Classic Car Solicitors
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London 020 7822 4000
Brighton 01273 685 888
Collector Cars
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classic car solicitors

Collector Cars

Putting you in the driving seat

Our collector car solicitors have the expertise and knowledge to deal with  range of issues that affect the acquisition and management of classic and collector cars.

Over the last decade certain members of the firm have acquired specialist expertise in the law and practices relating to the increasingly valuable collectors’ car market.

Consequently, we have decided to establish a dedicated team of solicitors and support staff, who are not only experienced in their own specific legal disciplines, but also have a life-long enthusiasm and  knowledgeable expertise of almost every aspect of car ownership. In short: “We Speak Motors”.

The Healys Collector Car Solicitors Group can provide all of the services expected of lawyers, including commercial law aspects of acquisition such as title and contracts, estate and inheritance tax planning and litigation and mediation in the event of dispute.

More importantly, we have come to understand that issues relating to motors can often be resolved efficiently by looking beyond the strict confines of the legal world.  Classic car ownership involves matters where other specialists play an important part, and in many cases they can facilitate pragmatic and financially sound outcomes.

As a result, over the years we have set up strong and effective working relationships with a variety of local and international specialists, including accountants, auctioneers and insurers, amongst others, with the best applicable expertise tailored to the matters in hand.  In this way we have all but instant access, both formally and informally, to the right people.

This practice has recently developed into a distinguishable branch of the law accelerated in part by the extraordinary growth in value of classic, collector and race cars.  Obvious legal solutions are not always readily identifiable and case law remains sparse, but we have found that solutions to problems are frequently achieved by taking a collaborative rather than contentious approach.

This comes from many years of experience representing clients in similar situations.

Call Us Today
Call our London office on 020 7822 4000 or our Brighton office on 01273 685 888. You can also contact us online.
Call Us Today
London: 020 7822 4000 Brighton: 01273 685 888 Or you can contact us online: Contact Us
Key Contacts
Clive Robertson
Head of Classic Car Group
Robert Johnson
Partner
Meet the team
Collector Cars capabilities
Collector Cars experiences
  • Advising a US owner of an historic 70's Porsche 911 race car, who became aware of another car residing in Europe, bearing the same chassis number, but  differing race livery. Both cars carried divergent histories in early years, but which merged from the eighties. Both cars have been examined by expert marque engineers, whilst painstaking research has been undertaken both in the Americas and Europe, the outcome of which is yet to be concluded.
  • A client based in Hong Kong was the successful bidder at auction in London of a Bugatti carrying a body by James Young. Post auction, the buyer felt "unsure" about the car, when it was discovered that the sale was by the US auction house and not by an unconnected third party. In the event the "seller" could not prove title and was obliged to accept the return of the car, whilst refunding the purchase price as well as settling legal costs and all expenses.
  • Acting for an owner of a Jaguar D Type confronted by a claim from another party claiming that he owned the same, genuine chassis. As with all D Types, the tub has a chassis number, which number is also stamped on suspension and other parts. After a career spent racing the tub of the Jaguar was deemed "tired", when the parts were removed and re-fitted to a new tub, whilst the original tub was discarded. In due course the discarded tub was "refreshed with genuine new parts. The question arose as to which of the cars could be deemed to be genuine. The parties reached a reasonable conclusion.
  • Competition engines, by the very nature of their intended use, are subject to extreme stress and therefor wear. Competent re-builds usually produce the number of working hours expected, but in a small, but significant number of those rebuilds, poor workmanship can bring about major failure. Independent examination by expert engineers has often provided the basis on which we have founded a number of successful recovery actions.
  • Following a year of ownership of an Alfa Romeo Guilia Spider, the purchaser who had bought the car as a present for his daughter discovered that the car and documentation carried reference to two different chassis numbers, which anomalies were not disclosed, nor apparent at inspection. Advice is now being sought on the basis of the remedied that may be available based upon the misrepresentation of the seller.
  • Advising a client who wished to establish the authenticity of his 1949 Alfa Romeo 6c SS This car was bought at auction in the UK, having spent many years in Argentina. Doubts had been raised as to the authenticity of the car, to the extent that it had been labelled a "fake". An exhaustive forensic examination of the car was undertaken. In particular, a sample of metal was cut from the chassis and following analysis, was found to have been to have been cast in the year of manufacture, so establishing provenance beyond a reasonable doubt.
  • Appointed in 2004 to manage the dissolution of AC Car Group Limited, following a century of production ranging from 3 wheeled cars to the iconic AC Cobra.
Collector Cars insights
  • Healys LLP Sends Serious Warning To The Classic & Collectors Car World

    13th September 2018

    More deliberation and responsibility needs to be brought to transactions by dealers, buyers and sellers in the classic car world, say London Solicitors Healys LLP, following the distressing news which was announced yesterday in the classic car world of the appointment of administrators to the troubled historic car sales, restoration and preparation business JD Classics which had publicly been perceived as a beacon in the sector. Continue reading »

Collector Cars awards
Collector Cars news
  • Healys Expands Asia Pacific Department With Two New Appointments

    15th November 2019

    Healys are pleased to announce the appointment of our two newest members, Carman Lee and Echo Zhang, who have joined our Asia Pacific department.

    Headed by Nic Tiong, our dedicated Asia Pacific team  have extensive experience working closely with clients (such as high-net-worth individuals, companies, developers and banks) across the Asia Pacific region, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea.

    They intimately understand the unique requirements of our clientele and regularly  travel to the Far East with a focus on creating and maintaining long-term client and business relationships.

    We can assist with a wide range of matters, including real estate (residential and commercial), corporate, immigration, wills, trusts, tax, and estate structuring.

    For more information, please contact Nic Tiong  on 020 7822 4000 or email nic.tiong@healys.com.

     

    Healys很高兴地宣布，两位新成员李嘉雯和张妍已经加入我们的亚太部团队。

    在张德霆的带领下，我们敬业的亚太部团队在与高净值客户、公司、开发商和银行等客户密切合作方面拥有丰富的经验，业务遍及整个亚太地区（如中国大陆、中国香港、泰国、新加坡、马来西亚和韩国）。我们的团队能深入了解客户的独特需求，并且经常前往远东地区，专注建立和维护长期的客户和业务关系。

    更多相关信息，请致电020 7822 4000与张德霆联系或发送电子邮件至nic.tiong@healys.com。

  • Workplace Sexual Harassment Victim Secures Compensation

    14th November 2019

    Sexual harassment in the workplace is sadly not as rare as one would hope but, with the right legal advice, there is no reason why anyone should put up with it. In a recent case, a woman whose infatuated boss subjected her to unwelcome sexualised behaviour secured more than £30,000 in compensation (Shotton v Mark Harris Upholstery Limited and Another). Continue reading »

  • Be Careful of Buying or Selling Land Without Legal Advice

    12th November 2019

    Traps for the unwary lurk within many old title deeds and that is one reason why you should never buy or sell land without taking professional advice. A High Court case in point concerned a plot of land that was subject to a decades-old diktat that it must only be used as a motor garage. Continue reading »

Call Us Today
London: 020 7822 4000 Brighton: 01273 685 888 Or you can contact us online: Contact Us
CLASSIC CARS / COLLECTOR CARS