Beverly Hills Car Club Founder Alex Manos on Classic Cars
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Company
Beverly Hills Car Club
The Beverly Hills Car Club is referenced as the organization Alex Manos is associated with, and it’s framed as a hub for notable car collecting and buying. For listeners, this sets expectations that the episode will cover how classic-car deals and relationships work in the collector world.
Concept
MotoGP
MotoGP is the highest level of motorcycle racing. It’s where big bike brands compete, and the winners help show which bikes are fastest that season.
Brand
Ducati
Ducati is a motorcycle brand. Here they’re talking about how well Ducati bikes are doing in MotoGP races compared to other brands.
Brand
Marc Marquez
Marc Marquez is a top motorcycle racer. Here they’re saying even if he’s a great rider, the bike still has to be competitive to win.
Concept
podium
A “podium” finish means you place in the top three. It’s a big deal because it shows the rider and bike were among the fastest that weekend.
Term
titanium
Titanium is a strong, lightweight metal that doesn’t rust easily. It can make a bike lighter and tougher, but it costs a lot to make and shape.
Concept
bespoke
“Bespoke” means custom-made for you. In cars, it would mean the car is tailored to your body or preferences, but that’s usually very hard and very costly.
Car
Ferrari 308
The Ferrari 308 GTS is a classic Ferrari sports car. People like it because it’s a famous older model and is considered collectible. The podcast mentions it because someone wants to see if they fit comfortably inside.
Concept
fit
“Fit” means whether the car’s seating position works for your body. If you can’t sit comfortably, it can make the car feel wrong even if it’s otherwise great.
Concept
original parts
Original parts are the same kind of parts the car had when it was new. People want them because they fit right and keep the car looking authentic.
Brand
Polestar
Polestar is a car brand that’s connected to Volvo. When you see Polestar on a Volvo, it usually means Polestar helped make it feel more performance-focused.
Car
Polestar 1
Polestar 1 is a special kind of performance car from Polestar. It’s not just a normal commuter—it’s built to feel more unique and exciting.
Concept
station wagon
A station wagon is a car with extra space behind the back seats. The roof and rear area stretch farther back so you can carry more stuff than a normal sedan.
Brand
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo is an Italian car brand known for stylish, characterful classic cars. Collectors often love them for how they look and feel.
Concept
word of mouth
Word of mouth means people tell other people about a good (or bad) experience. For car buying, that trust is a big deal because you want to feel confident you’ll be treated fairly.
Term
suicide doors
“Suicide doors” are doors that open from the back-hinge side (instead of the usual front-hinge). They’re a classic design detail you’ll see on some older cars.
Concept
EVs
EVs are cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline. Automakers are shifting what they build because of rules about pollution and because more people are buying electric cars.
Concept
tariffs
Tariffs are taxes a government places on imported goods. In the classic-car and parts world, tariffs can raise the cost of importing vehicles, components, or materials, which then affects pricing and availability.
Concept
Where's the smell?
They’re talking about how older cars have a unique smell you don’t really get in newer cars. It’s one of the reasons people feel like classics are special.
Concept
Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach is a very prestigious classic-car event in California. If someone takes a car there, it usually means the car is special and the owner is part of the serious collector scene.
Car
57 T-Bird
“57 T-Bird” means a 1957 Ford Thunderbird. The message is that you don’t have to buy the most famous, expensive classic to enjoy the hobby—you can start with something more affordable.
Concept
do a little bit at a time
This means you fix up the car gradually. You might start by getting it running, then do the looks and interior later when you have the money.
Term
non-running car
A “non-running car” is a vehicle that won’t start or operate under its own power. In classic-car circles, it often means you’re buying a project: first you diagnose and get it running, then you move on to cosmetic and interior work.
Concept
slippery slope
They mean that once you start working on a classic car, it usually turns into more work. You fix one thing, then you see another thing that needs attention, and it keeps growing.
Concept
back lot
A “back lot” is the area behind the main showroom. It’s where cars sit and where staff may work on them before they’re brought out for customers.
Concept
service records
Service records are paperwork showing what repairs and maintenance the car has had. They help you trust the car’s condition and avoid surprises.
Car
1983 Ferrari 308
They’re using a real example: a 1983 Ferrari 308. The point is that buyers want to know what maintenance the car has had and whether it’s ready to drive.
Term
test drive
A test drive is when you actually drive the car before deciding you like it. It helps you figure out if it feels good to drive, not just if it looks good.
Concept
classic car
A “classic car” is an older car people collect and enjoy. People often hunt for the ones they really want, especially if they’re rare or in great shape.
Concept
deposit
A “deposit” is money put down to reserve a car and signal serious intent. In high-end classic-car sales, deposits help protect the inventory and ensure test drives are tied to genuine purchase plans.
Company
BAT
“BAT” is commonly used in classic-car circles to mean Bring a Trailer, an online auction platform. The speaker is criticizing sellers who use BAT to quickly trade cars without caring about driving or long-term ownership.
Concept
trade
A “trade” means swapping items instead of paying all cash. For example, you might give a motorcycle plus some money to get a car.
Term
pay what they ask
“Pay what they ask” is the opposite of negotiation—it's the idea of not accepting the seller’s asking price as-is. The speaker suggests classic/used-car buyers should negotiate down from the initial list price.
Company
Cincinnati Insurance
This is an insurance company sponsoring the podcast. They’re being described as helpful when something bad happens and you need help quickly.
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I'm Hannah Elliott.
And I'm Matt Miller.
This is Hot Pursuit.
Coming up on today's podcast,
we have the one-the-only Alex Manos
from Beverly Hills Car Club with us.
He shares all of his secrets.
I can't tell you how excited I am to talk to this guy.
Like, I care a lot about the Beverly Hills Car Club.
I mean, talk about sort of famous and infamous cars.
He is very well-known and sort of like a lot of famous people,
surprising amounts of famous people have bought cars from him
that I didn't actually realize.
Yeah.
Well, and he was kind of a famous person, right, himself,
because he grew up in Beverly Hills.
He was a model.
He was an actor.
He was in my favorite,
I will go on record saying my favorite and best show on TV,
Beverly Hills Housewives, best show.
What?
Everything else is mid.
Everything else is mid.
Don't say that.
I had so much respect for you before this minute.
Matt, do not knock it until you watch it.
It's a social commentary.
And if you watch a lot of the other slack
that we're being fed right now from all the streamers,
it is superior.
I watch a lot and I'm telling you, it's quality.
I, yeah, I can't say that I watch.
I can't think of any reality.
It's a social commentary.
TV shows that I watch.
It's sport.
It's sport.
Got it.
You can't take it seriously.
All right, so we'll talk to him about all the cars that he has.
And I've spent the last couple of days going through his inventory
and I know it like the back of my hand already.
I met it to Austin after we get off.
Love that.
I'm going to the MotoGP at the circuit of the Americas.
And it's, I think, a really important weekend for me as a Ducati fan,
especially as a Marc Marquez fan.
Marquez is racing?
Yes.
And he's, he didn't podium last weekend in Brazil.
So first of all, the Aprilias are doing better than the Ducatis right now.
It's so Ducatis were dominant for the last few years of MotoGP,
like the last four years of MotoGP.
And this year for the first year,
Ducati just can't keep up with another bike and it's the Aprilias.
And that's exciting to see because like,
you don't want the same people to win all the time.
Sure.
But I thought even if the Ducatis aren't as good,
since Marc is so much better than all of the other pilots,
he could still win on the Ducati versus a better bike.
That proved not to be the case last weekend in Brazil.
It proved not to be the case on opening weekend.
And even another Ducati, a kid on another Ducati,
Fabio D. Gianantonio beat Marc in the race on Sunday.
So this weekend, it's so important for Marc to prove himself
against A, the other people riding the same bike as he is.
And then B, because he's the king of Kota, like he has won,
I don't know, six or seven times in Austin.
It's important that he wins outright.
So it's a really important weekend for us.
I have a question about that.
How much can a exceptional pilot make up for a run-of-the-mill bike?
I mean, I guess that's the whole question.
Yeah, it is difficult.
You can make up for a bit, a little bit.
Marc is an alien.
He's like possibly the greatest motorcycle racer,
certainly in the modern era.
So he can do it a lot of times, but not every time.
But someone like Fabio Quartararo,
who's also incredibly talented,
but he's on a horrible bike.
He's on the Yamaha.
He'll qualify really well, or he'll be in the top 10 sometimes,
but he can't turn that Yamaha into a Ducati or an appropriate.
No, it's tough.
Cool.
Well, I hope you have some really good Tex-Mex and Barbecue
while you're there and like, go boot.
Oh, you should go boot shopping.
Are you going to like buy some or get a jacket?
Come on, Matt.
No, because that's part of the fun.
So the best boots, the best boots for me,
the best boots to buy are out of the Pacific Northwest.
So I'm looking for Westco or Nix or Whites,
you know, or maybe something Japanese.
Oh, you should check out some to Kova.
You got to get some Texas boots, Matt.
It's not really my thing.
Luke Casey, get in there.
No, no, I don't.
I mean, I'll look.
I'll look.
It doesn't cost anything to try them on.
You've got to make time.
You've got to make time.
I'm going to be at the track.
Ducati is going to unveil a new bike.
In fact, I think because we're recording this on Wednesday,
but it's not going to go out until Friday,
I can say that on Thursday night,
Ducati will reveal the new Superleggera.
So they're new, like pinnacle super bike.
And it's going to be like a $200,000 motorcycle.
So what?
It's a pretty serious piece of kit.
Why?
Why?
I think they're going to be two versions of it.
Obviously the news is not yet.
So I'm just made out of gold on speculation.
I think one of them is going to be 160.
And then there's going to be a special edition that's like 220.
Why?
Honestly, why?
Where is that price coming from?
Well, it's going to be all titanium.
Titanium?
You could cut that whole thing out of a block of titanium
and it wouldn't cost that much.
What?
Things are getting more and more expensive.
Oh my gosh.
Two wheels and some crowbars.
Just wait.
Just wait.
You're going to be like, OK, you might not get that price,
but you're going to understand.
In the past, Superleggeras have gone for $100,000 or more.
But this will be the first time they've cost this.
OK, wait.
Last question on this.
Are these limited?
Are they making like three of them?
So that's part of the appeal?
They're definitely limited.
I don't know.
And are they fit to size for the person buying them
so they're like bespoke?
I wish.
They're not even bespoke to your exact measurements
like a suit?
I mean, that would be very difficult to do.
Someone like me who doesn't fit on a bespoke.
You actually would be a very good candidate for a bespoke bike.
I would love a bespoke bike.
Can you imagine how much better that would feel?
By the way, that's why I really need to go to Beverly Hills
Car Club.
I want to sit in a Ferrari 308 and see if my legs pass.
I honestly think so many times.
And for myself, this has happened a lot where you kind of get
obsessed with how a car looks.
And then you even just sitting in it, let alone driving it,
you realize, oh, no, I don't like how this fits me.
And sometimes it just has to do with the seats.
Maybe they're overstuffed.
Maybe they need to be moved or adjusted or taken out or replaced.
You can do some things with seats,
but some things you can't change.
Apparently Magnum PI, you know, Tom Selleck.
I've heard of him.
I've seen them stashed.
Famously had a 308 in the show.
And he's too tall for it.
So they had to take padding out of the seat.
And they had to move the tracks under the seat back.
I've always loved the Mercedes, the AMG GTs,
that they stopped making a couple of years ago
in between the new GT and the original SLS.
But every time I see one in real life and I get in it,
I realize I don't fit very well.
And then I forget about it for a few months.
And then I start to see him more and more.
And then I'm thinking, wait, maybe I could fit.
Maybe I could fit now.
Even though my legs aren't changing.
What do you got going on?
You know what?
I think this, you know, Magnus has a sale
and it's closing today, Wednesday.
So I think honestly this weekend,
I'm going to be helping like, ship things out.
Maybe, you know, lend a hand.
Obviously there's a whole team that will be shipping things out.
But I'll probably be there for moral support
and maybe I'll tape a box or something.
Well, the cars, I guess some of the cars are going to get shipped.
I hope some of the bidders are like, dude,
I'm coming to LA to pick that up.
Oh, I'll report back on that.
I mean, it's all very exciting.
But yeah, I think this weekend is going to be like
getting rid of cars.
And stuff.
There's a lot of parts.
There's a lot of parts in there.
You know what?
There's like a fender collection.
I know.
The crazy thing is I don't even know if it's,
I guess it'll make a dent, but I don't even know.
This isn't like, this is like less than half of the stuff he has.
I can tell.
You can tell when you look at the lot that you're like,
it clearly pains him to get rid of this.
But who's bidding on eight Porsche 911 fenders?
Like who's bidding on...
A lot of people who have shops,
a lot of people who have Porsche shops.
That's actually because you want the original parts.
If you want original parts, that's the beauty of older Porsches.
All the parts are interchangeable.
So at least in Southern California,
there are lots of shops, restoration shops
and mechanical garages that want those parts.
They're not making them new, you know.
So there is a market for it.
It's kind of surprising, but there is a market for it.
Are you driving any new cars?
Actually, today I'm getting a Polestar, which I'm very...
My heart sunk when you said that.
I'm actually excited because I haven't had one for quite a while.
It's the V60.
Oh, wait a second.
Yeah.
That's a Volvo.
Well, you know what?
Sorry.
So I'm just looking at this.
They're calling it a Volvo V60 Polestar engineered car.
They haven't dropped it off yet.
I'm supposed to get it later today.
So this is really interesting.
I'm looking at the exact wording and the document that they sent me.
This is interesting.
So I will report back about this because, yes, you're right.
It's a Volvo V60, but they're calling it Polestar engineered.
I'm not sure what that means yet.
My heart leapt.
My heart leaps now.
Wait, about the Volvo part?
Yes.
So Polestar, I expected so much from them after the Polestar 1.
I know.
They were good.
They were honestly...
It's such a cool car.
I mean, the Polestar 1 is one of those vehicles where I drive it around and people, you know,
like BMW kids at a stoplight will be like, hey, man, what's that car?
Yeah.
Or they'll know already.
They'll be like, oh, that's adjustable all in suspension.
They did good.
But that's the only one that's good.
I know.
I mean, the other ones are okay, but they're not special.
The Polestar 1 is special.
Now you say V60, that makes me feel better because it's like, I'm so happy that Volvo is still
making wagons and this is a beautiful looking wagon.
Yeah.
I know.
It's not an SUV.
I love it.
And I'm not an SUV hater, but I just love these low and, by the way, I have been driving
the Cadillac Lyric V.
And yes.
So.
Thoughts?
It's kind of a mixed thing.
Like it's a great car.
It's so solid.
It's so well made.
You can tell it's a wagon, which I love.
You know, it's low to the ground.
You're calling that a wagon?
The Lyric?
Yeah.
It's an absolute wagon.
What?
Yes.
And it's got like a great hatchback.
You don't see, you're not seeing a station wagon?
I'm not getting wagon vibes.
I'm getting SUV.
I'm getting mid-sized SUV vibe.
No.
The Lyric is definitely a station wagon.
What?
All right.
Okay.
So.
Readers, feel free to weigh in and tell us what you think.
That's hot pursuit at Bloomberg.net.
I'm not getting wagon.
This is like a mid-sized SUV.
Are you looking at the same picture that I'm looking at?
I'm wondering.
I'm wondering.
I'm wondering.
We are not seeing the same thing here.
It is definitely.
You need to be near one.
And I love the design.
And there's so many really cool Easter eggs.
The lights are, you can tell that they put a lot of money into it.
I do like the lights.
It's pretty.
It is pretty.
Yeah.
But here's the thing though.
It's a V.
It's supposed to be a V.
Yeah.
And to someone like me, when I drove the original CTS-V wagon or it was actually the V2, that
was a supercharged V8 with a stick in a station wagon.
Like a whole point of the V badge was to take on the M5 or the AMG E63.
You know, it's had to be like a muscle car in a luxury sedan is the idea.
And this thing, A, it's all electric.
And B, it just doesn't have the kick.
Like I, you have to dig deep with the accelerator to get it going.
And it's just like, I don't know what's happened to this whole, the V, I guess it started dying
in like the fourth generation when the CTS-V became a CTS-V and a CTS-V and they went,
they put a V6 in it.
And the first couple of those with the, they didn't have even a manual transmission.
And now you have to have a V blackwing to make it like what it's supposed to be.
How, is this a 650 horse, 15 horsepower vehicle?
Yes.
Yes, it is.
Which doesn't seem like that much for an electric car.
Am I wrong about that?
I feel like.
I just think you don't feel it the same way.
For an electric car, if it's going to be like a V, it should be 800 horsepower.
To me, the number doesn't matter with EVs because it's all about work.
True, but that's why I feel like the inflation.
You know, if it's an electric car, I feel like it should have massive numbers that I don't believe.
Like the GMC.
Because at that point, they're like, they're completely hypothetical, like a thousand horsepower.
To me, I mean, it's going to feel the same as something with 600 because it's just, you're accelerating.
It's also supposed to be an electric car.
I want to feel like, you know, a Tesla Plaid or a Porsche Taycan Turbo S or even like a Kia EV6 GT.
Like that thing makes me a little bit sick.
It's so fast.
Like it hurts my stomach when I put the accelerator down.
This wasn't the experience.
I know that they're going for an older audience, more of a staid, like a luxury customer.
But I don't think they should call it a B.
Okay.
Rant over.
In rant.
We'll be right back after this.
I'm pumped.
I've been following you guys for many, many years.
And in fact, for a long time, I thought you were a car club, like the classic car club.
You know, we have here in Manhattan.
So I didn't realize you were a dealer until I started reading about you and Hollywood reporter and L.A.
Times and well, really, Hannah told me.
But you guys have a ton of cars.
I've been looking through your inventory and it's just like page after page after page.
How many do you have?
We have on the website right now, we have 485, but we have 650 cars on the ground.
Wow.
You know, I mean, I have, I'm sure Hannah will have her own questions, but I've got a whole huge list here.
But when I was looking through, I'm wondering, what's, is there one model that you have more of than any other?
Because you have a lot of 9-elevens.
And I would imagine I didn't stop in the Ford area, but I imagine you have a lot of Mustangs.
Are those the two models that you have the most of normally?
We try and keep a minimum of 100 Porsche in stock at all times.
A hundred.
But I guess that's across 9-eleven, 9-14, 9-28.
Exactly.
Just in general, just Porsche in general, the, you know, the brand, we try and keep a minimum of 100.
So three, five, sixes, I mean, 9-12s, 9-28s, everything.
That's so cool.
You have a lot of stuff that seems not mainstream.
Like, I think the Hollywood reporter story was like, you just have the, you know, basic plain vanilla, but it's not true.
You have, I mean, some crazy cars and brands that I wouldn't think are big sellers, a lot of Austin Healey's, a lot of Alfa Romeo's.
By the way, Jeremy Clarkson famously said, you're not a true gearhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo.
Have you, have you owned an Alfa Romeo?
Yes.
Oh yeah.
Many.
Well, what do you think?
Who's coming in and buying those?
I mean, in Hollywood, I would expect a more, no offense, like a vapid crowd that only wants the names we all know.
Like, who's coming in and buying an Alfa?
I mean, it's just, it could be, it could be nobody to somebody.
But I mean, if you see like a Giulietta or a Giulietta driving around and it's restored, I mean, it's like a piece of art.
I mean, they look sensational.
I mean, I literally, I was thinking about it yesterday because looking at our Alphas on the website and I was thinking, I mean, I just don't know if the younger people understand how beautiful they are.
You know, I literally, I was looking for some photos through the Alfa section that we have that I have saved.
And they're, they're just so, they're just, they're, they're like, I mean, all the old classic cars are like a work of art, but Alphas in particular, their, their design is sensational.
Alex, how do you, without giving away too much of your, your trade secrets and your fishing holes, how are you sourcing these cars?
Are a lot of them coming to you or do you have a team that goes out and hunts and searches for things?
All of the above.
So we look for cars, we search the internet, people contact us.
We bought, you know, we bought your car.
So you recommend us to your neighbor.
You know, the classic car community is so connected and, excuse me, connected and put together that if you have a Ford Mustang, you know, a Fastback or a convertible, you probably know somebody who does.
Or if you have an Alfa, you probably know some, yeah, it's a small world.
So if you have a good experience dealing with someone, whether it's a mechanic or ordering parts or selling your car or buying a car, usually everybody shares who they are.
Hey, I got this great guy, you should use him or I got this great person to get parts from.
So when we buy a car, we make it efficient, we pay the same day, we pick it up.
It's a smooth transaction.
And so when things are professional and efficient, people, you know, refer people and come back.
Word of mouth is huge in, in any business.
I am so curious because of course in the press, people read about you helping people who are famous celebrities, Hollywood types.
I'm curious if a famous or Hollywood buyer is different than just your average Joe when they, when someone who's famous comes in and they want a car.
Is it a different experience for you versus just meeting the demand of like someone like Matt and me?
Well, Matt and you and, you know, myself and every celebrity, we're all humans and normal people.
The only, the only time it's different is when they call us and they say, hey, we're sending our security first to, to check out the area.
And then our, you know, then who, the person is going to come.
That's the only time that it's different.
Otherwise, most people that are, you know, down to earth and cool, they just show up and you're like, oh my God, look, they're so-and-so.
By the way, is it because you're in LA that there's so many famous people?
Or is it because of your, the cars that you have?
Or is it because you also, I saw that, you know, you were a model and you were in class with like Jason Momoa.
So you're, I guess, already in that world before you started doing cars.
Well, Beverly Hills High.
Didn't you go to Beverly Hills High?
I mean, it's rare air.
Yeah.
So I guess it's a combination of, of it all.
The classic cars are such a, such a centerpiece of, of entertainment, luxury style are, you know, they, they, so they bring people together.
And sometimes musicians are, you know, cool people are gravitated towards them and we have them and there's a lot of them.
And it kind of brings everybody to Beverly Hills Car Club.
So I want to go back in history because I know a little bit about your history.
You were a model.
I think I saw that your mom is your business partner on this.
I don't know if she is still, but initially she was.
And there's a long story about you with a Lincoln Continental, a 61 Lincoln Continental.
But can you tell us before that when you were really young, were you a car kid?
Were you chasing cars when you were like 10, 11, 12?
And then how did that bleed into the Lincoln and then going into business with your mom who sounds very cool?
So I, I've been fascinated with cars my whole life.
My mom and dad were in the music business in London and they both had it was, it was in the 80s.
They both had my dad had a Volvo Amazon and my mom had a 1967 Volvo P1800S.
And so they were like, is that the same car?
Yes.
So they had matching, they had matching Volvos, which was amazing.
And my dad was a music journalist.
And so I remember being a kid, being taken to school, singing the clash on the way to class like every day almost.
And they ended up, they're actually family friends.
So it was just like, that just like when you're in a classic car and there's music and you're going, you're having fun.
You just, it just, it brings out the joy in, at least in me and I think a lot of people.
So that was at a really early age that brought me to cars.
Then I was just telling the story the other night actually.
And then my auntie who lives in Australia, who she had a, she had a 1967 Ford Mustang coupe.
And when she, when she picked us up at the airport in Australia, in a Mustang, okay.
And she, she had a, she had a Dalmatian named Zodiac.
Okay.
And that dog would sit in the back seat and put his head out the window.
And we, if she would take me down to the beach, you would just felt so cool.
Classic cars, they just, there's just something about them that you can't understand unless you experience them.
And this was really young.
This was very, very young.
And then we came to America.
And I always wanted to have a classic car, but I didn't know if, you know, it's just, it's a, it's a task.
Only a classic car is more than just only a classic car.
It's an experience.
It's sometimes a relationship.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Because, because you might be on your way, you know, getting in the car, you're going to go from A to B and it ends up being, you know, a long way of getting there.
But you might get, you'll still get there, but it might be a long extended route.
And so I found this Lincoln.
It was actually in 1962.
It was a Lincoln continental and it was a sedan.
And I bought it from the Lincoln Mercury service manager and Marina Del Rey.
And so the car mechanically was flawless.
So there's a great car to start with.
I needed cosmetic work, but it was a great car to start with.
And it was black with parchment interior.
And of course they had the suicide doors.
And I would just drive that car around.
It was so fun.
And, and I mean, if you're ever in a bad mood, you get in that car, you just go around the block and you're cured.
I mean, it's a therapy session, you know, I sit, you know, turn on the key.
Yes.
And, but in my mind, you know, you were, you kind of made it in America if you had a convertible.
And so this was a hard top.
That's all I could afford.
And so, but everybody wanted to buy this car.
Yes.
Right, right.
And everybody, but everybody wanted to buy this car.
They were like, oh, I, and everywhere I went, I was like, I can never, how could I sell, you know, my, my holy grail of happiness.
And then one day I finally did, I said, Hey, I'm going to take the leap.
And I sold the car and I bought a convertible and maybe one of the most inexpensive ones I could find that needed everything.
And then I spent a year restoring it, learning how to, you know, what to do, where to go, where to get the best prices, you know, doing it on a budget.
I've had the car.
I didn't do the mechanic work myself, but my friend who became my friend was my mechanic at the time.
And so I, we did the last piece of the puzzle on this car.
And I'm taking it out for a victory lap down Sunset Boulevard in this 19, this is a 19, this is a 1961 and it's a convertible.
And the top's down and it's black on black on black, triple black.
And we pull up to Kresen Heights and, and Sunset and the guy pulls up next to us in an escalade.
It's 2002.
No, there's no such thing as Uber.
Nobody has drivers.
Okay.
I mean, people do, but it's very unusual.
And this guy sitting in the back and the window comes down and he says, how much?
And I just, I like start dying of laughter inside.
I just, I couldn't believe it.
And I said, you know, I just threw out a price at 55,000 and he says, no, not what year is it?
How much do you want for it?
And I was like, well, yeah, I said 55,000 and he goes pull over.
So I literally pull over in front of the Chateau Marmont and we sit there for, I don't know how long, maybe even two hours talking about the car and its history and plastic cars, et cetera.
And next day I go to his house and he cuts me a check.
Wow.
Who was this guy?
Who's the guy?
This is guy Sam Nazarian.
Oh, that's a, that's a name.
I recognize that name.
He's an entrepreneur.
That's amazing.
And so from there, is that when the light bulb clicked and you just kind of realized, wait a second, people want to buy old cars.
I mean, how did you go from there to now having 650 cars and never fewer than a hundred Porsches at your dealership?
You know, it's been such a journey.
It's been so much hard work and effort and diligence.
I mean, still, I still work now seven days a week.
You seem like a worker.
Yeah.
I mean, that's, you know, it's just, we came here with nothing and we work hard and that's just kind of the journey that.
I'm been on and I love what I do and it's a lot of work.
But you know that I don't sound cliche, but it's like when you love what you do, it doesn't feel, you know, for me, the weeks go by like days.
The months go by like weeks.
I mean, every time I blink, it's a new month.
You know, we do a staff meeting every month at the beginning of each month and it's like, it just, I feel like it was yesterday.
I mean, there's going to be another one in like a week or so.
I mean, they just, it just, it just goes so fast because it's so exciting.
We get new cars coming in every day and buying new cars and looking at them and what are we going to find?
It's exciting.
By the way, do you still, Alex, do you still love cars?
Because I remember, well, it's happened to me a lot where I've been hanging out in the Ducati dealership and I'm a massive fan of the brand.
And I always tell the owner, like, you're so lucky, you know, and they always say, look, if you love Ducati's now, don't ever buy a dealership.
Because when you buy a dealership, you're not going to have that love affair anymore.
Do you still get super pumped if you get a car in inventory that you've been dreaming about or if you get to drive one that's special?
So I would say to the Ducati line, I would say the guy who owns the Ducati store.
And which store did you go to the one a lot? Are you in LA?
No, no, I'm in New York. So I would go to Rockwells all the time. I like Hudson Valley motorcycles.
I sometimes go to the one down here in Soho, but they all say the same thing.
They're like, yo, you're an enthusiast and you're in love with the brand.
But if you own the dealership, it would kill all of that.
I would say I would come back to that would be maybe they're ordering, maybe they're able to order.
And I'm sure they saw both new and used, but I'm sure they bought there.
They order new bikes, meaning, you know, they hit a button on their on their computer and they say,
I'll have six of those or five of those.
This is like, oh, this is such a hunt. This is like, I just can't explain it to you yesterday.
We found a 1964 Ferrari 330 GT two plus two.
Nice.
And the same owner since I think it was the 70s or a very late 60s.
He had a 250 SL Mercedes and a 1967 Fiat Dino coupe.
And I mean, I mean, yes.
And I get just as excited yesterday and as I am sharing it with you today,
and I would have the day before thinking that would even happen.
So it definitely hasn't killed the excitement for me.
And if it did, I would probably have to slow down on the amount of work that I do.
So for you, it's just because it's always the chase.
And that's every car lover knows that and motorcycle lover for that matter as well,
that the chase is like the most exciting part.
A lot of times after I buy a bike, it's not as much fun as the year that I spent researching it and looking for it.
And so you have that all the time.
Yeah, I mean, that's what keeps us going.
Right. That's what keeps me going is that is that is that chase.
I bought I bought on Saturday.
I bought a 1953 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage.
And I've been talking to this gentleman.
Uh-huh.
Sorry, Matt. Matt's been talking about Aston Martin's and we both have.
So sorry, keep going because we want to hear this.
Yeah. No, no.
So I mean, I've been I mean, I've been talking to this gentleman since 2014.
It's 2026 about the same car.
Yes.
Oh, gosh.
So what's the whole up?
Yeah, no, no, I mean, like, like with me with the Lincoln, you know, my first Lincoln, I had a million offers.
I didn't want to let it go.
It's like these cars bring, you know, there's a emotional connection and joy and happiness.
And sometimes it's not always about the money, you know.
Yeah.
And it could be it could be it could be a $5,000 car or a $50,000 car.
We sell both, you know, we sell cars for $5,000 and we sell cars for $150,000.
It isn't about the price of the car.
You know, they both bring so much joy and they have their own quirks and, you know, issues along the way.
But like I said earlier, I mean, classic cars are an experience.
If you if you need to get to the doctors, if you if you're having a baby, I would recommend, you know, maybe you go get a Toyota Prius.
I wouldn't say, you know, let's try, you know, try, you know, right, right.
You might make it and it may actually makes for a cooler story, but you need to be willing to go with the flow.
I bet sometimes you feel like you're playing therapist a little bit to some of because people put so much emotion and on to the car, right?
I'm assuming you see that quite a bit.
See, I've had I've had men and women over 50 of them on my shoulder when I'm at their house and they're we're hugging and they're crying on my shoulder.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I can I get it and I mean, I'm ready to cry with them and even I'm buying the car just because I understand I understand where they're coming from.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, it could have been their dad's car or there could have been their mom's car or their mom or dad had one or my auntie, for example, had one.
So you bought one to emulate that experience and then life, you know, takes turns.
Maybe you're moving to another country or, you know, maybe whatever it is.
So so you go through an array of emotions.
I want to ask you how the market is doing now compared to 10 years ago, how there's so much happening in new cars in terms of tariffs and economic volatility and just crazy stuff happening.
How do you see that affecting your business?
And part two of this question, how has the rise of online sales affected what you guys do?
Do you see any effect there?
So I wanted to I wanted to ask you and I'm happy I'm going to gladly answer that question.
What do you see?
What do you feel the differences between today and 10 years ago?
Well, how do you see the difference from your perspective?
Every, every leader of a new automaker, Brandon and Matt, you can chime in here.
First of all, they say it's of course very challenging, but the challenging thing for them is that the target keeps changing, that they feel there's no consistency.
It's all talk about emissions, EVs and where we're going with autonomous driving.
So on the new side of things, people are saying we have to move forward.
We have to be progressive, but we don't have a stable solid target.
And so that makes it really challenging.
And then there's another contingent that splits into two different groups.
One, the people that love the V12 stick shift engines who always will and want more of them and will buy them instantly.
And you have the automakers like, for instance, Aston Martin, who makes the Velour and that car has both of those things.
And then the second thing is just how important the rise of bespoke, customizable, making the car reflect your own personality and identity.
That is a huge trend. Everybody's talking about it.
And in terms of the new automakers, everybody wants to capitalize on being able to make cars very customizable.
Matt?
Well, I mean, so I talked to mostly new car manufacturers on my show.
And I think from them, I hear this business is just getting more and more difficult.
The regulations, the hoops they had to jump through, the moving target of tariffs, globalization and the reversal of that.
It just makes it more difficult for them to make good product at a good price and things are getting so much more expensive.
I imagine it drives customers to you more than anything else, Alex, because A, people want the good old days of a gas powered analog driving experience.
B, you probably don't have to deal with tariffs as much, right?
I don't imagine you're getting cars a lot from around the world compared to what you get in the U.S.
And then C, I'd be interested to hear what the regulatory side is like for you, but I hope it's not too difficult.
So the difference is, I would say we're in a great place right now because we have customers who are buying cars from the 50s, the 60s, 40s, 30s, you know, the old classic cars.
But we have a new group of people now that have come out of nowhere really buying stuff 2000 forward.
Are these younger people, by younger I mean like 40 and under?
Yeah, I don't know exactly the age range, but yeah, there's just a new community of people that have come out of nowhere.
That are buying a 2010 Porsche that's a manual transmission that they wouldn't have maybe chased or sought after so much before.
So I don't know what year it was, but they came out with a digital watch years ago, you know, it probably was in the 80s or something.
You mean Porsche designed it?
Porsche?
Okay.
Is that right?
Who did?
I'm saying who?
No, no, just in general, they came out with a digital watch years ago.
It was Casio, by the way.
Oh, you're saying the first digital watch.
Got it.
So they came out with this digital watch, you know, whenever that was, 70s, 80s, and I've heard about and talked about this before that, you know, the world's over, Rolex, all these companies, they're going to go out of business.
I mean, who's going to ever, who's going to want a car, you know, a watch that, one you have to wind and, you know, it takes, this is digital.
Oh my God.
Well, you know, the watch hasn't gone away.
And so classic cars, there's so much emotion behind them.
I don't, I don't, I'm willing and happy to drive a Tesla.
You know, if you said, Hey, here's a Tesla, I'm going to sponsor you here, take it and have it for the month.
Great.
My friend, I was just hanging out with my friend on Saturday.
He said, I got to your house.
I jumped in my car, putting your address.
I talked to chat GBT on the, on the computer.
I had a conversation with the robot on the way to your house.
I didn't even drive.
I didn't, it was a crazy, it was, it was, I mean, the way he explained it was crazy.
So I'd be willing to try it.
However, where's the emotion?
Where's the power?
Where's the smell?
Get in the car.
A friend of mine visited me that I went to high school with.
He came to the dealership.
He opened the door of a Porsche 964.
He almost fainted.
He was, I can't believe he almost fainted.
I can't believe that smell.
It's the same smell from the nineties.
I mean, the smell on these cars is the same it was back then.
Where, how are you getting that in a Tesla?
How are you getting that in any of these cars?
There's no emotion.
There's no feeling.
There's no, there's nothing there.
Who, I mean, yeah, sure.
If you like, again, I have a housekeeper.
She cleans my house.
Amazing.
We are, you know, I see her.
I give her a hug.
We have a great relationship.
Would I hire a robot to do, to do her job?
I don't know.
Probably not.
You know, like I have a great thing.
You know, we, I have a love for her.
I mean, we, you know, like, like.
It's human.
There's human connection.
There's, you just can't get.
And so, so newer cars are losing that connection.
Yes.
They do the job.
But where's the fun?
I totally, by the way, Alex is saying,
he would be willing to drive a Tesla for a month
if you paid him enough.
That's what he said.
That's the baseline here.
You said, if they sponsored me,
I'd drive it for a month.
But no, you're totally right, dude.
My, one of my uncles, when I was a kid,
had a convertible bug.
And I will never forget, you know,
the leather and the stick shift and everything
had this smell.
And it was like, I don't think it was like a pungent,
like a strong scent, but it was just a smell
that I'll never forget.
And to this day, I'm hunting for that smell.
It's so funny in a car that I'm hunting for a smell.
But it's totally, it's totally true.
On that note, you know, I'm going through all of these cars
and a lot of them have, especially the Alphas,
some real patina, I guess a good way to put it.
How do you, how much roadworthiness do you want
in a car before you sell it?
Or will you sell like a project car that won't even drive?
Like, do you have different levels?
We do everything under the sun.
So we can sell a, I'm just, you know,
it could be a $5,000 car, could be a $2 million Ferrari.
But you don't say like this thing has to be able to drive
and turn signals have to work, like anything.
So we could be selling a car that doesn't have an engine.
Do you, do you do like, because from your,
from the bios that I've read about you
or the stories that I've read about you,
it seems like at first you were restoring cars
and then selling them.
And now do you still do that at Beverly Hills Car Club?
Do you, do you get a car and you say, okay,
I want to, I want to make sure this thing runs
because I'm going to get a better price for it
or do you sell it as is?
So a lot of the cars we sell as is,
some cars I'll do a full restoration on myself
that we might not sell that I might hold on to.
And yes, if a car needs something, we'll address it.
Well, of course we make sure everything is roadworthy
and we do a nice 20 point inspection before it leaves
and make sure everything is up to snuff.
And each car is different though.
If a car doesn't have an engine, obviously,
we're not going to do that.
If a car is a complete project and doesn't run,
then it's going to be sold as is.
It just depends on the vehicle and what kind of,
what your expectations are too.
So it depends on the customer in the car.
Everything of course is sold.
But this is interesting.
You have, well, I'm just, I'm,
what I took from that is one little piece.
You have a stash.
So if sometimes when you're out buying a car,
you'll be like, oh no, this one's not getting sold.
Like I'm keeping this.
Do you have a garage of your own that you've found
throughout the years that you've been building up
a collection that you're sitting on?
Yes.
Unfortunately, there's been,
there's been many cars that I sold that I regret selling,
but you can't keep them all.
And that's kind of the fun of the business too.
Like you said, sometimes the chase,
you know, you chase this car, this Aston Martin,
I chased for 12 years.
It hasn't arrived yet, but, you know,
it was such a chase and it's going to be sold.
So I've put together a collection of cars.
I see.
I was looking for it.
I only see one DBS on your site right now.
It's the white hand drive.
By the way, you denote left hand drive and right hand drive.
Do people actually want to buy a right hand drive car?
I would have thought that's something that,
okay, we talked to Dave Lee last month.
He bought a left hand drive GTO.
He bought an expensive right hand.
But I thought,
I figured most people would shy away from that.
Do you have people coming in like,
okay, right hand drive, I'll take it.
So it depends.
We sell globally.
Yeah.
So if they're in Australia or in England,
they're going to want a right hand drive.
Some people in America, I mean,
what, how much cooler can you be
to pull up at the traffic light in a Ferrari
on the other side of the, it's already,
you're already in, I mean,
speaking of that GTO,
he's already in the, like the craziest car,
$38 million Ferrari.
And now you're, as well as that,
you're on the other side of the road,
you know, on the steering wheel, excuse me.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I saw his taking that to Pebble Beach too.
So good for him.
Is he?
Yeah.
He put on his Instagram.
He got in.
So he's going there.
Oh, wow.
Yeah.
So I mean, so I think, I think, right,
not everybody wants a right hand drive car,
but someone,
Well, maybe you get a bit of a deal.
That too, depending on the car,
depending on the car.
And I guess if someone,
for example, is buying a pink Cadillac,
let's just say they're buying a 59,
you know, Cadillac,
El Dorado Barrette's convertible,
and it was a right hand drive,
they would make the right hand drive,
but it was a right hand drive too.
I mean, it just, it's just like, oh my God.
It adds.
The car's Persian sand,
it's a 59 Cadillac,
it's El Dorado Barrette's,
and it's a right hand drive.
I mean, it just adds to the whole thing.
All right, more with Alex Manos
from the Beverly Hills Car Club
on the other side of this break.
This is Hot Pursuit on Bloomberg.
We are back with Alex Manos from the Beverly Hills Car Club.
How are you seeing the demand for restoration projects
in light of the fact that now we're dealing with tariffs again
and like, are people buying cars from you
and then deciding they may want to have them restored
in a cheaper country like Poland or Hungary,
some of these countries that may be a bit less expensive
to bring the car back?
That's been happening for years.
That's been happening for, for...
So that, you see that not changing necessarily.
I keep thinking maybe that is going to actually increase
just with everything else that's going on right now.
The classic car community is,
you don't need, you know,
you don't have to have a 57 T-Bird.
I mean, you don't have to have it.
This is not a non-essential.
Right.
So, I mean, it is essential.
So, I feel that some people might buy the car today.
They might think like I did with that Lincoln
and you do a little bit at a time.
You know, you can do this when you can afford this
or you can change the bumper at that point
or, you know, if you're buying a non-running car,
now you first you get it running.
If that's what you want to do, you get it running first.
Maybe some people are able to, you know, do some work themselves.
Maybe their neighbors can help them with the interior.
It all seems to figure itself out.
You know, if you're that person,
if you're that woman or man or woman that wants a Camarque,
like you said earlier.
Yes, I am that person.
Right.
And I mean, how absolutely fantastic and cool is that?
I mean, a Rolls-Royce Camarque, it's just,
what a fantastic car.
And if you want it bad enough,
you're going to figure out how to get it on the road.
You're going to figure out how to find one.
Then you're going to figure out how to pay for it.
And then you're going to figure out how to,
if it isn't running, get it running.
This one we have isn't running,
so you figure out how to get it running.
Then you're going to be driving to work
and you're going to be, oh my God,
your friend jumps in the car and needs new seats
and now you're going to do the seat.
It's a very slippery slope.
It's fun.
It's a slippery slope, but it's fun along the way.
Yes.
I've been in the back lot of Beverly Hills Car Club
and it always seems to be swarming with guys working out there.
How many people do you have working under your umbrella
and how many specifically are in the back lot,
repairing cars, restoring cars, that sort of thing?
We have about 60 employees.
We have, like I said earlier, we have 650 cars here.
So just moving one car from inside the dealership,
inside one of the showrooms to bring it outside for a customer,
it's a task.
Yes, I've seen that.
It's a whole operation.
So that can take 10 people on its own to get a car outside.
Really?
Because we're pushing the cars out.
You've got to move cars out to get one out.
Of course, the person that comes in,
one minute before we close,
wants the one that sticks back in the corner.
It's like Tetris in a way.
Correct.
Yes.
It takes an army.
It does take an army.
How do you find a good army?
I mean, especially when you have to have people who can work on
everything from a pre-war Bentley to like a computerized Ferrari,
you know, British cars, Italian cars, American cars,
do you find enough talent?
Is that a tough part of the business?
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
I would say that
heart and termination and drive goes a long way.
And a lot of people are interested in classic cars.
And so if you can help teach people and show them what to do along the way,
because they just want to be around the cars themselves.
And it just kind of, you know, that it makes it, you know,
if you want something to learn how to do it or to be a part of it,
you're going to do the best you can to be in that situation, whatever it is.
So you have to find somebody who drives basically.
Yeah.
I mean, you look, you guys have a super successful show and we're here right now
talking and you know what I'm saying?
I mean, you didn't just show up here.
You just appear here.
You got up in the morning.
This was a journey to get to this place where you guys are now.
I mean, got people setting up the sound and, you know,
but you guys had a passion for it and a drive and it got you to this point here.
I mean, I have guys that were washing cars for me that are now salesmen.
I got guys that are washing cars for me that are photographers.
I've got a, you know, we always try to hire within.
Alex, how transparent are you in this business?
Like I see all the time, you know, people selling 997s,
but they don't do any boar scoping and you know that everybody,
any buyer wants to know.
Or if you have like a 308, I want to know how recently the belts were changed.
I see, by the way, you have a pretty gorgeous 83308 GTS Quattro valve.
So this is a bit of a personal question.
Well, no, I'm just, as an example, right?
I'm looking at this car.
It's, it looks beautiful and it's only 70 grand.
Like if I come to you and I say, Alex, like, if I buy this car,
can I, can I take it off the lot and like daily it?
Or do I need to put another 50 grand into it?
Or how transparent can you be with the buyer?
So we try and, we, we're very diligent in getting all the history and service records
before we've owned the cars.
So we share them on the website also to show the history of what's happened with the car.
So for example, if I just had an engine out service and it happens frequently,
people that sell cars to us, they want to make sure the car is ready to be sold.
So they'll have the car gone through and we buy the car.
And then we share all the information that we have on the car.
So this is 1983 Ferrari 308.
What do you think?
Would I be okay taking that?
If I want to come over there and buy it, can I drive it back to New York?
Are you single?
No, not a good idea that his wife's pregnant at the moment with our third kid.
By the way, I wanted to ask about Rolls Royce's.
First of all, the Hollywood Reporter says the, how did they put it?
I'm going to look it up here.
They say the Camargue, an angular off derided formal car.
That was my buddy Brett Burke who wrote that article.
With an odd duck.
I take issue.
With an odd duck cult following.
That's weird.
So you sold this one, I guess, to Tyler, the creator.
But I noticed that you also sold a Rolls Royce to Jason Momoa.
You also sold a Rolls Royce to Justin Bieber.
Who else was Ben Affleck was interested in one?
Like, do stars gravitate and Hannah obviously and Magnus have a couple?
Do stars gravitate towards Rolls Royces?
I would say they gravitate to all cars.
I think it just depends on the person.
It depends on who they are and what they've experienced in life.
Or, you know, what they've seen or what they've been growing up with.
Like, for example, Ben Affleck, he wanted this Rolls Royce Phantom we had because he had one before.
So most celebrities make a very good living so they're able to afford nicer stuff.
So in that scenario, he had that Rolls Royce years ago and now we had one and he wanted to buy, you know, that same car used obviously now.
But if you talk about Justin Bieber, he saw that car and just was like, oh my God, I've got to have this car.
It's like a piece of art. I've got to have it.
So I don't think you can say, oh, celebrities just want Rolls Royces.
I think you can say Rolls Royces are incredible, especially the older stuff, and they're not all expensive either.
You can buy a Rolls Royce for $20,000 and have a great car to cruise around in.
So it's not just about the price, but it is a Rolls Royce.
I mean, how cool is that?
I mean, we have a 1925 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost now at the dealership.
It's a piece of art.
Yeah, it's Fire Engine Red.
I can't even believe we have one.
It's so gorgeous.
It's Fire Engine Red, I said.
I love that.
So a Springfield Silver Ghost left-hand drive, $350,000.
It looks beautiful.
I mean, it's a pinnacle car.
The value remains long after the price is forgotten, Matt.
Oh, that's a good tagline, Hannah.
It's the truth.
By the way, what's the rarest or what are among the rarest cars you have, Alex, right now?
We have a 1960 Mercedes 300 SL Roadster, had the same owner from a 50 years super original car.
But that's your car.
Isn't that your car?
That's my car.
And that's my next line.
It was about to be.
But you would sell it for the right price.
No, no, no.
I got off for the right price like literally a week ago and I said no.
That's not your daily.
That can't be your daily.
No, no, no.
I drive the car frequently, but I don't drive it every day.
I have that car at the dealership and it's on display.
So when you say what cars you have, it's there and I welcome everybody to visit us.
I always say that if you if you want to get into the classic car world, you don't need to buy a car from us.
Come in and get inspired.
You know, come and see the cars, you know, because there's so many options here.
So many colors, so many different variations.
We need the car culture to keep growing and creating new audiences.
So I always say if you have kids and they're young, bring them by.
We want them to see the cars, learn about them, see what they are.
And this Mercedes 300 cell road so we have is sitting there.
So you can look at it as we have the same owner for 50 years.
And it's it's it the car is not perfect.
The seats are torn up and but it's so cool to see you won't be out.
You just won't see them like that.
The only the only person I know that has one like that is Jay Leno has a going that was like used to be raced and is, you know, he drives around also.
So come over, see the cars, look at them, see what you like.
I love that you say that, Alex, because a lot of times it's easy for us to see photos and videos of cars, but and to sort of become obsessed.
But until you sit in the car, until you're around it, until you sort of inhabit it as much as you can, you don't really know.
And sometimes don't forget the smell and smell it.
And oftentimes there's a case of never meet your your heroes where you can become obsessed with how a car looks.
And then when you get in one, you realize, oh, no, this is not what I thought it was going to be.
So I do love Beverly Hills Car Club because you guys are always so welcoming.
And it's so good to just if you got kind of a car that you think you might like and you might want to see it or sit in it or drive it.
Can you can you drive them as well?
I remember I wanted an M6 for so long.
And when I finally drove one, it didn't see.
Yeah, it didn't pay out.
So do you let people test drive these cars too?
So I'm going to answer that.
I got like multiple ways of answering this stuff here.
When I was a kid, I didn't have any money and I would go.
I'm talking young.
I mean, from from, you know, 12 to whatever 20 and I would go to any classic car dealership or place.
You didn't really feel so welcome.
Yes.
You know, you felt uncomfortable there.
It was like, you know, who are you?
I don't see the check your checkbook in your hand.
You know, you know, you know, you have a check made out to us.
Don't waste our time.
That's how the feeling was when I like that here.
Come check us out.
Enjoy the experience.
Sometimes we even have barbecues.
Grab a hamburger.
You know, enjoy what we have here.
I started this with passion with love with, you know, the chase of the next classic car.
And now we've got 650 of them come and look at them and experience them.
You asked me, do we let people test drive cars?
If you, if you want to buy a car, yes, we're going to let you test drive a car.
Would we let you test drive a Ferrari?
No, even if you want to buy the car, you need to buy it.
You know, we're not going to have some 16 year old kid come in here and want to drive test drive a Testerosa.
Of course.
It's like, if you're serious, serious about buying a car, put a deposit down and let's go from there.
But we welcome everybody to the dealership and we're happy.
We're happy to help answer questions.
And, and, you know, my mom works at the dealership with us every day.
Okay.
And she kicks ass.
And if she walks around the dealership and someone isn't being helped or taken care of,
we're going to all hear about it because she wants to make sure as well that people are welcome here.
It's, it's, you know, it's, you come through.
I don't know if you have you been to Beverly Hills car club?
I have not.
But I tell you, I cannot wait.
I cannot wait to come.
Like, honestly, on my list of things to do, if I, the next time I do visit LA, it's going to be,
I got to visit my brother, Louis et al.
I got to visit Hannah and Magnus and Beverly Hills car club is my number three thing.
Like, I can't wait.
I'm going to spend the whole day there.
I want to say it's, it's, and the reason, and the reason I wanted to know if you've been is because it's like you, you pull up.
It's like an industrial area.
Very nondescript.
Yeah.
You go, you're very nondescript, you know, no flashy signs.
You know, you go through a small little door.
You don't know what you're expecting.
And then it's just like, it's just, it's just, it's my work of my whole life.
So it's, it's, I hope you love it.
It's what I'm trying to say.
And I'd love you to join to check it out.
I mean, Hannah, you know, I like it.
Oh, yes.
Oh, yes.
I want to hear more about mom because you mentioned she's on the floor.
She seems like if she was in England in the 60s and 70s and 80s, potentially hanging out with musicians, she must be a very cool person.
What is her car of choice?
What does she like?
What does she get into?
She has been twisting my arm for, for 15 years to give her a Porsche 356.
Come on.
What's the holdup?
There's no holdup.
There's no holdup.
Um, so, so that's, I think that's one of her favorite cars.
I'll share with you guys a story.
When we were growing up, our dream her night together was to buy a Karmigia.
And at the time they were like 6,900, 6,700 was the, was the going price.
And we used to, we used to walk to the bus stop and it was a long walk and we still have to go through this nice neighborhood on the way there.
There was a man and he was a doctor that had a white Porsche 356.
It was a coupe.
So we would, we would, we would, we would look in the classifieds together and I would do all the looking and then I would say, look, look this Karmigia.
There's so much to go look at it.
What do you think?
And we would see this Porsche and we would walk by the Porsche and it was just like, I was like the Messiah coming out of the desert.
Okay.
It wasn't, it wasn't real.
It wasn't a real thing for us to actually to, to do anything other than admire.
Okay.
And now I probably sold, I don't know, 2003, five, six Porsche.
So it just goes to show, you know, that you kind of put your mind to something and it can happen.
I see seven on the website right now.
Yeah.
Gotta give, give mom one of those.
Well, she sounds like she has very good taste in cars.
Absolutely.
Dude, I can't, first of all, I can't thank you enough for, for joining us because it's been such an amazing conversation and I can't wait to come to your shop.
I'm like cruising through your inventory.
I've been doing it for the last 48 hours, basically.
I see a 1975 Carrera Sunroof Coupe that I kind of want to check out a 76 911 S and in like Viper Green.
There's just so much to choose from here.
I don't know if you said I could have any car on your lot.
I don't know which one I would take because I keep going back and forth.
You have a meltdown.
Your brain would melt down.
But it's awesome.
By the way, do you have a daily driver?
Is there a beater that you like, that is your, that you fall back on?
Or are you just always driving something new, something you picked up, something you're working on?
All of the above.
The 300 SL I have is the one I drive the most frequently.
But otherwise, I'll grab whatever we have that's cool, that's fun.
And it's not about the price.
It's about what it looks like or the experience.
And I prefer a car that isn't perfect because you can kind of let loose on it and enjoy it.
What if you have long-term employees, like a guy who's been there, a woman who's been working for you for years,
can they be like, yo, Alex, I'm going to take home this target tonight.
Is that cool?
We do have one person who drives a lot of the cars.
He takes home a car almost every night.
In case anybody wants to get a job, that's a sweetener.
That's a sweetener.
Right on, dude.
Well, thank you so much for joining us.
Thank you.
Thank you guys.
Cool.
He's cool.
Yeah.
I love that, dude, this clearly is his main thing.
Yes.
It's his baby.
I know.
You can see it in his face.
And yeah, I just love that.
I mean, the story about his mother.
I know.
Walking to the bus stop.
And she wants a carmangia, but there's something that's just impossible to imagine.
I know.
I know.
That's like 10 steps above carmangia.
And now they've sold 2,000 of them.
I know.
Wow.
I think it's cool.
That's amazing.
Honestly, that's what we all want in life is something like that.
I know.
And the thing is like, I just, I love, it's so true about the fact that anyone can go in
and walk around.
No one's going to bother you or hassle you to help you.
They will help you if you need it.
But that is, it is really rare.
And it's not fun to go to car dealerships.
I haven't been in years.
I, it's not fun because you get hassled and you, you are, it feels weird and it's not
like that.
And I, it is really true that it's nice to just be around the cars in a very low pressure,
low stakes environment and be able to explore for yourself what speaks to you.
I also like that he doesn't sell the ridiculously unobtainable, like super cars.
You don't see the, you know, there's no GT threes there.
There's none of the flipper cars that people who don't care about driving by and sell on
BAT all the time.
Like,
No, that's not this.
And I, and I think it's, it, we should say, of course, buying an old car period is a caveat
impter experience.
You have to assume there will be things that go wrong.
There probably already are things wrong with the car.
There will be blood.
There will be blood.
That's just part of the experience.
And you know, I think sometimes people say, Oh, I, the car is not, doesn't have this or
it was, I thought it was going to be good because it looks so pretty.
And then you take it home and something happens.
Well, of course that's an old car.
And I don't think, you know, Beverly Hills and Alex are very, very upfront about this
car needs work.
This car is a project.
This car doesn't run.
It's kind of, you get what you see and you get what you pay for.
So crazy.
They have five Jensen interceptors.
I mean, these are, these are like, you know, a car that you just don't see, there's some
very ropey cars, you know, but it's kind of like you're, you're going to get what you
see.
One of them looks amazing.
They got a 1971 interceptor in like Navy blue for under 20 grand and it looks beautiful.
I mean, maybe it's a five foot car, a 10 foot car, but I mean, for 20 grand, well, I also
think it and not to speak for Alex, but you know, there's some, you can, you can make
an offer.
Oh, there's some little room, of course.
Why not a trade?
Why not a trade for something else?
You know, this is used car dealing.
There's, you always should make an offer.
Wow.
I don't think you should ever pay what they ask.
I wonder if he'll take a couple of Ducati monsters and trade for, oh yeah, get him into
the motorcycle.
For this 308.
Sure.
Yeah.
I could go through the website all day.
So that's very cool.
Very cool.
Yeah.
By the way, what's his, there's some kind of connection to the real housewives of something.
Is that, is he, he's not on it, right?
He has been on it.
Yes.
He at one point was in a relationship with Kyle Richards and Mauricio Umensky's daughter.
But they're no longer together.
But he, yes.
I'm glad I didn't ask him about it.
Yeah, me too.
I'm sure he would have been very diplomatic.
It's also, it's very Beverly Hills.
That's like, of course.
Well, this is, you know what, this is a really small town.
It's a really small town.
It seems like it.
It really, and, and Beverly Hills is like a village.
I get the feeling everybody knows everybody in Bev Hills.
But to be clear, they're not in the Beverly Hills car club is not in Beverly Hills.
Oh no, no, no.
It's in a very industrial down and out area.
Um, and it's very nondescript.
You could drive past.
997s.
I thought earlier, because I had, was searching for poor shows and I put 911 in the dropdown
menu and I saw there's like 30 of those.
But I thought, wow, it's weird that he doesn't have any 997s.
But you actually get to pick a 997 as a specific subcategory.
They have 996, 993s.
But you know that I love the 997.
That's my.
That's your baby.
That's my choice.
Yeah.
I get it.
That does it for this week's show.
Remember to follow and subscribe to Hot Pursuit on Apple, Spotify, and anywhere else you listen.
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About this episode
Alex Manos, founder of Beverly Hills Car Club, breaks down why classic cars create real emotion—and how his operation sources, inspects, and sells hundreds of them. The chat ranges from his own “triple black” Lincoln Continental story to celebrity buying habits, transparency on condition, and the logistics of moving 650 cars with a 60-person team. They also debate whether elite riders can overcome weaker bikes in MotoGP, rant about EV “V” badges, and discuss how online sales and tariffs are pushing more buyers toward older, analog experiences.
Original notes
This week, Alex Manos joins the show from Los Angeles to talk about his life in selling cars to the stars, and his advice on how to find the best car for you.
You can send us your comments, email us at [email protected], and check out Hannah’s columns and stories on Bloomberg.com and the Bloomberg Business App. Go there for car reviews, events, and stories that you won’t find anywhere else.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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