Mini marvels make massive collection

THE 74-year-old anonymous collector said his interest began in the 1950s when he would be taken to see the London-to-Brighton Veteran Car Run and also to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square where large American cars would be lined up.

Factoring in the impact of his own Dinky and Corgi toys was one thing, but after discovering stock car racing he began to modify some of his own cars with a hacksaw.

“Automotive design has always interested me, from the 1950s onwards,” the collector said.

“As a graphic design student in London, I wrote my final year’s thesis on car design. I am not a technical person – my interest is in the overall external look of a car, plus the history of the companies worldwide who have manufactured the vehicles.

“I have been very fortunate to have coupled my interest in design with opportunities to travel extensively; art galleries, transport museums, car collections and visits to historic racing circuits have always been top of my list! I have also been lucky enough to have owned many cars – some of which are now regarded as ‘classics’, such as the original Mini, the Rover SD1, the mid-1970’s Aston Martin V8, and later, seven Jaguar XJS models.”

The journey to his current vast collection began in the 1970s when he was working in London and discovered ‘collectors’ model cars. These were highly detailed and different to run-of-the-mill ‘toys’.

Jonathan Torode, from Excalibur Auctions, said: “It literally charts the history of the genre, not just in the UK but around the globe and has some spectacular rare and little known models from both mainstream and artisan manufacturers that will be highly sought-after by collectors far and wide.”