Berlinetta Classic Car Auctions launches this month with the intention of providing a fresh and enticing alternative to the traditional routes available when buying or selling your classic.
Berlinetta Car Classic Auctions will offer a fresh approach to buying and selling classic cars
Brothers Rob and Pete Thornton have founded the company with the aim of providing all the upsides of buying direct from an owner, dealer or broker, combined with the immediacy and focus of the auction process; with plans to hold boutique sales conducted over a weekend, allowing buyers to bid online at any point.
The brothers feel that while a conventional auction is effective in that it provides a time-limited focus to any transaction, the risks incurred by buyers who are unable to fully evaluate potential purchases prior to bidding are significant.
As they explained, "We wouldn't invest in a property prior to having it surveyed, and investing in a classic car is not dissimilar. Our unique ‘try before you buy’ facility allows potential buyers to talk direct to owners, fully inspect a vehicle (on ramps if required), hear it run and even be taken on a test drive, all from the auction site, prior to bidding."
By asking (but not insisting) that sellers to be on hand to demonstrate their cars to prospective buyers, and by avoiding the expense involved in staging and running a traditional 'man with gavel' auction, the company is able to keep overheads low and offer a groundbreaking 0% sellers commission. This unique fee structure is enhanced by their offer to accommodate sellers and their partners at the hotel for the weekend free of charge, with an exclusive champagne reception on the Saturday night to further lubricate the social side of the event.
"Selling a classic car should be more than just a transaction. We aim to turn it into a sociable, enjoyable and hopefully profitable experience by offering sellers a weekend away in beautiful surroundings in the company of other like-minded enthusiasts. Meanwhile their potentially long suffering partners can make use of the hotel's facilities, explore the surrounding Cotswolds or simply relax with the weekend's papers whilst their other-halves drone on about cam shafts and gudgeon pins."
Berlinetta will hold their inaugural sale on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th May at The Manor Country House Hotel, Weston-on-the-Green near Oxford, with consignments initially limited to a maximum of 25 cars.