Don’t Let The Value Spoil The Fun

Just the other week, a Jaguar XKSS sold at Monterey Car Week for over $13,000,000 which is, no matter how you look at it, a lot of money. Like, a bewildering amount of money for a car. The XKSS is special, there is no doubt about that, but still, thirteen mil? Blimey. Imagine telling your insurance company the value of that? That’s if it even gets insured as a car to use. The sad reality is that it’ll probably go into a hermetically sealed bubble for a decade, only to be rolled out and sold for more. And this, for me, is what grates.

Cars are machines, and I don’t think the value should come into their usage. There are caveats, of course. You wouldn’t take that XKSS to Tesco, or run it through your local hand car wash. Nor would you keep it in a damp council lock-up (though ironically, that’s where the aforementioned XKSS lived in the ’70s). You need to care for cars of such value properly, that’s a given. But not at the expense of robbing them of what they are – machines. Machines designed to be used.

And from the owners that I have spoken to, the lack of use is more often than not purely fuelled by value. It seems odd to me. An example would be last month, when I was lucky enough to take the keys of a 2019 Bentley Mulsanne Speed for a week. An incredible car that was £261,000 when it was new. Or half the value of my (rented) house. I was excited to take delivery, and then I was utterly terrified of driving it. But only because my lifestyle dictates shopping at ASDA as a luxury. I had a legitimate reason to be a bit tense. However, I soon relaxed into it and started driving it properly. But, I pondered, for someone who could afford the car, would that tense feeling be there? I suppose it would a bit, but it would be less intense given they could, in fact, afford the car.

This then begs the question of why so many expensive classics stay hidden away? If Mr or Mrs XKSS can afford $13m, they can afford to take it out for a damn good kicking, right? And I hope they do. I can only speculate when it comes to a car that has so recently changed hands. But for others, stop looking at classics as assets. If you drive it, if you use it as the manufacturer intended, you’re not going to shave thousands off the value every time you use it. And even if a few more miles on the clock does take some value off it, the quid pro quo is the enjoyment you get. Look at the guys and girls who race classics at Goodwood. Even when they trade paint, or worse, trade a kiss with the armco, they’re still smiling. Because it’s what it’s all about.

This isn’t me arguing about assets and liquidity and other nonsense you find in the Financial Times though. It’s about fear and anxiety, and removing those. If you buy a big ticket classic and then let fear rule your relationship with it, what’s the point? These classics get under your skin and dig deep into your heart when they are used, when they come alive, when they are given the opportunity to stir your soul. Yes, bad things could happen; something could break, or god forbid someone in a Fiat Punto could clatter into you. But until that happens (and in all probability, it won’t) don’t let it rule you. To quote Baz Luhrmann “Worrying about the future is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.” Or in simple terms, you can’t worry about something you can’t quantify. So get on with having fun.

A case in point would be someone here at Car & Classic who has a 1925 Bentley. Easily the most expensive car he has owned, this thing has barely had the chance to cool down since he bought it. It’s been all over Europe, it’s been thrashed on rallies and events, it’s been used, it’s taken on the banking at Goodwood (with me in it) and competed at the Le Mans Classic, it’s been used for  the school run, and do you know what – the relationship between man an machine is stronger than ever. It’s proof that the value, in real terms, shouldn’t matter. Don’t think about the risk, think about the reward. Think back on the adventures you have had in your mind, the very dreams that prompted you to buy said car, and live them. It’s only money. Don’t let it rule you.