An extraordinary classic car collection has been put up for sale in the UK - though dentist James Hull hopes to find one British buyer to give it a new home.
 Hull's collection contain's one of the finest line-ups of Jaguars in the world |
Rather than auction the 450 classics, which include everything from a Jaguar D-Type to a Sinclair C5, Hull is certain that he can get £100m ($167m) for them as a job lot. At around £222,000 ($371,832)per car, that's great value for a D-Type, but a little pricey for a Morris Minor.
Yet with an entire museum's worth of cars and the sector riding high at the moment, the sale presents a good business opportunity.
The £100m price tag will make the collection the highest single sale of classic cars seen in Britain, according to reports.
Cars span from the 1930s to the present day, including celebrity motors such as Winston Churchill's Austin and a Bentley driven by Elton John. But it is Jaguar that is the central focus of the collection, with Dr Hill a well known member of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club.
Capped by a D-Type thought to be worth more than £4m ($6.6m), the collection also includes a rare Jaguar C-Type and a 1961 E-Type that belonged to motorcycle racing legend and world champion Mike Hailwood.
"Most of his cars are very original or restored to original specification with great attention to detail, and over the years he must have won more concours awards than any other Jaguar collector.
"He does immense service to the classic car movement in keeping these cars in top condition, and the sale of the collection will attract enormous interest from around the world.
"We of course hope that whoever buys them allows them to be seen and enjoyed by enthusiasts for years to come," Graham Searle of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club commented in the Daily Mail newspaper.
Dr Hull cites a number of health problems, exacerbated by a break-in in 2006, as to why he is selling the collection, but will continue to collect.
"I am a collector, so who knows what will turn up next. My wife hopes it will be something smaller like stamps."
Stamps would be a great choice, showing almost the same investment potential as classic cars, yet in a lower value market.
Take a look at the stunning selection of rare stamps for sale in our online store.
