- Okay, so we're here talking
about left hand drive cars versus right hand drive cars.
Right hand, Brexit,
it's all about the right hand, isn't it?
- That old chestnut.
- But it is, surely.
I mean, look at any of the cars that sell really well.
What you really want is that,
that rare right hand drive model,
having two of my cars being rare right hand drive models.
- I'm with you.
I think people argue that left hand drive is better.
- You're not supposed to agree with me.
(laughs)
- Well I was going to, I'm going to.
People argue that left hand drive is better
'cause it's a global market.
- Yeah.
- And there are, you know, you've got,
there are more people to sell your left hand drive car to.
Which is why the whole other cars are coming to the UK
over the last, you know, three or four years,
because the Europeans haven't had any money
and they thought, oh let's flog all our cars to the Brits
'cause they're paying fortunes for them.
The trouble of the matter is what the people
who are buying the left hand drive cars over here
figured out is,
why are they coming over in the first place?
'Cause there isn't a market for those left hand drive
back in their home.
- Interesting, yes.
- Markets.
- Yeah.
- So they clean themselves.
- Yeah.
- And also,
the other really big problem with them is,
you'll buy a nice,
a sports car,
a classic super car.
In this country,
driving on the wrong side of the road just doesn't work.
- Mm.
- If you're in something low and wide,
behind something.
- You can't over take.
- That's of that, you can't over take.
- Yeah.
- So the driving pleasure isn't there.
The residuals aren't there at the moment.
And I don't, you know,
people are going to argue that they're going to come back,
'cause they're all going to go back into the,
onto the continent,
but (garbled speaking).
- How many do we see?
Coming across the books?
- Um, there is a,
there is a steady flow of American cars being imported
into the UK,
restored and enjoyed by the owners in the UK.
- Do you mean American built cars?
- Yes, yeah,
yeah.
- I think that's slightly different.
- Yeah, I think that is.
- I think, you know, you can get,
you know, the modern, the last generation of Mustangs.
- Mm.
- You can get converted to right hand drives.
- Yeah.
- You speak to a Mustang owner,
and they'll say,
oh you mustn't do that,
it's gotta be left hand drive.
- Yeah.
- Yep.
- And I get that.
- Yeah.
- With American cars,
but these European cars.
- Yeah, I always questioned about American built,
because you've got, you know,
we've seen quite a lot of European built cars.
- Right.
- Which went to America,
sold in America.
- Yeah.
- And were worth less.
- Yes.
- Over there, over the last couple of years,
probably changing now because of the exchange rates.
- Yeah.
- But then coming back in.
So, early E-types, for example.
- That's right.
- And the more obscure Italian things like,
you know, De Tomasos and things like that.
Whereas, really hard to find it,
but you can find one over there
which you actually could bring back and start again.
- Yeah,
so we're seeing a steady flow of,
perhaps the British sports cars,
the export cars from the 50's and 60's.
They're coming back into the UK.
People buy them because
they're still really affordable in America.
And so you're getting a drive state, sound basis
for a great restoration project.
Then in the UK,
all the parts are available.
The specialist restoration companies are all in the UK.
And you end up with a perfect,
original, you know,
perfect rebuilt car
converted to right hand drive,
that's the thing.
- This drive state thing.
- Mm.
- Yeah.
- Isn't that a dealer, you know.
- Oh.
- You know, that's the,
that's the trick?
- You're getting metal work,
but everything else is sharp too.
Now, all the interiors,
all the paintwork and everything like that,
but you know,
depending on where you buy it from,
but Arizona cars, yeah,
they're a solid.
- The thing about these drive state cars is,
what I have noticed,
is that there are plenty drive state cars
which have been in New York their whole lives.
- Yeah.
- They get shut out of San Diego,
where they're going from the port anyway,
and then they become a drive state car.
- Oh, so silly.
(laughs loudly)
- But yeah.
- And it does happen, I mean,
Rob Seastrom, Autoweek,
said exactly that.
It's,
there are only about two actual drive states,
where it is,
there is no (garbled speaking)
- Can't find the right owner, isn't it?
- Yeah.
And he said, you know,
everywhere else is just,
it's a bit of a fallacy,
it's almost like,
(garbled speaking).
- Oh look, it's a nice drive state car.
- And all the Brits go wooh.
- Arrives in the UK and falls to pieces
in Southampton docks.
- And we blame it for
the carpark in Southampton.
(laughs)