James Hull, owner of Britain’s largest, privately owned, award winning collection of cars, announced today that he is in search of a new home for his 457 British classics, estimated to be worth £100Million.
Many
of the vehicles have their own rich history and celebrity lineage. The
collection includes a Mini Traveller owned by the late Lord
Mountbatten, which was offered to a
young Prince Charles; a Bentley formerly owned by Elton John; Keith
Floyd’s ‘woodie’ Traveller; a Humber belonging to the judge presiding
over the Profumo Affair; and a 1961 E Type Jaguar owned by Britain’s
world motor cycle champion Mike Hailwood, complete
with a Donnington medal. A car owned by Winston Churchill offered up a
heavy wooden box containing silver maps of France, allegedly given to
Churchill by Roosevelt.
His collection of cars covers each decade from the 1930s to the present day,
reflecting the history of the British automotive industry. It
ranges from the first 1961 Jaguar E Type roadsters to a Sir William
Lyons Jaguar Mk10 which sits
alongside many other unique and rare SS models. Two 1954 Bentley
Mulliner R Type Continental fastbacks are flanked by an Alvis Super
Graber convertible and an Allard “woodie” station wagon. Add to this a
Sinclair C5 and the eclectic nature of the collection
becomes apparent.
Hull
has travelled extensively around the world tracking down some of the
rarest, original British models, shipping them back to the UK where they
are disassembled (down to
the smallest nut and bolt) before being restored, repainted and
re-assembled by his team of mechanics. This process, requiring
extensive research to source original components and fittings, takes
typically 3 years per car and has ensured the vehicles in this
collection are world renowned for their quality and integrity.
The
collection has made appearances at many high profile automobile events
including the Queen’s 80th Birthday parade, Italy’s ‘Mille Miglia’ car
rally and Jaguar’s “Bloodline”
Tour of China. It has also played a part in the Goodwood Festival of
Speed and Geneva Motor Shows as well as appearing at the Beaulieu
National Motor Museum.
James
Hull is a dentist, entrepreneur and philanthropist who has battled and
survived cancer on three occasions in the past four years, earning him
the nickname ‘Lazarus’ among
friends and family. While his desire to find and restore old classics
remains undiminished, given his health problems he now feels it is time
to identify a like-minded partner to carry on the “mission”. Hull says “I’m
merely a passionate custodian of this
hugely significant part of British history and, with luck, I will
succeed in finding a home that can not only be enjoyed and treasured by
the British public but also be admired by visitors from across the
world. It will be memory-evoking display. It’s the
culmination of a life-long hobby. Each car has its story and all have
played a part in the history of British motoring. It is part of our
heritage.”
While
Hull,
who has been amassing these cars for 35 years, is keen for the
collection to remain in the UK, there is significant interest from
overseas buyers. In the UK he is in discussions with
a number of potential suitors including 5 Local Enterprise Partnerships
(Cardiff, Hereford, Birmingham, Bristol and Wales) hoping to create a
purpose-built, world class, affordable, family entertainment
destination.
It
is supplemented by an assortment of 365 original pedal cars spanning
the same period, a selection of working model aircraft
and a range of industry memorabilia. Hull describes it as a “living
memory collection” inspired by childhood memories of his grandfather’s
Jaguar and father’s Alvis. While prestige models dominate, including a
number of ultra-prestige Vandan Plas and continental
models, there is a proliferation of other classics such as the famous
‘woodies’, produced by the likes of Austin and Alvis, as well as a
fantastic assembly of Triumphs, Morris Minors, Standards, Rileys,
Wolseleys and Mini Coopers. There is also a memory evoking
collection of British campervans from the 40s, 50s and 60s, and within
the 4x4 section early Land Rovers and pristine classic Range Rovers.
Asked what he will do with the empty warehouses once his beloved cars have gone, he says “I’m a collector, so who knows what will turn up next! My wife hopes it will be
something smaller like stamps!”
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