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ThisweekIamdelightedtowelcomealongAnticoWheelsandDealsPodcast.
He'sawell-knownandwell-respectedclassiccarcollectorwithawonderfulcollectionofbothBritishLaningcarsandRollsRoyceandFentley.
I'dlovetofindouthowthosetwocametogether.
He'sthecurrentstarofChannel4'shandcuffedlastpairstandingwithJonathanRoss.
AndherunsAutoCature,afleetofluxuryclassiccars.
ButhowdidhegetfromsellingAustinMaestrosintheLakeDistricttoowningthiswonderfulcollection?
HisstorytakesusfromtheLakeDistricttoSeattle,wherehisdealingswithBillGatesledhimtouseAnthonyasanexampleofcustomerservice.
Sowithoutfurtherado,verywarmwelcometomyfriendAnthonyKersley.
Ireallywanttotalktoyouaboutyourcarmemoriesandyourlifewithcars,becauselikemethroughvariousmembersofmyfamily,they'vejustalwaysbeenthere,haven'tyou?
Yeah,absolutely.
Infact,they'realltimemachines,weknowthat.
Alotofmyformativeyears,Itendtoputcarsintoyears.
SoIcanrecallmemoriesbywhatcarswerearoundandwhatwasgoingon.
Butmyfatherhadlovelycarsandalwayshadlovelycars,buthewasahorseman.
Mymother'sfamilywerethecarpeople.
Sothat'sreallywhereitstarted.
WhenIwasliterallyeightornine,whenI'dbepensionedofftomyUncleVernonandAuntieMarjorie,whohadtheBLPeugeotCitroendealershipinBolton.
Pilkington'saBolton.
Andthere'saCinefilmsomewhereofmeasalittleboy.
Goingroundtheshowroom,likelittleboyswouldtalktoimaginaryfriends,Iwouldsellcarstoimaginarycustomers.
Sothere'saCinefilmofme,andit'sared2CVcitron,brandnew,intheshowroom,andmegoing,nowmadam,havealook,haveasit.
Lookatthis,andthisdoesthis,andthisdoesthis.
Andtheywerelike,wow.
AndI'dplayforhoursdoingmyownsellingtoimaginaryclients.
Sodidyougrowupwantingtobeacardealer,isthat?
Ididn'tknowwhatcardealingwas.
Butwhatfascinatedme,andit'speopleoftensay,Whydidyouwanttodoit?
Andthesimplefact,andyou'llknowthisbetterthananybodywithyourdaddy,Iwasfromaverywealthyfamily,butweneverhadanycash.
Yes,youknow,myfamilywassooldmoney,theydidn'thaveanymoney.
Assetrich.
Yeah.
Withbeautifulhomesandfabulousboatsandlovelyracehorsesandeverything,buttherewasneveranycasharound.
Now,whenIwenttostayMarjorieVernon,hewouldcomehomewithhishatonandhiscigar,andhe'dhavebagsofcash.
Andshe'dsitintheofficelikethis.
Icanseeherwithmountainsofit.
AndIhavetothink,they'rereallyrich.
AndofcourseI'dgofinallyhometomyfatherandsay,MarjorieandUncleVernon,they'reverywealthy,aren'tthey?
Andhesaid,optically,Isaid,they'vegotmoneyeverythey'vegotitstackedup.
Pilesofit.
AndIthought,ifthat'swhatI'mgoingtodoinmylifetomakemoney,thenthat'swhatIhavetodo.
Andasalittleboy,remember,we'reonlytalkingeighttotwelveyearsofage.
That'swhatIwantedtodo.
Formativeyears,though.
Yeah.
AndthenVVernon'ssonwasRogerPilkington,whowasveryformativeinmylife,andhehadastandatBOCMotorsinBolton,thesecondhandplace,whereBernardManningusedtodothecomeon,lad,BOC,betterpeopletobuyfrom.
Customerisking.
IusedtogoandworkinthesummerholidaysandcleanthecarsforUncleRoger.
NowhisbrotherwasStephenPilkington,whowasaveryfamousclassiccarguy.
Yeah.
SoStephenandRoger'sstepmotherwasmygrandfather'ssisteronmymother'sside.
Andthatwasthat.
Sothat'sreallywhereitallstarted.
Then,ofcourse,mymyfather,withhiscarriage,hewasafoundermemberoftheBritishCarriageDrivingSocietywiththeDukeofEdmund,allthatlot.
AndIsaidtohimoneday,whydon'tyouteamupaclassiccarwithahorseandcarriageinthedressagearena?
Yeah.
Justpairthemup.
Anyway,theydid.
AndIusedtobefascinatedwithhelpingthemteamupacontinentalBentleywithacoachandfourorasportscarwitharallycar.
Itwasreallyfascinatingtome.
Plus,IlovethemarathonswhentheygointheRangeRoversthroughtheforestsandeverything.
MymotherhadthefirstRangeRoverinWindermerein1970.
RangeRover.
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah,anditwasbeige.
Andyoucouldswitchitoutwithabucket.
Anditwas1600quid.
In1969sheordereditanditcamein1970.
Andshehadanewoneeveryyearuntil79whenshesaidtheybecamealittleimpracticalforher,andthenshegotaSubaru.
I,ofcourse,flunkedoutofthearmy.
Itwasn'tforme,Iwasn'tintohorses.
Iwassentuptomygrandmother'sinthelakestoreckonwithmyself.
Hadaparticularlylovelytime,andthenonedayshesaid,YoubettertaketheWoolsleyinforaservice.
Andwhileyou'reatit,getajob.
SoIthought,oh,maybethisshouldbe.
You'redoingthisfortheday.
SoshehadaWolseley1885,whichIbumbledaroundin.
AndwewenttoRayRigMotorsinBoness.
UminfactI'mstillverydearfriendswiththemallnow,eventhoughthey'vesoldup.
ButuhIwentinwithaWolseleyandIwenttoDavidSmith,whowasthetheownerofit.
AndIsaid,CanIhaveajob,David?
Andhewent,Yeah.
StartonMonday.
We'relaunchinganewcarcalledtheAustinMaestro.
Youcanhelpuslaunchit.
It'dbegreat.
Yeah,I'dloveittocomeandworkforus.
It'dbesuper.
Itwasaseasyasthat.
Straightstraightinthen.
Yeah.
Okay.
AndsomyfirstjobwastohelponthelaunchnightoftheAustinMaestro,whichwasthefirstofMarch1983.
AndthenIstartedworkatRariedMotors.
Andofcourse,aMaestrowasthegreatestthingthat'severdrewbreath.
Itwasjustamazingtome.
IsthatwhereyourBLYeahstarted.
Startoffthingsstarted.
Okay.
Somyfirstdemonstratorwasametrobase.
AndthentheVandenPlaaMetrosthatI'mreallybesottedwith.
Ihadtogotothetaxoffice.
Asyouremember,weusedtorunforbloodytaxofficeinPrestoneveryday.
Andthepooroldboywhodiditcouldn'tdoit.
Wehadamanemployedjusttodoit.
Sotheysaid,look,jumpintheMetroDemonstrator,Anthony,andgettoPreston.
Weneedtogetthisdoneandthatdone.
AnditwasagoldMEC640X.
I'veneverforgottenit.
AndIgotinthecarandIstuffedittoPreston.
AsIwascomingbackattheM6,itstartedtomakeadreadfulnoise.
AndIgotbackanditliterallycreptontotheforecourtanddied.
Andtheforemancameup,hesaid,You'reintheshit.
Isaid,Why?
Hesaidyoutookthewrongcar.
Ithinkitwassomedearoldlady'scarthatwasinforservice,whichwasthesamecolour,parkedtowhereMECsomethingX,differentbloodycar.
Andyouthrasheditallthewaythrough.
Iruinedit,yeah.
Iblewitup.
Sowait,wereyouintheshit?
Ohyeah,andImadesomecataclysmicowls.
Ireallywas.
Iwasonly17.
Yeah.
It'sembarrassingtotellyou.
Oh,oneweekend,becauseweworkweekends,ofcourse.
Weneverhadaweneverhadabreak.
Onesunnyday,aguycomesinwhoworkedatFallbarrowParknextdoortothedealership.
IlikethatX19.
I'dreallylikeit.
CanIfinanceit?
Isaid,yeah,definitely.
Signedthefinancepapersup,tookhisdeposit.
Bye.
Noproposition.
No.
Lethimgo.
Yeah.
Butthecar.
Hewroteitoff.
Ah.
Iwas17.
Nonoinstruction.
Bye.
Gotsomemoney.
Iwasanidiot.
Anditwenton.
Itwenton,itwenton,itwenton.
SogoodsolidstartforCardiff.
Yeah,Imadesomecataclysm.
Powerless.
WhenIlookback,butIdidsellcarsandIlovedit.
AndIwaspassionateaboutAustinRover.
IsoldthelastTL7thatwasinstocktoalovelyladyfromOxfordshireandIhadtodeliveritdownthere.
AndIlovedmydriving.
IhadoneveryserioussmashwhenIwasatRaylandMotors.
Veryserious.
Buttheystoodbyme.
Theywereverygoodtome.
Yeah.
ButIwasdefinitelyshockedwhen12monthslater,aftergettingtoknoweverybodyandreallygettinginwiththem,DavidSmithtookmeasideandhesaid,We'regoingtoletyougo,Anthony.
YouneedtogobacktoLondon.
Thisisn'tforyou.
AndIsaid,Oh,whereamIgoing?
Iwassogreen.
Ionlythoughthe'dorganisesomethingforyou.
Hesaid,I'msackingyou.
Iwent,sackingme?
Whatfor?
Anthony,takemyadvice.
Thisisn'tforyou.
NowtheonethingIwilltellyouaboutmeisIdon'tlikebeingtoldthatI'mnotgoodatsomethingorIcan'tdoit.
It'stheonethingthatmyfatherhasdidmywholelife,andIfoughtagainstit.
ButIwasbrokenhearted.
Hewasabsolutelyright.
AndmywhenIwenttojointhemotortrade,myfather,itwastheworstthingIcouldhaveeverdone.
Okay.
Apartfromcomingoutasgay.
MyfatherwashorrifiedIwentintothemotortrade.
Didthatmakeyoubemoredetermined?
Idon'tregretanythingI'veeverdone,butI'mtellingyounow,Davidwasright.
Itwasn'tformethebusiness.
Iwasbrokenhearted,becausebythenIwasamemberoftherowingclubwiththem,andIusedtogooutpartyingwiththem.
Andwe'dlaunchedaTriumphClaimandRover,thenewRover2series,andIIwasinlovewiththeRoverVtestthreeandahalffeet,whichiswhyI'vegottheSD1.
SoIreallylovedbecauseatthatageyou'reveryimpressionableandyou'redevotedtowhatever.
IfIwasselling,Idon'tknow,toothpaste,I'dhavebeenpassionateabout.
Musthavefeltliketherughadbeenpulledout.
IwasabsolutelyshatteredbecauseIthoughtmyfather'sgoingtoberight.
I'mgoingtobeitwasreallyverypainful.
DidthethoughtofLondonappealtoyouonceyoumentionedthat?
Diditpopoffatallactually?
No,no.
WhathappenedwasmygrandmothersavedthedaybecauseIwenthomeandIsaidtoher,shewasawonderfulwoman.
Um,youreallyshouldhavemether.
Shewasaformidablewoman.
Yeah,shewas.
Isaid,Grangranny,I'vebeensacked.
No.
Whateverfor?
I'llcanceltheorderforthatandyoulostit.
Becauseshe'dorderedamaestro.
I'llcancelit.
Inmybusinesselsewhere.
Shesaid,Whatdoyouthink?
Whyhavetheydonethat?
Isaid,TheysayI'mnogoodatit.
Don'tberidiculous.
Anyway,comingoutwithmetonight,I'mgoingtothemotorboatracingclub.
Sothatnight,afterIwassacked,shetookmedowntothemotorboatracingclubwheretheywerehavingadinnerfortheoldfolksorwhatever.
Ishouldn'tsaythatbecauseI'masoldier.
Thatwouldbeforusnow,Anthony.
ButBillyBatonwasthere.
BillyandAnnieBateman,BatemanMotorworksBMW.
Now,I'dknownBillyallmylifeasafamilyfriend.
AndmyfatherboughtBMWsfromhim.
AndhisdaughterLiz,Iwasatherweddingwhenshemarriedawonderfulguy,aSwissguy,calledBeatRuckstuhl.
Andthey'dmarried,andBeatandLizwererunningtheBMWgarage.
Anyway,BillyhadtheBMWMarinefranchiseonLakeWindermereinthe60sandwasliterallyhandtheBMWcarfranchiseonaplate.
Becausetheyweretryingtosellthosefunnylittle700BMWs.
Andtheyheliterallywalkeduphisdriveandsaid,Please,Mr.
Bateman,pleasehavethefranchise.
Andheopeneditin66.
Bythen,itwouldbe1985.
Anditwasaverysuccessfulbusiness.
Ofcourse,therewillhavebeenlimitedcarshowroomsinthelakesabout.
Oh,verymuch.
ItwasBatemanMotorworksandBMWwerecheeseandbiscuits.
Remember,youhadstrictterritorysales.
Yeah.
SoLloyd'sofCockermouthandCarlislewereNorthLakes.
WewereSouthLakes,alittlebitofNorthLancashire.
Andneverthetwain,you'dneverifyousoldoutofterritory.
Ifsomebodywalkedintoyourshowroomandtheyhappenedtoliveoffterritory,didyouhavetosaynotothem?
No,butyouhadtofindoutwhytheywerethere.
Oh,okay.
Andyouhadtohaveaprettygoodreasontoyourareamanagerwhyyou'dsoldacar.
Ifyousoldacaroutofterritorywithoutpermission,youlostaprofitonit.
It'sassimpleasthat.
Wow.
Wedidn'thavethecars,remember,thenweregoingupinvalue.
YoucouldsellaBNW316oneyearandgivemoremoneyforitthefollowingAugust.
Yeah.
Thesewereveryrare.
WhenBMW3,5,6,and7wereallwe'redealingwith,theywerebeautifulcarsandtheywerelikegoldbars.
Soanyway,wewenttoanOttawaRacingClub,weweresittingdown,andBillyBateman,Idon'tdoyouevermeethim,becauseheknewyouheknewyourdad.
Billywasarealcharacter.
Ididn'tknowhimwellatall.
Hewasabitlittlebit.
Butyou'veheardofhim.
Ohyeah,yeah,mydadknewhim.
Heknewhimwell.
Infact,IthinkImetyourdadthroughBilly.
BecauseBillyhadahugecollectionofclassiccars,whichisanotherstory.
We'resittingroundthetable,andhewent,Nowthen,brother,howareyougettingonatrearrigs?
Isaid,Billy,I'vebeensat.
Eh.
Whateverhaveyoudone,lad?
Isaid,Idon'tknow,Billy,butDavidSmithsaid,I'mnevergonnamakeit.
I'vegottogobacktoLondon.
Eee,we'renothavingthat.
Hesaid,WhenIsetupthebusiness,yourUncleVernonandyourgrandfatherandyourunclePeter.
Andtheyusedtohelpmeintheearlydays.
I'mgoingtogiveyouajob.
ComeandseeourElizabethonMondaymorning.
I'llsignyouupatBMW.
SoIwasoutofworkforaweekend,feelingverysorryformyself.
Soyourgrandmasavedit.
FunfactaboutAnthony'sgrandma,shewasapowerboatracer.
Shewas,yeah.
AndsheknewboththeCampbells.
Yeah.
AndshewasPA2Caroline.
Yeah.
Cutalongstoryshort,IthenstartedBateman's.
Icanstill,it'slikethewomanontheTitanic.
IcanstillsmelltheshowroomwhenIwalkedin.
I'dcomefromBritishLeylandtocorporateBMW.
Anditwasjustwonderful.
Didyouloveit?
Straightfromtheair.
OfcourseIlovedit,yeah.
EmmelineHugheswasoneofourclients,aswasJimBowen.
Andtheshowroomwasbeautiful.
Youwon'thaveit'snottherenow.
Butithadafabitbeitrookstall,wasn'tit?
Itwasalandscapearchitect,andtherewasafountainintheshowroomandrockfalls.
Anditwasjustbeautiful.
Andonasummer'sday,itwasstunning.
I'vestillgotphotographsofthat.
Iwouldimagineit'sverydifferentfromyourlocalBritishLeylanddigital.
Well,itwasadifferentworldbecausewithinamonthIwassenttoBMWTrainingCentreinBratnell.
AndIstartedonmyuhIhad25courseswithBMW.
BetweenthatandLizBatemanandBillyandBia,theytaughtmeaboutthemotortrade.
Iwasasillylittleprat.
AndDavidwasright.
Weallweren'ttrained.
Iwas.
ButatBMW,IliveditandIlovedit.
Anditwasveryspecialtime.
SotheBMW3serieswasjustsellinglikehotcakes.
Wejusthadthefacelift.
ThefiveserieswasintheE30,wasthattheE30.
Andthenthefiveseries,thesixserieswasmyalwaysmydreamcar.
Thesevenserieswasalwaysadifficultsell,butwedidhavequitealotofoldstalwarts.
Therealchangecame,ofcourse,in86,stroke87,whenthenewBMWcameout,whichwasjustawonderfulthing.
That'swhenIremembertheAugustIwiththecarsinthebarnsandbringingthemout.
Anditwasjustanamazingtime.
Therewasaceremonytoit,wasn'tit?
Ohgod,yeah.
Anditwaswonderful.
AndIneverhadaholiday.
Ineverwentaway.
Youenjoyedit?
Oh,yeah.
IwasthereandIlitnotonlythat,andtheBatemanswereveryclever.
Theydidn'tpayyoualotofmoney.
Buttheygavemeahousetolivein.
IhadfreepetrolandIhadanewBMWeverysixmonths.
Iwasveryhappy.
Somehowwegotthrough.
Ihadafewquid,butIcertainlywasn'tmakingthemoney.
ButmycontemporariesinLondoninthe80swerecreaminginhundredsofthousandsaweek.
Icertainlywasn'tdoingthat.
Icertainlydidn'thavethepoundsandthemountainsofcashmyAuntieMarjoriehad.
You'rehonestlyhappybecauseyou'venotstoppedsmiling,talkingaboutit.
Ilovedit.
Thereweresome,andI'vestillgotthepictures,it'soneofthegreatesttimesofmylife.
Ilovedthefamily.
Theyloveme.
Ilovedtheproduct.
ThetrainingtheygavemeatBMWwasexceptional.
Andwhat'sfascinatingisthepeopleImetthroughthat.
Imetyourfatherthroughit,andImetlotsofotherpeoplethroughit.
Andofcourse,TomPurvis,whowasthechairmanofBMWGreatBritainatthetime,IlatermethiminmyRolls-RoycelifewhenhewaschairmanofRolls-Royce.
Sotherearealotofthingsthathappenthere.
It'squiteanincestuousindustry,isn'tit?
Ohyeah.
Theinterestingthing,though,ifyoudon'tmindmeasking,isIknowIlookyouIknowyouloveyourBLcars.
I'veboughtthreemetrosinthem,butafew.
Yeah,yeah,Ilovethem.
Iknowyou'llhaveyourRollsandBentley.
We'vesoldyouwithRollsandBentley.
UmbuttheBMWbitinthemiddleseemedtohavestuckwithyouinthesameway.
Oh,you'reright.
EverytimeIgetintheBMW,itjustmakesmewellup.
Yeah,Iunderstand.
I'dloveasiI'dlovea635CSI.
I'dloveanM635,I'dloveanM535.
IhadanoldpenisC2.7,
Inearkilledmyselfinit.
Ilovedthat.
Oh,Ilove 'em.
Absolutelylovethem.
SoSeattle,tellmeaboutthat.
Jumpedontheplane,gottoSeattle,walkedintotheJaguarPorscheAudidealershipandsaid,hello.
I'dlikeaJaguar.
Hello,didyougetajob?
Andwewent,comeonin.
IstartedworkstraightawayonJaguar,Porsche,andAudisales.
Onnewcars.
Yeah.
Andused.
Yeah.
ButBellevueJaguarPorscheAudiwasoneofthebiggestJaguardealsat1,300Jaguarallocation.
Wow.
Massive.
Massive.
Massive.
Butyousee,itwastheXJ40.
AndIlovethem.
Isoldthemnewthere.
Andtheyhadthingslikeautomaticseatbeltsandstuffwedidn'thave.
Buttheyweredoing100,000milesayear,thesecars,andtheyweredoingokay.
Yeah,butherethey'vedone65,000,they'refinished.
Well,theydon'tsalttheroadsquitethesame.
Well,it'sverytrue.
WhentheRoverSterlingwaslaunched,Iwastheretodothat.
Alltheleatherturnedgreenovernight.
Iwasmad.
Butno,JaguarPorscheAudiwaswhatIwasdoing.
AndIlovedit.
Itwasthepurependlesystem,pureFordpendle.
Horrific.
Angry,nastymotordealing.
Givemeyourkeys,you'renotgoinganywhere.
Howmuchdoyouwanttopayamonth?
Forgetcash.
You'rebuyingitonfinance.
Andthisiswhatyou'regoingtoget.
Andforgetthepriceforyourcar.
It'snotimportant.
There'syourpayment.
HowmuchmoneycanImakeoutofyou?
AndIdon'twanttoseeyouagain.
Ijustwantyourcash.
That'sit.
There'snocustomerlawyers.
Norelationship.
No,nothing.
See,overherethenandnow,yourelyonrepeatbusiness.
I'llgiveyouanexampleofhowitwentwrongforme.
Itneverwentwrong,butitdidgowrong.
Theytookmeawayfromsales.
Okay.
TheyputmeonRangeRoverVIPexperience.
It'sbecauseofyouraccent.
Ofcourse.
Twotruestoriesthatarethebeststoriesfromthatmytimethere.
Seattlein1989,1990,91wasawonderfulplacetobe.
HaveyoueverbeentoSeattle?
SoIknowit'sgrungemusicandeverything,butitwasjustit'sit'sacoastaltown.
ThinksleepusinSeattle,themovie.
That'sit.
Yeah.
It'sjustabeautifulplace,actually.
It'sveryliketheLakeDistrict,LakeWashington,butmuchbigger.
Anyway,afellacomesintotheshowroomoneweekendwithhisuhaayoungrelative.
Idon'tknow,can'trememberitwashisdaughter,itmighthavebeenhisdaughter,certainlyarelative,whopassedhertestandhewantedtobuyherPorsche911Turbo.
What?
AndIsaid,964then,or993.
993,wasn'tit?
AndIsaid,Listen,canIjusttakeyouundermywing?
Thisisamistake.
WehaveawonderfulAudi,theAudi90.
Ifyou'regoingtogetGermanengineering,Igetthat.
Andthat'sabsolutelyright.
ThenyoushouldtryanAudi.
AndstartoffwithanAudi.
Let'sgetussomedrivinglessonsandproperdriving.
AndandthenmaybejointhePortugueseownersclubandthenandlet'sgetherinvolvedinthat.
Andthenandhewent,Youdon'tknowwhoIam,doyou?
AndIsaid,No,butIwouldliketokeepyouasaclient.
Let'skeepyourdaughteralive.
AndIsaid,I'mtryingto,Ididsay,I'mtryingtosaveyourdaughter'slife.
Andhesaid,Wow,thisisreallyamazing.
Idon'tthinkI'veeverbeendealtwiththisbeforeinacardealership.
Butit'sreallysomethingelse.
Oh,wow.
Okay.
We'regoingtobuythiscar.
Hesays,reallyme.
I'mgoingtospeaktoyourboss.
It'sincredible.
Howlonghaveyoubeendoingthis?
Isaid,I'mnotbeenhereamonth.
Hesaid,Idon'tthinkyou'regoingtolast.
Hesaid,Thisisreally,thisisn'tyourlineofwork.
Isaid,I'vebeentoldthatmanytimes.
NotthefirsttimeI'veheardthat.
Hesaid,No,it'snotforyouthere.
Buthesaid,I'mveryhappyyou'vedoneit.
Andhesaid,Igetit.
Itmakessense.
Igetit.
ThatmorningIwascalledintoManfredKnuffakmemory.
Hesaid,Anthony,wegotaproblem.
Sowhat'sthat?
Hesaid,Youturneddownan$85,000dealwithBillGatesforanAudie.
AndIwent,Who'sBillGates?
Itwas1988.
Nobodyhadheardofhimthen.
Sothereyougo.
AndIwenttohishouse.
IwenttohishouseonLakeWashington.
SohepotentiallysavedBillGates'daughter'slife.
HeusedthatasanexexpressionofhowtolookafterKleinformanyyears.
Wow.
Yeah.
AndIhaddinnerwithhimandeverything.
Igotsomuch.
Yeah.
Sothat'sonethat'sagreatstory,whichisabsolutelytrue.
Yeah,it'strue,probablytrue.
AndthentheotherthingwaswehadaverywealthyheiressinthemountainswholeftherentirefortunetoherVietnamesepot-belliedpigcalledPepsibar.
Wow.
AndHepsibarhadanewjageveryyear.
That'squitealottoone.
Shewaschauffeur-driven.
Wow.
Wheredidthepiggointhejob?
Isatonthebackseat.
Verycleananimal.
ShehadherownwetwipesandIlookedafterher.
Wow.
Whichwasamazing.
ItreallyhelpedmeforlaterlifewithRollsRoyce.
Okay.
Whichwasfantastic.
Iwastherefortwoyears.
Justtwoandahalfyears.
Anyway,thedaydawnedandthisguycameuptomeandhesaid,ButIthinkyou'reagreatkid.
I'mgoingtomakeyoumillions.
Okay.
I'mgoingtomakeitno,justeverybodysaidthattoitabouttime.
Remember,nocomputers,nomobilephones.
Nothinglikethat.
Everybodysaid,You'reanincredibleguyinyouraccent.
Ohmarrymydaughter.
Pleasecomehome.
Havemychildren.
I'mgoingtomakeyoumillions.
Isaid,okay.
Whatisit?
Yousaid,Takemyfranchise,I'mgoingtogiveityou.
TakeitbacktomerryoldEngland.
Takeit.
I'mgivingityou.
I'llhelpyousetitupandyou'llmakemillions.
Whatwasit?
I'mgoingtoaskyoutoyesinaminute.
SoIthoughtaboutit.
Atit.
AllIwantedwasacardealershipofmyown.
Okay.
Iwasfocusedonit.
Ididn'twanttodivertfromit.
IwantedaHondadealershipinmymind.
AndsomehowIneededtogetthemoneytodoit.
That'sallIwasthinkingabout.
Goinghomeanddoingthat.
Thisfranchisewasn'tcars.
AndIcouldn'tseehowanybodycouldaffordit.
Thiswasoneofthebiggestmistakesofmylife.
Maybeormaybenot.
Butitthrewthemotortrade.
Andhewasheartbroken.
Andthefranchisedidthiswas89,andthefranchisedidn'tcometothiscountryuntil94.
Andit'sahouseholdnamenow,ofcourse.
Seattle,1989.
Starbucks,yeah.
FuckingStarbucks,Jesus.
Yeah,theSeattleCoffeeCompany,ofcourse.
Ouch.
Yeah.
Sothat'showfocusedIwasonthemotortrade.
Let'snotdwellonthatonethen.
Yeah.
Icouldn'tbelieveanybodypaidfivepoundsforacupofcoffee.
Ican'tbelieveit.
Istillcan'tbelievetheydo.
Nobodyhadcoffeeherethen.
Yes,cafeormellowbirdsorsomethinglikethat.
Butthat'showfocusedIwasonthemotortrade.
Blinkered.
Andfightingtoprovemypointagain.
Soanyway,foralongstoryshort,Icamebacktobuythemadealership.
Okay.
Honda.
Yeah.
WhyHonda?
WhatmadeyouwantHonda?
Ijustfeltitwasthewaytogo.
Japanese.
Yeah,andIlikedtheproduct.
Ilikedatthetimethatthewaythingsweregoing.
I'dseenAcurainAmerica,ofcourse.
AcuraistheHonda,toprangeHondabrand.
AndIlovedtheproductandIthoughtthisis.
DreamtheInvisibleDream?
Yeah.
Yeah,no.
SoIdidtheimpossible.
Iboughtadealershipwithnomoney.
Howdidyoudothat?
I'lltellyou.
Justoutofcuriosity.
Bizarrely,IwasinvitedtoadinnerpartyinClitheroe.
AndIwentandIsaid,IwanttobuyaHondadealership.
Said,howfunny.
TheHondadealershipinClitheroe'sforsale.
GreenacreHonda.
SoIdrovepastonmywayhometothelakes.
Beautifuldealership.
Stunny.
Gotout,walkaroundoutsideandsaid,I'mgoingtobuyyou.
Definitely.
SoIwenthome,mygrandmother's,shewasstayingatGranny'sagain,andIsaid,Granny,I'mgoingtobuyadealership.
Shesaid,Ofcourseyouare.
Definitely.
Whichone?
Isaid,GreenEccoHonda.
Shehadaknownthat.
That'saverynicedealership.
Soanyway,thatwasthat.
SoImadesomephonecallsandfoundMartinWilsonfromtheMotorTradeBusinessNetworkinPreston,whowastheconfidentialsalesfordealershipsthatwereonthemarket.
Sohedidn'tmessyourcustomersupifyouneedadealership.
Hesaid,Yeah,it'sforsale.
Yeah.
Hesaidit'saveryprofitabledealership.
Isaid,whyisitforsale?
Hesaid,buthe'sbeentheresincethe60s.
Andtheywantedtheywantacorporateupgrade.
Andhewon'tdoit.
He'shadenough.
Andhewon'tselltoamotorgroup.
Isaid,getmeameetingwithhim.
Sowithinaweek,Imethim,PhilipPozzi,Italian.
ImesshimandIsaid,Howmuchisyourbusiness?
Hesaid,It'sthreeandahalfmillion.
Isaid,Isthepropertyfreehold?
Hesaid,Yep,Iowntheproperty.
Iownthestock.
Ihaven'tanystoppingloans.
Itmakeshalfamillionayear,everyyear.
Iwent,Whyareyousellingit?
Hesaid,I'vehadenough.
AndI'mnotsellingtocorporategroups.
Isaid,I'llbuyit.
Canweshakeonit?
AndIshookhishand,threeandahalfmillion.
AndIhadahundredgrandinthebankthen.
SoIdrovehome,sawmygrandmother,andIsaid,Iboughtthedealership.
Howmuchhavewespent?
Isaid,threeandahalfmillion.
Shesaid,Ohdear.
Whereareyougettingthatfrom?
Shesaid,CometoMotorboroRaceHeather.
I'vegotsomebodylikeintome.
SothatweekendIwastakingthatandImetLieutenantColonelRegGrey,whowasthefounderchairmanoftheDuttonForeshawMotorGroup.
Oh,sothisishowDuttonForeshawcomesintoit.
HewasaBritishArmyofficerwhomarriedAnneBradshaw'smotorhouseinPreston.
Yeah.
He'dcomeoutofthearmy.
Anne'sbrothersweren'tparticularlyinterestedinthebusiness.
Shewas.
HethennotonlygotLaurieBondononboard,andafterthewar,heputthemoneyuptomaketheBondminicar.
Soitwasaluminiumcarbecausetherewasnosteel.
TheVilliersengine,andthatwashisfirstprojectwithLaurieBond.
SoSharpsCommercialsPreston.
She'sAnneBradshaw,partoftheEvansHalshort,that'showthat'smadeup.
Yeah.
HestartedbuyingdealershipsalloverLancashire,Cumbria,BLdealerships,BMCdealerships.
Andthenhewouldn'tstop.
Andhewentalloverthecountry.
Andby1969,hehadabout60dealerships,Ithink.
Andhewasonashootingpartyatourhousewithmygrandparents,withRichardDuttonForeshaw,whoweretheBrewersfromPrester,andVictorBarclayfromJackBarclays.
Anditwasandtheyhadalotofmoneytoinvestin.
Madetotraderoyaltythereatthatpointintime,wasn'tit?
Withmygrandmother,again.
Yeah.
Anyway,adealwasdone,andDuttonForeshawboughtRegoutformanymillions.
Withtheagreement,hestayedinasmanagingdirector.
AndVictorthensoldJackBarclaystotheconsortium.
SoJackBarclayandDuttonForeshawbecametheconglomerate.
RegstayedonasmanagingdirectorandheranitallthroughtheturbulentBLdays.
RightthroughtheAllegroPrincess,alltheproblemsofthestrikes,thelot.
HeadofficeofDuttonForeshawwasinBarclaysSquareaboveJackBarclays.
AnditwasalsoheadofficeofBritishLeyland.
SohewasrightinwithDonaldStokes,whobecamethechairmanofDuttonForshaw.
WhichiswhytheBondtoKeepwassoldthroughTriumphDealerships.
Becauseitwasaspecialdealership.
Thatmakessensenow.
Itwasaspecialdealtheydid.
Yeah.
AndwhenRegcameoutofthat,ofcourse,theytoretheagreementup.
SothepeoplewhoboughtBondwiththeBondBookweren'tallowedtosellitthroughTriumphDealerships.
Sothatwasafascinatingthing.
WasthatyourlinkingtoJackBoxthen?
Yeah,eventually.
Anyway,cutalongstoryshort.
Regsaidtome,Comeandseeme.
Hesaid,Icanwriteacheckoutforthisdealershiptomorrow.
It'sagreatdealership.
Iknowyou,andIthinkIthinkit'swonderful.
ButI'mnotgoingto.
No.
Youhavetoproveyourselftome.
You'regoingtoLondonandyou'regoingtoraisesomebenchcap.
Okay.
Doyouknowwhat?
That'safaircomment.
Andthat'swhatIdid.
Yeah.
Butittookmealongtime.
Ittookmeaverylongtime.
I'llcomebacktothatbecauseit'safascinatingstory.
ItinvolvesthesaleofRovertoDMW.
Butthatwashappeningatthetime.
Butwe'llcomebacktothatagain.
DidIendupbuyingthedealership?
Yes,Idid.
Butthat'sastoryinitself,andit'sworththatreallyisastoryoftenacity.
Ittookmethreeyearstodoit.
SoIhadtokeepHondaUKhappy.
IhadtokeepPhilipPodzihappy.
IhadtokeepmyinvestmenthappyandIhadtokeeplivinganddealing.
AndbuyadealershipandmovetoRiverValleyanddidthat.
OnceI'ddoneit,Iwasboredstiff.
Thebusinesswasrunningitselfperfectly.
WethenarrangedtobuildanotherdealershipinBlackburn.
Iwasboredoutofmytree.
IIborrowedalotofmoney,alotofmoney,fromaventurecapitalfirm,fromamajorbank.
IbecameabankerandIwasasmiserableassin.
AndRegsaidtomeoneday,listen,thisisn'tforyou.
Iknow.
Iknow.
IsoldmysharesbacktotheconsortiumandIstartedworkatDuttonForeshorePrestonRolls-Royce.
DidyoufeellikeyouwerecominghomewhenyouwalkedintoaRollsandBedshowroom?
No,Iwashorrifiedabouthowbadlyrunitwas,howbadtheproductwas,howitwaslikewalkingintoanoldBLdealershiprunbythetradeunion.
Sowhatwereyouonthen,SpiritsandSpurs?
Whatsortofyearwasthat?
Thisistheamazingthingbecausebythenitwas96.
Rolls-RoyceandVentrywerestilltogether.
Theywererampingupthesales.
Sotheyweremakingvolumecars.
SowehadtheMullinerR.
Brooklyn's,theymade100ofthose.
TheRT,theymade100ofthose.
Andtheytheymadelimitededitionsinabatchesof100withfinancearrangementsspeciallydonetoboostthenumbersup.
So10granddown,nothingtopay.
Yeah.
Giveyourcarbackin18monthsorrefinanceit.
SomyIthinkmyallocationwassix.
Idid14inmyfirstyear.
Okay.
AndDuttonForeshawsaidyou'regoingtoslowdownabithere.
Can'tsendanymorecarsandthat'sridiculous.
Itwasterrible.
It'sterrible,itwas.
Justintermsofthesortofthetargets,weretheysetbyheadofficeorweretheysetbyDuttonForeshaw?
Whodecidedyourallocationwasset?
DuttonForeshaworyouryourareamanagerinDuttonForschung,itwasjustlikeaPolitburo,wasshocking.
They'dagreewithRolls-Royceyourallocationandtheykeptitdownforyearsbecausetheycouldn'tsellany.
Itwasn'tpurposefulexclusivity.
Itwasjustcontent.
Yeah,becausetheproblemwas,anditgoesbacktoDutton,goesbacktothearrangementtheyhadwithDonaldStatesbackinthebeginningwhenhewaspartoftheDNAofDuttonForsch.
Ifyouboughtamini,ametro,aMaestroandAcclaim,aRover200,aRover600,aRover800,aRangeRow,oraRolls-RoyceorBentley,yougotthesamehandoverpack.
Yougotthesamekeyring,yougotthesameofeverything.
ItwasallBLbollocks.
Itwashorrendous.
SoyourminimetrobeparkednexttoyourRolls-Royce.
Itwasshocking.
Yougotthesamebloodypaperwork.
Sowhathadhappenedtotheroom?
SoIfoughtagainstitfromthedayImovedin.
Whathappenedtotheexclusivityandtherewasnoneofit.
Nototalmotortradesocialism.
Flatstructure.
Yeah.
AndbecauseI'dcomeinasaRolls-Roycespecialist,Iwasostracisedbyeverybodyelse.
AssomebodyabitohRegGray'sprotege.
Ooh.
Sofancy.
Ohyeah.
Sothesalesmanager,Icanremembersayingtome,IhadtotakeadoyourememberJohnWilman?
IknowJohnWilmanwasamajorwallpapermanufacturer.
AndImethimattheBaileyArms.
Iwaslivinginherscreenatthetime.
Andsaid,Hey,thesenewMulliners.
Yeah,hesaid,I'llhaveone,Ithink.
Haveyougotagreenone?
Isaid,Wehaveactually.
Bringitheretomorrownight,I'llhaveit.
Okay.
SoIwentinandIspoketomymanager.
Iwon'tnamehimbecausehe'sstillaliveanyway.
Hedon'tgeton.
Isaid,Ineedtotakethemullenerhome.
Youcan'ttakethat.
You'renotallowedtodrivethem.
Weweren'tallowedtodrivethem.
Insurancewouldn'tcoverunlessitwasduringworkinghoursandyouhadadriverwithyou,yeah,youweren'tallowedtodrivethem.
Andittreatedthemlikesomeagedaunt.
It'spathetic.
Anyway,cutalongstoryshort,IspoketomyareamanagerupinNewcastleandsaid,Thisisabsurd.
Ifwe'regoingtosellthesecars,I'mgoingtoHesaid,Yeah,youcan.
Yeah,youcantakeit,butIwantyoubackhereandsignedinafteryou'vefinished.
Okay,fine.
SoIdrovethecaruptoherscreen,whichis20minutesfromPreston.
HadamealwithJohnWilman.
Heboughtthecar,wenthome,fedthecat,parkeditonthedrive.
LovelyhouseIhad,ofcourse.
Verynice.
Bensleylookedperfectlyhappythere,Icantellyou.
Gotitbacktotheshowroom,putitintheshowroom,signeditwithsecurity,24hoursecurity,gothimover400inHawaiianblue.
Ofcourseitwas.
Allthatcouldhave.
Anduhdrovehome,cametotheofficeinthemorning.
Hisofficeisthere,mine'sthere.
Therewasanoteonmydesk,CBHTD.
Iwentin.
Isaid,Morning.
Whatonearthdoyouthinkyouweredoingbringingthatcarinit?
1145atnight.
Where'dyoubeeninit?
Isaid,I'vebeenhomeinit.
Hesaid,I'verunthisfranchisefor35years.
I'veneverhadaBentleyonmydrive.
Isaid,andthat'swhyyou'reonlysellingsixayear.
Yeah.
Hesaid,forsomereason,RollsRoycewantyoutolaunchthisnewcarthat'scomingoutonthestandinGeneva.
Andyou'repayingforitbecausethecompany'snot.
SoIlaunchedtheseraph.
Veryangryaboutyoursuccessthen.
AndIwouldliketosaythatAnthony'sturnedupinthemostbeautifulseraphthisafternoon.
Yeah.
Aserif?
Doyouknowwhataserifis?
No.
Peoplemispronounceit.
Somepeoplecallitaseraph,whichisfascinating.
Oh,isittheliketheit'slikethemuse,thenymph?
Ican'trememberit'snot.
Nearly.
Aserifisthehighestorderofangels.
Soinangelsyouhavehierarchy.
Yeah.
Andaseraphisthequeenoftheangels.
What'sanenage?
Anageisaracingcircuit.
It'saroad.
It'saroad,yeah.
Theenageisaroad.
It'sananagebendononthemall.
It'sanunagebend.
AlotofRolls-RoyceandBentleys,ofcourse,areephemeral.
Soyouhavephantoms,spirits,shadows.
ButtheBentleysandsomeoftheRolls-Roycesarenamedafterroads,suchasCornicheisnamedafteraroad.
MolzanneisaMolzannestrait.
Anageisanotherracingstrait.
We'llgoonthatinaminute,butthosearethecardsanyway.
ImovedwithinDuttonForeshawtoLondon.
IfinallymovedtoLondon.
AfterallthattimeofbeingtoldyouneedtogotoLondon.
SoyouwereintheJackBalkleyshowroom.
Whichchangedmylife.
Forthegood?
Completely.
Itwasthemostmagicaltimeofmylife.
Itwasamazing.
AndI'mgladRegGreywlivedlongenoughtoseeit.
YoumusthaveseensomeincrediblecustomersandmycustomerswentfromSotitoShirleyBassi.
IsoldSootyattheend.
DidshedidyousellShirleyBassythen?
Ohyeah.
No,notaKamara.
Thatwasbeforemytime.
Iwasonlyababy.
ButIstillknowhertothisday.
Wow.
Yeah.
ScyllaBlack,JulioInglesias.
Thatwasreallyfunny.
Thisfellowappearedinmyofficeonedaywithaterriblecomplexion,veryattractiveson.
AndIwasshowingthemaroundthecarshewantedto.
YoucouldsellcarsfromJackBarpizenabroadtoFlorida.
HewasorderinganAzureforme.
Ihadn'tgottohisnameyetbeforemysecretaryrangme,becauseshehadtheviewoftheshowroomandshesaid,Here,Anthony,wouldhegetmehisautograph?
AndIwent,Whoisit?
It'sJulioInglesia,isn'tit?
TheDalaiLama,whocameintotheshowroomandthenaskedmetoorderacabforhim.
Isaid,No,we'llshowyoufordrivinghim.
Hesaid,No,ordermeacab.
SoIcalledthroughtooursecretary,wonderfulwoman,beenthereforalongtime,andsaid,WouldyoupleaseorderataxifortheDalaiLama?
Becauseyouhadtokeepyoureyesbelowhiseye,whichmeantwewerewalkingaroundlikethis.
Didsheaskforhisautograph?
No,butwhentheloudspeakerscameout,shesaid,TaxifortheLama!
Well,I'vegotmesomeamazingstoriesfromthatplace.
Wasthereanybodywhowasparticularlypleasantorparticularlyunpleasant?
DoesanyonestandoutasbeingacustomerfromHellorseemedtobeaware?
ScyllaBlackBlesserwashardwork.
Wasshe?
Yeah,shewashardwork.
Shewasverydemand.
Shewasn'tunpleasanttome,butshe'sverydemanding.
PrincessMargaretwashorrendous.
Iknowwithher,yeah,butshewashorrendoustodealwith.
IhadtheprivilegeofmeetingPrincessDiana.
Shewascharming,butdippy.
JamesHewitt,Imetonmanyanoccasion.
ThemostsurprisingwasMartipello.
Inagoodwell.
Yeah.
Iwouldalwaysimaginehimtobeveryhumble.
Shewasadelightfulman.
Butunfortunately,shehadareallydifficulttime.
Reallysad.
Thatwasverysad.
Difficultpersonally.
Oh.
Yeah,I'vemetSirAlanSugar.
I'vemetSirSirSirPhilipGreenandLadyGreen.
ThereisoneanecdotewhichIwilljustfinishonbeforeIsoldtoaverywell-known.
Veryshe'ssowellknown,thefamily,Icouldn'ttellyouwhoitisactually.
Ireallycouldn't,becausethey'restillalive.
TheyorderedanewSarahfromtheMercedesBenz.
Itwasdelivered.
Andtheonethingyoumustalwaysdowiththesecustomerswhoareinfiniteinfinitelyverypowerfulandveryweak.
Youmuststanduptothem.
Youcan'tbestarstruck.
Icoulddoapodcastonsalesmanship.
Thisishowyoudealwithdifferentcustomers.
YouputthisputmeinthispositionyearsbeforeandIwouldn'thavehandleditlikethis.
ButthisishowIhandledit.
Anyway,shetookdeliveryofanewserif,andthatwasalldoneanddusted.
Andthenaweeklaterwegotaphonecallbecauseshe'sreallyupsetaboutthis.
Theseatsaretoohardforher.
Isaid,What?
They'retoohard,youknow.
SoIrangMulTrevorGateMullinerParrotWardandsaid,listen,we'vegotaproblem.
Whathadshecomeoutofiftheseatsinthatwastoohard?
CD'sSclass.
Amazing.
Becausetheyarehard.
Yeah,theyare,yeah.
AndIthoughtshe'smad.
Customer'salwaysrightthere,isn'the?
Yeah.
Andanyway,cutlongstoryshort,sentitbacktoMullinaforsofterstuffing,25grand.
Hepaidforthat.
Oh,hedid.
Cameback.
Aweeklater,stillnogood.
It'snogood.
Ijustthinkaboutthis.
You'redrivingmemad.
Pleasesortedyouout.
Isaid,look,Jen,it'scostingyou.
DidImentionmoney?
Ohsnow.
Getitsorted.
Alright.
Backbackitwent.
Another25grand.
Morefoam.
Wassheallrightwiththat50grandlater?
ThecariswhatwecallBarlowPlace,whichwasbehindJackBarclays,justsortofamusegarage.
Itwasreadyforittocollectit.
Outsideonthewasaniceladwhowashomelesslivinginaboxbythealotofhomelessthen,especiallyaroundtheback.
Therewasademonstrationatthefrontoftheshowroom,sowhentheyarrivedandthechauffeurarrived,Isaid,Thecar'sattheback.
Openthedoors,starttheengineup,showbecausewealleachsalesmanhadachauffeur,eachsalesmanhadatailor.
Eachsellsnothadasecretary.
Outcamethecarandtheboxopened.
Willyoushutthefuckup?
I'vebeenworking,I'mtryingtosleep.
Andshesaid,I'veneverbeensoinsultedinmylife.
Now,ifthisseat'snotright,Isaid,Doyouwanttoknowwhathardis?
It'sthatboxwherehehastolive.
NowIhopeyouenjoythecar.
Nowgoodbye.
Andoffshewent.
Shewashorrified.
Withinhalfanhour,Sexyranme.
Anthony,I'vegotmeonthephone.
He'snothappy.
Isaid,okay,allright.
Herewego.
Herewegoagain.
Hesaid,You'refuckingwonderful.
Isaid,why?
Hesaid,Thiswoman'sdrivenmemadfor45yearsandI'venevershutherup.
Hesaid,I'veheardwhatyou'vesaidtoher,andIbangyouthebestmealoutinLondonwhenIcameover.
Thankyou.
Fantastic.
Happycustomer.
Yeah.
Well,I'vehadafabuloustimetalkingtoAnthonyandhearingallthestoriesfromhisearlydayssellingmesstraysinthelegsallthewaythroughtoJackBorkleyinLondon.
Butwehaveonlyjustscratchedthesurface.
Hehasgotevenmorefantasticmemoriesandstoriestotell.
Andhe'sgoingtobebackverysoonforparttwo.
Inthemeantime,youcanseewhathe'sgettinguptodaytodayonsocialmediaatAnthonyKersley.
Youcanhavealookathiswonderfulclassiccarbusiness,autocature.co.uk.
Andyoucan,ofcourse,watchhimatthemomentonChannel4'shandcuffedLastPairStunningwithJonathanRoss.
Andifyouhaven'talreadywatchedit,Ihighlyrecommendit.
Iffornootherreason,yougettoseesomeofhisfabulousRollsRoyces.
Sowe'llbebackverysoonwithmoreguestsandaspecialvisittotheNECforthisyear'srestorationshow.
Untilnexttime,happymotoring.
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