Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady

The Old Car Lady heads to the RREC National Rally to meet Anthony Kearsley, classic car collector, Auto Couture owner and star of Channel 4’s Handcuffed. Anthony walks Sam through some of the most extraordinary cars at the event, including a £1,000,000 one-off Bentley S3 Drophead, a 1933 Silver Wraith Landaulet with an Edwardian coachbuilt body, and Richard Harris’ Phantom V…the only car he ever o...

The Old Car Lady sits down with motoring writer Martin Buckley to go through a box of photographs taken on the streets of Manchester and Stockport in the late 70s and 80s. Martin was a teenager with a camera and an eye for anything interesting, and he found plenty. A Fiat 130 abandoned in a pub car park in Audenshaw. A Bristol 406 with no plates and no engine photographed on a night out in Stockpo...

The Old Car Lady is joined by Andy from My Dad’s Car , the podcast that asks a very simple question with a very big answer: what car started it all? They talk dads, workshops, car magazines, childhood passenger-seat memories, lockdown podcasting, Porsche side profiles, Halfords friendships, and why the car bug is so often passed down through people rather than horsepower figures. Andy shares the s...

The Old Car Lady is back with Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics, and this time Tim has brought the archive: the original 1980 Austin Metro dealer launch pack, brochures, mechanic notes, a Metro Plus brochure even Tim had forgotten he had, and a cassette unplayed for 45 years. They go through it all page by page. The Union Jack campaign, the 9X prototype that never was, the Applejack and Peridot co...

The Old Car Lady is back with Honest John Dixon for Part 2, going deeper into the South London motor trade of the 60s and 70s: the characters, the criminal crossover and the stories that didn’t make it into Part 1. John bought an XJ6 in decorating overalls with a suitcase of cash, kept a shotgun behind his desk and knew the fraud squad detective who investigated him personally. This is what the mo...

The Old Car Lady is joined by motoring journalist Richy Barnett for the May Auction Special, picking through the Manor Park Classic Sale on Saturday 23rd May. They go through Richy’s picks, decide where they think they land against the estimates and then in Part 2 compare their predictions with the results - so stay tuned! …….. Jensen Interceptor Vignale, Rover P6 with factory panoramic roof, Vand...

The MG Metro still sits in the top 10 best-selling British cars of all time. Over two million were made. And yet only around 30 to 40 MG Metro Turbos survive today. This week Sam goes to see fellow dealer and Metro enthusiast Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics, who walks her through three of his personal collection: an MG Metro 1275, a Mark 1 Turbo, and a Mark 2 Turbo. They cover the full story — f...

The Old Car Lady is joined by John Dixon, known as Honest John. He started cleaning cars at ten, bought his first banger at fourteen with no licence, and spent 40 years dealing from pitches and showrooms across South London and Kent. This is a time capsule of the 70s and 80s motor trade: the tricks, the characters, James Hunt’s car on the forecourt, Sid James’ Rolls-Royce, the traffic warden and t...

The Old Car Lady is back with Max from The Tyre Kickers for Part 2. This time it’s about the cars they love now: E types, XJS, Silver Shadows and a Porsche 928 that kept catching the eye. They go through the quick fire round, get deep on E types and XJS’s, debate original paint versus respray, and end with Sam’s dad’s 1984 stock book, with the day to day trade deals like a Merc 280 SE bought for £...

The Old Car Lady is joined by Max, co-host of The Tyre Kickers, for the first of two conversations built around a shared childhood. Both grew up as car dealers’ kids: SD1s borrowed off the forecourt for family holidays, E types coming through by the hundred, and dads who were never really off duty. This is Part 1. They cover the golden era of the trade: part exchanges valued at nine years old, the...

The Old Car Lady is joined by Becca Treston, host of the Passenger Seat Podcast, young members coordinator for the Morris Minor Owners Club and a key figure in the Women Driver Social Club. Becca daily drives Peggy, her 1968 Morris Minor, and has covered 45,000 miles in six years. This episode looks at the future of classic cars through the people coming into the scene today. From accidental owner...

Use code SAM15 for 15% off your chance to win a classic car with Vintage and Classic Car Competitions: https://competitions.vintageandclassiccarhire.com/ Sam Grange-Bailey (The Old Car Lady) sits down with Tim Grigsby of Vintage and Classic Car Competitions for a conversation that goes well beyond the prize draw business. Tim grew up surrounded by veteran cars and larger-than-life characters, race...

Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) sits down with Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics for a proper trip down memory lane and an honest look at where the classic car market stands today. Tim is a Mini and Metro specialist with decades in the trade, and he doesn’t hold back. They cover growing up with cars in the 70s, building a top five iconic cars of the decade, why colour and trim levels defined...

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 2 of her conversation with James Harding from Chop's Garage. If Part 1 was about how James got into the trade, this one is about what it's actually like to live in it. James explains why he puts his full margin on show, what he paid, what he spent on prep, what's left in his pocket, and why that transparency has made him more truste...

Sam heads to the NEC in Birmingham for the Classic Car & Restoration Show, joining forces with Richy Barnett — Market Editor at Classic Car Weekly — to walk the Iconic Auctioneers sale floor and put their money where their mouths are on six cars that caught their eye. From a rare lilac Morris Minor Million to a first-gen Firebird and a gorgeously sinister Daimler Sovereign, they predict the ha...

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 1 of her conversation with James Harding from Chops Garage, a modern car dealer with a classic car soul. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's ever dreamed of jacking in the corporate 9-to-5 to follow their passion. James tells the story of how, at 38, he walked away from a career as a national sales manager to start fixing and selli...

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for her conversation with Anthony Kearsley, a well-known classic car collector, star of Channel 4's 'Handcuffed', and owner of Auto Couture. This episode charts Anthony's incredible journey from selling Austin Maestros in the Lake District to dealing with the rich and famous at Jack Barclay in London. Anthony shares hilarious and often...

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 2 of her conversation with Simon Hope, co-founder of H&H Classic Auctions. This episode centres on one of the most interesting stories in recent classic car auction history: the sale of Richard Colton's Ferrari 250 GT SWB and 275 GTB with proceeds to the RNLI, raising £10 million in a single sale for the charity. Simon also shares his tho...

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 1 of an in-depth conversation with Simon Hope, one of the Hs behind H&H Classic Auctions. With over 40 years in the auction world, Simon shares stories from his auctioneering career that started in the late 1980s, including setting up H&H with Mark Hamilton in 1993 and hammering a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB for £6.6 million in 2015 (still a w...

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for a special auction episode recorded on Friday 13th February 2026, predicting results for Manor Park Classics' sale the following day.  Sam goes through her shortlist from a dealer's perspective, estimating hammer prices, then reveals actual results with insights from Jim Gregory (Sales Director at Manor Park Classics) and Richy Barnett (Market...

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for a conversation with Martin Buckley, motoring journalist and classic car author whose first book was published when he was just 19. Martin has written over 20 car books including the acclaimed Facel Vega volume, and his passion stems from his parents' collection of rusty BMWs, Lancias, and Jaguars. This episode explores how car books shaped Martin&...

Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for a conversation with Richy Barnett, classic car enthusiast, book collector, and Markets Editor for Classic Car Weekly. Richy’s career started at Chaters Car Bookshop, and he now curates what must be one of the most impressive car book collections in the country with a whole room fitted with bespoke bookcases. This episode explores the golden age of car...

Join Sam Grange-Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for a conversation with Albert Walsh, a veteran of the motor trade with over 55 years' experience. Albert is a well-respected member of Porsche Club GB, regularly consulted for pre-purchase inspections, and a consultant for Manor Park Classics Auctions. This episode takes you through Albert's journey from driving at 13 in his dad's garage to...

Join Sam Grange-Bailey (The Old Car Lady) as she takes an exclusive tour of Martin Buckley's personal classic car collection. Martin is a leading motoring journalist, monthly contributor to Classic and Sports Car Magazine, and author of over 20 books. His classic car collection spans the 1950s-70s, including a rare 1971 Oldsmobile Toronado (America's first mass-produced front-wheel-drive...

This week on Wheels & Deals, it's a listener special! I'm sharing some of the fantastic stories and comments you've sent in, answering your questions, and even launching a special appeal to track down the history of a very rare car. We drive into the "dark arts" of the motor trade, explaining exactly why a dealer in the 70's might put sawdust in a gearbox or an eg...