How to Buy a Vintage Car
Posted on 19th December 2022
Buying vintage cars may look like a walk in the park, but it can take a little more work if you're a newbie. We show you the ropes of buying your vintage car!
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Case Study: Tony Nicklin’s Williams Morgan Plus 4
Posted on March 15, 2015 – Classic Cars
Tony Nicklin trusted Williams to bespoke his Morgan – a unique British brand with a wealth of history and a tonne of style and class – and then turned to us to make sure it arrived perfectly in trim, ready for the open road in New Zealand. Well, the open road and the odd race lap at Pukekohe!
Tony had owned a Lotus Elise Turbo – the sort of thing which hits 100kph in 3.5 seconds and reaches the best part of 275kph down the back straight at Puke – and was looking for something equally fun to drive but which would be more suitable for road-trips with his wife.
After being introduced to Morgan and Williams by a contact in New Zealand, Tony decided to pay a visit to the factory while he was in the UK visiting family. He was instantly “hooked”. “It’s an emotional hook alright – you go there and, wow, it’s hook, line and sinker. If you’re not sure, don’t go to the factory because once you see them there, you’ll order one straight away.”
Tony hadn’t imported a car into New Zealand before, just a few tyres and added extras for his Lotus, and was pointed towards McCullough’s General Manager Joe Steele by another customer who said we’re the best in the business: “I’m a big believer in verbal references – I suppose I’m old school like that,” he said.
“I knew nothing but it’s a small world and I spoke to someone who had used Joe and had dealt with Williams in the UK. We spoke long on the phone and via email and from then on nothing was a problem.
“I never felt like I was waiting for communication – I was never left waiting for an answer and everything occurred as it had been promised.
“The whole lot is around $US100,000 including gst plus freighting but I was able to do all the finance via McCullough and they got me a better rate than through my bank so that was another added value service.”
About the only minor hiccup came when it came to compliance – the car had already run up 300 miles on its clock because of shooting for the video and the need for his brother-in-law to test-drive it before sending it half way around the world, and a car is deemed to be “new” if it has travelled fewer than 250km.
But McCullough organised for the car to visit a compliance centre in the UK before it was shipped to New Zealand and receive a letter of dispensation so it could come into the country – and all that over the Christmas break. T
he Williams Morgan Plus 4 arrived in Auckland in February and Tony hasn’t hung around, already putting 1500 miles on it thanks to a few road trips and a journey out to Hawke’s Bay.
“It’s just brilliant – it really puts a smile on your face,” he said. “And with McCullough it couldn’t have been easier. Now I can just get out there and live the dream.”
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