Featured in Supercar Driver Magazine

I'm incredibly proud and excited to share that I was recently featured in a multi-page spread in Supercar Driver Magazine.

It’s a fantastic honour to have some of my collection and the philosophy that guides it put under the spotlight. The article, brilliantly written by Matt Parker, dives deep into my lifelong passion for cars, the unique way I’ve assembled this collection at Hope Classics, and why I firmly

believe in the purist's approach to automotive ownership.

Why Manual Magic Still Matters

It's a great feeling to have your story told, and Matt's piece, aptly titled "MANUAL magic"

truly captures the essence of what drives me, albeit in the end, I wish he had dug deeper into the R8 and further extolled the virtues of buying a car for a specific purpose - they are made to do a job, and the more one specifies the job, and therefore the solution, the more enjoyment ensues.

The entire feature revolves around the idea that engagement and driver involvement, the very things modern technology sometimes seeks to remove, are what make a car truly special.

This conviction guides every decision I make, both personally and professionally, at Hope Classics.

Where the Passion Was Born (And Why I Stand a Little Lopsided)

The article kicks off by tracing the passion right back to my childhood, and I have to admit, it's spot-on.

My formative years were spent in an environment where seeing a grand car like a Rolls-Royce was a genuine event. Matt rightly points out the impression left by the local wealthy man driving his MK2 Jaguar in Moore, Cheshire. That spark of aspiration, seeing engineering excellence up close, was the beginning.

He even captured the slightly less glamorous side! Those early family holidays, where a hotel wasn't an option, meant sleeping in the Talbot 90 saloon we had (JS9677) we used to travel in. I told Matt that sleeping on the floor with the transmission tunnel running through the cabin is the reason I joke I might look "a little lopsided" now!

It’s true, though. That early exposure, the sheer excitement, and the concept of cars representing freedom were the seeds that grew into Hope Classics. That longing was cemented when, as a teenager, I was living just eight miles from Oulton Park and really caught the racing bug. Seeing my childhood Maserati 250F poster referenced in the article really brought that feeling flooding back.

My Definition of Supercar

My definition of a super (small ’s’) classic car is ‘one that was special or a ground breaker when new becomes a classic in due course’.

The heart of the Supercar Driver feature is my very specific Audi R8 V10. I love the headline, "MANUAL magic”, because that’s exactly what it is. 

This car is the perfect blend of modern engineering and classic driver involvement. It took me 18 months to find this particular car; it had to be a V10, and it absolutely had to have the three pedals. I wanted a car that demanded commitment, rewarding precision, not just speed delivered via a computer.

I was quoted in the magazine explaining why I love it:

"I think they got the R8 extremely right…the design is still stunning, the V10 Lamborghini engine is absolutely awesome but the gated shifter makes the manual feel special."

It truly is a "timeless design" and it fits my criteria perfectly. As I mentioned to Matt, I consider the R8 my "four o'clock on a Sunday morning car” - the one you take out to simply

enjoy the drive, windows down and roads empty and without worrying about who's sitting next to you. I stand by my closing statement on the R8: Because there will never be another R8 V10 manual”

I see these as a definite future classic that is still awaiting the recognition it truly deserves. I see that even Chris Harris agrees.

My Eclectic Mix: The Cars That Do a Job

The article did a brilliant job of exploring the rest of the collection, which they described as an "Eclectic Mix”. I love that title because it perfectly sums up the lack of any single marque

Focus: every car here is here for a specific reason, proving that a great collection doesn’t have to be one-dimensional.

It’s a mix where every car represents a moment in history or a particular driving discipline:

● 1954 Cameron Millar Maserati 250F: This is the pure form of circuit racing for me. I told them it is "undoubtedly one of the greatest race cars ever built”, and that’s a statement of pure belief rooted in years of connection to this incredible machine.

Racing this car with the HGPCA is a huge passion.

● 1950 Allard J2: Featured as my reliable rally car, I’ve had her for over 20 years and have travelled all over Europe with her. She is great fun, but you have to concentrate. With a roaring V8, manual three-speed gearbox, straight-through exhaust and a torque level off the scale means that I can happily sit in her for hours. A proper analogue experience.

● 1991 Porsche 911 (964) Carrera: This is my 'got-to-have-one car’ in the garage. Unloved for years until Singer started to revive the interest, leaving very few original cars about. This is one of those - three owners, wonderful history, untouched, great specification and a manual. It’s a perfect example of a car that's better for having been used and loved across its history.

● 1964.5 Ford Mustang Racecar: Matt captured the fun of this one perfectly - the car for saloon circuit racing, which he noted is "absolutely the most fun you can have with your trousers on!"

● 2017 Ferrari California T Handling Speciale: This served as my modern GT car for cross-Europe trips. Open top luxury, achingly good looking, practical amount of luggage space, speed (if you want it), but cruise control for long journeys across Europe journeys if you don’t, it is simply a fantastic GT car. 

My love of V8S wishes that it were still a naturally aspirated engine as it was when it was launched, but in fairness, Ferrari really got it together in the second version. In Verde British Racing Green with Cuoco leather interior interior though she is stunning.

● 1963 Morris Mini Cooper S Radford Conversion: The ultimate 'every home should have one' car! The Mini was my first car, and this specific one is an incredibly preserved example with a full Downton engine.

Passion Over Perception

Ultimately, the feature underscored the core philosophy that drives my collection and, by extension, the advice and service I offer through Hope Classics. The magazine noted that my collection is built around "what he enjoys, not what everyone else thinks”. That's the key takeaway. I don't buy cars for their investment value; I buy them to drive and because they appeal to me. After all, they "do a job”, or because they represent an engineering moment I respect.

As I told Matt in the closing thoughts, it doesn't matter if the cars I own today will all be classics in 50 years. What matters is the feeling they give me right now. 

Whether you are looking for a future classic like that manual R8 or a beloved analogue machine to drive every day, the principle remains the same. If you're thinking of buying, selling, or perhaps starting to build your own collection that reflects your own definition of “supercar", please remember that I'm here to offer technical, online, and impartial advice, completely free of charge.