Sell your car without putting it on a stage

What is your car actually worth?

Not the prices similar cars are listed at — the prices cars like yours actually close at. Valuation reflects chassis and specification, the completeness of the history file, originality and matching numbers, restoration quality, and market timing. A documented, honest example commands a premium incomplete files never see; we tell you which side of that line your car sits on.

What the sale mandate covers

• Valuation — grounded in closed transactions for your chassis and specification, not listing optimism
• Verification — history file organized, matching numbers confirmed, inspection by a marque specialist before buyers ask
• Buyer matching — the car offered directly to collectors who want that chassis, not posted to a feed
• Confidential positioning — no public listing unless you approve one; details shared on a need-to-know basis
• Negotiation — offers managed and countered by the office, keeping you out of the conversation until terms are right
• Completion — escrow, payment security, insured transport, and title transfer handled in sequence

Where can you sell a collector car?

There are four realistic channels, each with different economics: a dealer buyout or trade (instant, margin priced in), online auction platforms (reach, but full publicity and fees), classic auction houses (competition, at a seller's commission and no-sale risk), or a private collector sale. For collector-grade cars, the private route usually nets the most:

• Dealer buyout or trade — instant and certain, but the dealer's resale margin is priced into your quote; expect the steepest discount
• Online auction platforms — broad reach and real results for enthusiast cars, at the cost of full publicity, fees, and reserve risk on rare metal
• Classic auction houses — genuine competition for exceptional cars, against a seller's commission, a months-long calendar, and the lasting mark of a public no-sale
• Private collector sale — the car offered directly to collectors who want that chassis; typically the strongest net for collector-grade cars, executed in confidence

The right channel depends on the car's market depth. We quantify the routes before you pick one.

What determines the price?

Five factors set a collector car's value, in rough order of weight: the chassis and specification's rarity, the completeness of the history file, originality and matching numbers, condition and restoration quality, and market timing. A serious valuation weighs all five against closed transactions for that model — never against listing prices or last year's headlines.

• Chassis and specification — the single largest factor; demand is specification-specific, not marque-generic
• History file — a complete file can move the price by double-digit percentages on collector cars
• Originality and matching numbers — factory-correct cars command premiums; undocumented changes erase them
• Condition and restoration — honest patina often beats a cheap respray; who restored matters as much as when
• Market timing — collector car prices move in cycles; valuation against this quarter's transactions, not the peak's

Consignment or direct sale?

Two honest options, and we lay the numbers out before you choose. A direct sale gives an agreed price paid promptly, when certainty and speed matter most. Consignment works the car through collector networks for an agreed period and usually nets more on rare chassis, because the right collector pays more than the fastest one:

• Direct sale — an agreed price, paid promptly. Right when certainty and speed matter more than the last percent.
• Consignment — the office works the car through collector networks for an agreed period. Typically achieves more for rare chassis, because the right collector pays more than the fastest one. Proceeds arrive at sale.

We will tell you plainly which we would choose in your position — and why.