About the UK’s Most Experienced Classic Car Valuer

Born into a family music business in Ireland in the late 1960s, my passion for cars ignited at a young age. Autocar magazine was my favourite, with writers like Steve Cropley and Phil Llewellin, who inspired dreams of working as an automotive journalist.

I began my motor trade career in Ireland, as a mechanical apprentice. At 19, I moved to London to pursue this journalist dream. Following my innate curiosity, I gained extensive motor industry experience, working with car dealers, finance companies, in retail and fleet purchasing, and selling hundreds of cars.

After a decade in the motor trade, my desire to write about cars remained strong. While recovering from a motorcycle accident, an Assistant Valuation Editor’s position with Glass’s Guide—the premier motor trade publisher—caught my eye. Securing the position and quickly rising to Valuations Editor, I was mentored by the Chief Car, Motorcycle, and Commercial Vehicle Valuation Editors, and a gifted MD who went on to found the valuation and trend analysis firm Delta Point, which eventually sold to AutoTrader.

As a Valuations Editor, I spent over ten years running Glass’s Guide to Older Cars and Modern Classics, also developing and managing the UK’s first online valuations platform. Valuing tens of thousands of cars and motorcycles every month for a decade was the ultimate learning experience.

In 2003, I travelled to the south of France to buy my first air-cooled Porsche 911. This was an adventurous purchase that sparked my entry into the Porsche world, where I am now a noted expert. The 911 led to the founding of an online community for Porsche 911 fans now with over 8,000 members, and a lifelong collaboration with the world-famous photographer, James Lipman, culminating in our book, “The Cult of Porsche.”

A Glass’s Guide press release about a 1970s Cadillac I had bought caught the attention of my boyhood hero, Steve Cropley, Managing Editor of Autocar magazine. A phone call from Steve and an invitation to lunch with his team led to my first feature for Autocar, finally achieving my dream of becoming a car journalist. Realising that my true passion lay with bespoke vehicle valuations, I founded my freelance classic car valuations consultancy in 2004 and, in 2010, left Glass’s to focus on my own valuations business.

Now 57, with over 70,000 hours of high-level market experience, I am the go-to expert for insurers, lenders, solicitors, and private clients needing impartial expert support in or out of court. My extensive experience includes historic motorsport, co-owning Twinspark Racing in Amsterdam, 15+ years working with Tuthill Porsche and many years buying cars for groups including Singer Design in the UK. I maintain long-standing relationships with UK fabricators, car preparers and classic car restorers and curate a personal collection of 16 cars and motorcycles.

Classic Car Valuer Career Highlights

• Ten years as Valuations Editor of Glass’s Guide to Older Cars and Modern Classics
• Creator and Valuations Editor of Glass’s Consumer Values: the original ‘We Buy Any Car’ database
• Tens of thousands of vehicles valued every month for a decade using the Glass’s valuation system
• Thousands of bespoke valuations created for private clients since 2004
• Over 70,000 hours of professional valuation experience – this is unmatched in the industry
• Appearances on BBC media including Radio 4 and as a consultant to ‘Antiques Roadshow’
• Former Assistant Valuations Editor on Glass’s Motorcycle and Commercial Vehicle guides
• Creator of Glass’s Part Exchange Values: as seen on many car and motorcycle manufacturer websites
• Years in professional retail and fleet car purchasing
• Almost forty years activity in the classic car field
• Acknowledged motor trade and used car expert via Autocar, Top Gear, MSN Cars, BBC Radio 4 and more
• Published Porsche author and community leader
• Highly experienced and widely referenced used car journalist
• Author of many car magazine ‘Buyers Guides’ and used car features

Expert Witness Experience

• Vetted member of the UK Register of Expert Witnesses
• Consistent provider of classic and modern car valuations since 2000 with no break in practice
• Experienced court expert witness in divorce valuations and civil cases, working for insurers, solicitors, Trading Standards and private clients
• Experienced Single Joint Expert to civil and family courts across the UK
• Experienced in creating case reports, adding insight as an Expert Advisor, supporting mediation/arbitration or assisting counsel with cross-examination preparation
• All Expert Witness reports completed to FPR Part 25 or CPR Part 35
• Previous single cases into the millions of pounds
• Previous court reports for collections of over 50 vehicles and museum collections
• Cost estimates, detailed CV and availability/report timescales on request

My Work in the Press

Personal Classic Car History

My classic car history includes:

• Lifelong classic car and motorcycle enthusiast
• Hundreds of cars sold personally
• Published classic car journalist
• Experienced classic car and motorcycle trader and restorer
• A personal collection of 16 classic cars and motorcycles

My expertise as a classic car valuer is underpinned by extensive market intelligence and deep insider knowledge of how the motor trade operates. Over three decades of market valuation experience gives me the confidence and credibility that matters in court.

The scope of data I have overseen means that I have supplied many thousands of vehicle valuations to hundreds of highly critical users over the course of my career. Such experience is rare and priceless, and my hard-earned expertise as a classic car valuer is in constant demand.