It feels like everything’s been happening at 100mph over at MotorMartin Towers recently, what with the recent relaunch of BlackTopMedia.co.uk and MotorMartin’s prime place amongst the newly formed team as well as driving and reviewing the wide variety of recent vehicles that MotorMartin is fortunate enough to experience. But throughout all of this, there’s still a company that MotorMartin eagerly looks out for whilst sifting through the myriad of motoring news stories that regularly arrive up here on the top floor.
All of which means that when the following news was shared by Coys with MotorMartin recently then it seemed like a great excuse to take a break, relax and admire another rather incredible step forward from Coys Of Kensington. And so it has come to pass that a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 has become the first ever classic car sale completed via social media when it was sold for £825,000 by international auctioneers Coys on the next-generation platform Vero. The sale also marked the largest known transaction made via Apple Pay. Crikey.
This particular car is one of the highly sought-after right hand drive silver birch models with red leather trim which has undergone a full restoration – including engine rebuild, suspension and gearbox overhaul following 20 years in dry storage, during which time it was not used.
Coys had announced earlier in the month at the Mondial de L’Automobile – Paris Motor Show, which remains the most visited automobile show in the world with 1,066,439 visitors, that customers would be able to purchase a selection of historic cars via Vero, including the iconic DB5 which featured in their exhibition area at the international biennial event.
The buyer, who wished to remain anonymous, bought the DB5 with Apple Pay directly from the Coys profile on Vero (http://apple.co/2blrI6N) after seeing it at the show.
Chris Routledge, CEO of COYS, explained to MotorMartin that: “The proud new owner saw the DB5 at the Paris Motor Show, he was overjoyed to see the car of his dreams and didn’t want to lose it… he was keen to quickly get in front of the queue, so a few days later he hit the ‘Buy Now’ button on Vero to guarantee the purchase, leaving two other collectors disappointed in his wake.”
He added: “This is an exciting achievement for COYS digital presence, which signals a new era for classic car sales. The ‘Buy Now’ feature on Vero will give informed and savvy collectors a crucial head start in a highly competitive market place. Collectors worldwide fight fiercely amongst themselves to obtain the best machines and we certainly feel that Coys presence on Vero will give our clients that essential edge.” And you can’t say fairer than that.
Ayman Hariri, Co-founder and CEO of Vero, also shared with MotorMartin that: “Classic cars set the pulse racing like few other things. We’re delighted that Coys have chosen Vero as the platform to express their love of classic cars. Coys remind us of the influence classic cars have on us through movies such as the Italian Job, Ronin, and of course, Bullitt. With Vero’s unique Buy-Now feature, Coys is offering collectors a new way to purchase the cars they’ve always dreamed of owning.”
Other historic cars currently listed and available for instant purchase on Coys’ Vero profile include a £400,000 Ferrari Dino 246 once owned by Peter Grant (manager of the legendary band Led Zeppelin), an £800,000 Ferrari Daytona and a £295,000 Bentley Continental S2 and knowing the professionalism that Coys’ exhibit in their work, MotorMartin has no doubt that the lucky recipients will end up with an incredible example of the breed to have and to hold.
Where will you go?