2022 In Review: A Record Year For Collecting Cars

As our team looks back on a record year for Collecting Cars, we want to first say a huge thanks to all of our sellers, buyers, bidders and browsers during 2022

Since launching in 2019, we have always been more than just a buying and selling platform. Collecting Cars is a thriving community of enthusiasts, and we are grateful to all of our followers who spread the word and everyone who comes to our events.

In 2022, we helped to find new homes for more than 4,500 consignments, generating in excess of £180 million for sellers worldwide (up more than 30% year-on-year). More than 52,000 new members also registered with Collecting Cars through the year, giving us an even bigger direct audience as we head into 2023.

Our team has grown in size, with a physical presence in more markets than ever; opening a regional office in Sweden covering the Nordics, as well as a strategic partnership in the UAE.

Collecting Cars is already the official auction partner to Porsche Club GB, the TVR Car Club, and Supercar Driver, and for 2023 we are very proud to be partnering with the renowned Bicester Heritage for a schedule of events through the coming year. Our team will be on hand to discuss consignments at every Scramble, kicking off on Sunday 8 January with the curated ‘Scramblers Lawn’ – so if you’ll be attending, then do come over to say hello.

In 2022, we hosted more than 60 events worldwide, including a record-breaking 2,300-car meet at Bicester Heritage. Our Coffee Runs have become must-attend gatherings for our global community, with incredible assemblies of classic, sports and performance cars coming together in Australia, North America, the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. For 2023, we have even bigger and better events planned – so watch this space.

During the year, Collecting Cars launched a new themed auction dubbed ‘Supercar Sunday’; bringing together fantastic consignments from the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, Aston Martin, and Lamborghini. The sales resulted in some exciting bidding wars, and set the tone for supercars to take centre stage on the platform.

In March 2022, a very rare Lamborghini Aventador LP570-4 SV Roadster – one of just 500 cars – was sold in Australia for a winning bid of A$910,000. Over the summer, our North American team sold an outstanding Porsche Carrera GT for US$1,505,000, and in September the UK team found a new home for a delivery-mileage McLaren Senna (the fifth sold by us to date) for £705,000.

October 2022 saw Collecting Cars bring The MWVMNW Collection to market. This set of 24 supercars and sports cars came from a single owner, representing some of the rarest and most sought-after performance models. The star car was a well-maintained Ferrari Enzo – one of only around 40 delivered in black – which sold for an incredible £3,276,005.

The Enzo result put it among the most expensive examples sold to date, but during 2022 we also claimed several outright world record results. Collecting Cars already held the record for a Land Rover Defender Works V8 (£146,000), but in April 2022 our Australia team also achieved a new high for a Defender 90 Heritage, with a sale price of A$150,000.

One of the most widely publicised results of the year was for a Renault Clio V6 Phase 2, specified in the exceptionally rare Acid Yellow and even more desirable given its Complete Leather Pack option, making it one of just 18 such cars worldwide. The winning bid was an incredible £90,000, and it went to join a very well-known collection in the UK.

Just two weeks later, Collecting Cars offered The Renault Collection on the platform, featuring cars that had been acquired directly from the marque’s UK heritage fleet. Among these well-maintained examples was the Renaultsport Clio 182 Trophy ‘#001’, which had just 16,478 miles on the clock. Surpassing all expectations, it eventually sold for a jaw-dropping £45,250.

Porsche is the best-selling brand on Collecting Cars with more than 1,500 vehicles sold – including more than 1,000 examples of every generation of 911. 2022 saw some especially rare versions of the iconic sports car find new homes on the platform, the most remarkable of which was the 964 Carrera 4 ‘Leichtbau’ – one of just 22 cars built and with just 65 km on the odometer. The winning bid of €581,464 reflected its exceptional rarity and time-warp condition.

Four examples of the coveted 997 GT3 RS 4.0 have now sold on Collecting Cars, and the example sold in July 2022 had been acquired from the platform 18 months earlier. Described at launch as “the ultimate 911” by Evo magazine, just 500 were built, and this left-hand-drive 9,600-mile car sold for £282,500.

December saw a particularly striking 911 come to market, with a 964 Carrera 4 ‘Works Turbo Look’ that had been specified via Porsche’s ‘Sonderwunsch Programm’ in Oak Green with Sherwood Green leather, as well as heated front seats, air conditioning, and an electric sunroof. The lesser-seen specification and impressive condition led to a bidding war and a winning result of €211,464.

In 2022, Collecting Cars sold two more vehicles belonging to 2009 Formula One World Champion, Jenson Button – having found new homes for his rare Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 X88 and custom VW Splitscreen Transporter in 2021

In January 2022, Jenson’s modified 1971 Ford Bronco was put up for sale, equipped with a fuel injected 309ci V8 and automatic transmission, as well as raised suspension with Bilstein dampers and Wilwood front disc brakes. It sold with a winning bid of US$166,000. In December 2022, the platform sold his custom Land Rover 90 ‘6.2 LS3 V8’ at No Reserve, which went on to achieve US$94,500.

Collecting Cars was founded in late 2018, with the aim of changing the way that people bought and sold collectible cars online; with 24/7 bidding, transparent processes, and zero seller fees.

Starting with just three people in London, the business has flourished since the first auctions in summer 2019, expanding into new markets with the team now numbering nearly 100 people across the UK, Europe, Australia, the UAE, and North America. The Collecting Group includes the Watch Collecting platform, which also had a bumper year, selling more than £24 million worth of valuable timepieces.

Edward Lovett, founder and CEO of The Collecting Group, said:

“2022 was a major year for Collecting Cars, which saw significant investments in our team and our technology to ensure we kept delivering the best service to our members. There were more auctions, more bids, more revenue for our sellers, and we even launched our dedicated app. More than 50,000 new registrations during the year reflects how quickly buyers and sellers are recognising the value we provide over traditional routes to market, with a selling process that is fast, effective and hassle-free. We have exciting plans for 2023, and we can’t wait to see what the next year brings.”

As always, our Consignment Team is ready and eager to help motivated sellers to achieve a great price for their collectible car or bike, so contact us today if you would like to know more.