North-western newbie
How Woodlands has plugged a gap in the market
Why did you start a classic auction business at this time?
I’ve had a keen interest in classic cars from an early age, following my father’s passion. Having been up, down, across and around the country following that passion, I found myself questioning why there was no auction venue in the North West region where I could indulge my passion for buying and selling classic cars. The vision and planning have been there for a while but certain factors have come together to make me give the green light to this venture, the biggest being finding the right team who are as enthusiastic about cars as I am. That’s why we’re up and running now.
Do you think your location will be a bonus?
We think so. For many reasons it’s an area with strong transport links, centrally located between Manchester and Liverpool. Having sold my classic cars through auctions, I found it frustrating having to travel so far to the nearest sale, with many locations unable to offer storage facilities. I always had to try to reduce the price of the car or arrange return transport within a very tight deadline.
What sort of cars are you looking at? All ages, or more specific ones?
We are anticipating catering for the vintage, classic and supercar enthusiast. We do envisage holding auctions for specific ages of car but want to create a broad sales platform until we are fully established. Listening to customers, we anticipate having a collectibles and memorabilia section (in development – we think this section will be introduced in our June auction) so accessibility is opened right across the board.
Will you be taking in trade cars as well as private entries?
Yes. We have taken in vehicles from across the trade but our catalogue will be mainly made up of the find in someone’s garage which we have had great pleasure visiting and discovering. That’s the thrill.
Will you offer a paper catalogue on the day of the sale?
The catalogue is live on our website. This will be accompanied by the paper catalogue which can be bought on the day and will give automatic entry into the auction.
How many sales do you have planned for this year?
Our auctions will run quarterly this year: 25 March; 24 June; 30 September; and 9 December. We also see opportunities in our calendar to drop in specific auctions for certain ages of car, or for collectibles and memorabilia.
‘The vision and planning have been there for a while’