand and in the Supagard Theatre at 1pm on Saturday and 12:30pm on Sunday, to explain the reasons behind his choices.

His chosen quartet are:
Rolls-Royce Camargue

“The Rolls-Royce Camargue is one of the very few classics that hasn’t mushroomed in price. The looks might be contentious but it’s the best value bespoke RR by a monster margin. The early DBS V8, on the other hand, is the forgotten Aston. We can cure all its fuel injection glitches now and with only 405 built it’s rarer, and much cheaper, than a DB5,” said Willson.

Aston Martin DBS V8

Sunbeam Tiger

“Daytonas have levelled off and there are 20 on the market just in the UK right now. Now could be the time to use an oversupplied market to your advantage. Ferrari’s sexiest ‘70s icon will only go up again.”

“The best car Rootes ever made is still undervalued, rare and hugely special. Americans are selling good Tigers (below left) for $120k but here you can still buy one for less than £50k. They won’t be that money for much longer though,” he added.

Ferrari Daytona

Now in its third year, the London Classic Car Show is bigger than ever and will have more than 700 stunning classic cars on display, some for sale from leading dealers in the classic world.

Guest of honour this year is Jacky Ickx, the world’s greatest all-round racer. A special display of some of the greatest cars he’s ever driven while showcase his versatility. Ickx and Le Mans team-mate Derek Bell will be at the show on Thursday and Friday.

The show’s other highlights include a special Ferrari Tribute Collection, an eye-catching gathering of 20 Ferrari road cars together worth £120 million; The Grand Avenue, along which 66 of the world’s most iconic classic cars will be driven at regular intervals throughout the four days of the show; the Pop-Up Beaulieu Autojumble and Car Club Square with scores of popular and affordable classics showcased by the leading one-make clubs.

Entry to the London Classic Car Show also incorporates entry to a second show, Historic Motorsport International (HMI), which is devoted to historic racing and rallying.

Admission to the London Classic Car Show incorporates free entry to HMI. Historic Motorsport International will open its doors at 12 noon on Thursday, 23 February while the London Classic Car Show will burst into life at 3pm that afternoon.

Tickets to the 2017 London Classic Car Show/HMI are now available from the show website – thelondonclassiccarshow.co.uk – and start at £24 for single adult entry (£27 on the door on the day). Gala evening standard entry costs £42 or for access to the Grand Avenue Club, where the interviews take place, tickets cost £70.