Lotto Interview
We’ve all imagined if we won the Euromillions Lottery, suddenly thrown into the world of the super-rich. The places we’d go, the house we’d have, the cars we’d buy and all the great sporting events and concerts we’d go to. Perhaps you’re an avid F1 fan and you’d travel the world following the whole season. Perhaps tennis is your thing, and you’d attend the Grand Slam finals.
As petrolheads I expect you’d already have your dream list of the cars you’d buy. Well for the subject of this article it’s not merely a dream, for he won the Euro Lottery some six years ago. A lifelong petrolhead he scratched every car itch there is and then some.
So, as I drive through the gates and up the long driveway of a country pile in the Lincolnshire countryside and am met with a sweeping driveway to an imposing house. My eyes are drawn to the four open garage doors, each with the unmistakable sight of a classic Rolls-Royce inside, but more on those later. I’m met with five excitable spaniels and the homeowner. Dressed in an elegant shirt and shorts combo that wouldn’t look out of place on a yacht in Monaco. I’m ushered inside and when the dogs have calmed down a bit. I sit down for a cup of tea in the grandest living room I’ve ever seen, and a chat about a slice of good fortune and a large collection of classic cars.
Paul* (not his real name) chose not to take publicity when he scooped north of £70M in 2019.
“I took no publicity because I didn’t want the hassle of begging letters, press-intrusion, and threats of extorsion or kidnap and ransom for my kids and relatives; things that seem farfetched but are very real for wealthy folks. I learned that in a hurry, especially those being paraded in front of the press. Even the lottery people advised against it.”
What were the first few weeks like?
It took a lot of getting used to. But it is a wonderful problem to have. I worked in an office environment and was on a three month notice so I resigned straight away. I told my HR department the real reason and they had to keep it confidential. My boss thought I was going elsewhere. I took a few weeks off on holiday and then did a further couple of weeks on the sick! All I can say is my heart wasn’t in it! I did so little they were forced to fire me! I just stopped going in. The final months I worked I gave 100% of my salary to a local charity; I still support them. The mortgage went in the first week as did some finance on my wife’s car. And I bought my first Ferrari.
Ah, cars. I was hoping you’d get to that. I noticed the four Rolls-Royces in the garages outside.
Yes, the Royces are a real passion. I love wafting about in them. I’ve never been into fast cars for the sake of it. For example, I’ve no interest in modern stripped out supercars. All carbon fibre and uncomfortable seats. I do have some fast cars, but I don’t use them to their fullest potential and I’m not even into track days. I buy cars that I like or dreamed of owning when I couldn’t afford them. The first was a Ferrari 328 GTS, a 1988 in red with cream interior. It had been and remains a dream car for me. Again, not fast by modern sportscar standards but so pretty and iconic. I looked at four before deciding on my one. A couple were far more expensive and had seen little use, one had 1200 miles from new. But as I wanted to use the car that one wasn’t for me. I wasn’t after a trailer queen to win cups with I wanted a car to drive! My one had 25k on the clock, still low but considered high miles for a classic Fezza. I’ve put another 5k on that.
That must have been quite a moment. Buying and driving home in your dream car. Did it live up to the dream?
It was a real ‘pinch me’ moment. Going from a working stiff to being in a high-end garage and saying ‘I’ll take it’ on an £86,000 car was surreal to say the least! I drove home in my dream car and couldn’t stop smiling. And to answer your question, it ticked every box. I still get a kick out of driving it.
Did you go on a classic car buying spree?
Actually no, certainly not at first. Dreams must give way to practicality and storage was a problem. I had a five-car driveway and garage at my old house already but that wasn’t enough for loads of cars, especially ones that should be garaged. The 328 went in the garage, my wife and two daughters had brand new cars, nothing interesting but it was great to be able to treat the girls to something new each. One had an Audi A3 and the other had a new VW. I had my original classic and a diesel Citroen runaround. About six weeks later I moved into a lovely house that I’m still in. It has garaging for sixteen cars so then I could really set about expanding the collection.
A sixteen-car garage is the dream. How did you get that passed the wife?
That was easy. She was working as a nurse but after thirty years was more than ready to retire! The house we bought had a wish list for us both. Jane* (not her name) wanted a large garden, greenhouse, and the like as she’s a keen gardener. Along with an indoor pool and sauna. She was happy and after living with me she knew there would be lots of classic cars incoming.
You mentioned sixteen garages, I saw the four with the Royces as I arrived.
Those garages are four integral ones to the house, and I have three free standing garage blocks that each take four cars. I really love Rolls-Royces; in fact, I had a Shadow II when I won the money as a hobby car. It was always in need of something so to ‘do the right thing by the car’ I sent it off for a mechanical overhaul on the brakes and suspension which quickly evolved into a full restoration. It cost four times the value of the car but was worth it and now it’s one of the best in the UK. I took advantage of the opportunity to get it to what I really wanted and changed the colour and the interior down to the carpets. It really is the pride and joy and used regularly. It felt amazing to have my car go from a shabby Shadow to one in such fab condition. I bought two Silver Clouds too, both mark threes and both convertibles. One is a Mulliner Park-Ward continental body from 1963 previously owned by one of the Monkees and the other is an adapted DHC that started life as a standard saloon. The latter is actually the better car as the adaption was effectively a ground-up restoration with modern components. It is like a new car. Both see lots of use in the summer.
My final Royce is a Corniche III from 1990. This was another of my dream cars that doesn’t disappoint. Perfect for wafting around on a hot day with the top down and my first Royce bought after we moved in and had the space to store one properly. I’m a sucker for a convertible and I have several. The wife and daughters aren’t so enthused as the wind messes up their hair, not a concern for me! The Rolls-Royces in the collection tend to live in the integral garages for easy access. I still like to go and just look at them, especially in winter with ice on the ground when I won’t be driving them.
I’d do the same; you mentioned you have some fast cars too.
Yes, and in the first block I keep my Ferraris and a Lambo. The 328 is in there with a 512TR, a 550 Maranello and a Lamborghini Gallardo coupe.
The 512TR was a real bucket list car. I liked the Testarossa but the smoothed off lines of the 512 are better and when I found it, I had to have it. It’s a lovely car with a great sound but I wanted a more liveable Ferrari too so the 550 is a perfect compromise. It’s a lovely drive too but just a bit less flamboyant and great for long distances. The three get regular use over the summer. I bought the Gallardo, a manual coupe for an investment. I’m sure the flappy paddles are great, I mean, I wouldn’t know as all my manual cars have a proper gear stick, but I do know that someday the manual will make a comeback and hopefully worth a bit. The Lambo gets a few trips out every year too.
That takes us to half of the sixteen garages filled. What else do you have?
Garage block three houses some classics, a 1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal, which was the third car I bought after the 328 and the Corniche. It was a dream car of mine. There’s just something about the styling that screams ‘1970s Italian’. It’s not the best driving experience, but at over fifty years old it won’t be. That’s certainly a car I’ll never sell. Next to that is a W111 Mercedes Benz 280 convertible which I completely love. When I bought it, it was green with brown interior and a brown hood, but I had it completely restored a resprayed silver with red interior and a red roof. It sounds garish, but in the metal, it looks amazing, and it remains a firm favourite. Even the girls who complain about their hair blowing in a convertible love the old Merc. I put that down to this being the car Hugh Grant drove in the ‘Bridget Jones’ films. A favourite of the wife and daughters!
Next up is a modern classic, another Merc, this time an 89 R107 560SL. It’s a beauty and timelessly elegant, for me the quintessential classic car. Able to be driven every day, reliable, great build quality and still welcome at classic car events. This one is dark blue with cream leather with about 90k on the clock, still tight as a drum. I looked at fourteen cars before buying this one. Ironically, this was the third one I viewed, and it was perfect, but I had to be sure, so I did the circuit on the others before buying this. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made.
Finally in this garage I have a 1985 Aston Martin V8 Volante. It’s a manual car and pretty standard. British racing green and black leather with a black hood. Without being sexist, I’d say this brute is a real man’s car! There is nothing delicate about it. Another great cruiser for the summer. And that is the lot, at least for now.
That is quite the collection.
I’m very pleased with the cars I have and I’m forever grateful that my numbers came up.
With twelve classic cars how do you avoid lack of use? I assume these don’t go out in winter.
“It depends on the weather. Most are away on trickle chargers by November but if it’s wet and there’s no salt about, I’ll take them out. I try to attend the New’s Year’s Day run out in Stony Stratford near Milton Keynes each year; this year it was wet not frozen, so I went in the 550. Of course, the car was cleaned within an inch of its life when I got it home including underneath. But to prevent the cars not being used I look at the show calendar for the year and decide which cars to take at the beginning of the year so the car or cars can be ready. I normally have a backup if the chosen car can’t go. If, at the end of the year a car hasn’t been used it would be put for sale. There’s no point having a car that you constantly walk past to take out another.“
Which shows are highlights shows for you?
The Rolls-Royce show is a big one, I take all four cars there for the full three days with the help of my wife and other volunteer drivers. There’s an Italian car show I attend in Hampshire every year and the Alfa, the three Ferraris and the Lambo get to that one, again with friends and my brothers offering to drive. The Silverstone Classic is another three-day event which I’ll get a couple of cars each day to. The Goodward Revival is great for the Merc 280 and either or both Silver Clouds. Plus, there are monthly local shows, so I make sure I rotate the cars, and they all get some show time. But I’m not against using the cars for life chores. Several have been in Tesco’s car parks!
With so many classics, do you have a daily driver?
The soft-tops get lots of use in the spring and summer, but I also have a modern (ish) BMW M3 convertible and an E-Class Merc estate which is great for shopping and taking the dogs out, so I tend to use those as ‘cars’. I’ve resisted buying a Range Rover! Too much of a cliché for a lottery winner! The R107 560SL is perfect for every day too, so that’s often used, probably the most of any of the classics followed by the Ferrari 328.
Are there any cars that you’re still looking for?
There’s always something to look at! If I could secure a Citroen SM ‘My Lord’ convertible I would, but the last one I saw at auction sold for £600k which is too much for one of those. I expect I could buy a standard coupe and adapt it for a fraction of that cost. I’m looking at a 2009 Bentley Brooklands coupe tomorrow. A real brute of a car. If it drives as well as it looks, I’ll buy it. Other cars come in and go out of my spectrum of interest. I’m toying with the idea of a Plymouth Prowler from the late 90s as that is a jaw-dropping car in terms of looks but very scarce in the UK. It could do with a V8 as it left the factory with a 3.5 V6, so if I can find one, maybe a winter project. The late singer Prince used to drive one, purple naturally! May be a Facel Vega if I can find a good one and I have a strange hankering after a Bristol. A Mercedes SLS would go nicely with the other Mercs, and there’s also a lovely Pagoda I’m interested in. I’m also thinking of a more modern Royce, maybe a Phantom drop-head. So, the collection isn’t complete yet. It’s a watch this space situation really.
Sounds like you’ll be building more garages!
I’m pretty sure that will happen. Come back in five years, and maybe I’ll have twenty cars.
How would your life be different if those numbers hadn’t come up?
Well, I wouldn’t be speaking to the great Maximilian James for a start! I expect I’d still be driving a slightly shabby Shadow and saving up to buy the parts and dreaming about getting a respray. But my life is much the same as it was: I still attend car shows at the weekends with friends, but I must say I do far more weekday breaks at my villa in Spain! But I work in a couple of charity shops for free a couple of days a week a few times a month, to give something back as I’ve been very lucky. Also, I’m not precious with the cars. They are insured for any driver, and I often lend them out to family and friends for special occasions.
School proms?
So many! I also have many nephews and nieces, and they always want to go in one or another. I’m happy to drive them and to do the same for their friends too. A special occasion needs a special car.
And “Paul” has many of those.
The collection in full:
2015 Mercedes E-Class 320 estate.
- 1963 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 3 convertible
- 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud 3, continental-bodied convertible
- 1979 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow
- 1990 Rolls-Royce Corniche 3
- 1988 Ferrari 328 GTS
- 1991 Ferrari 512TR
- 1999 Ferrari 550
- 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo coupe
- 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal
- 1970 Mercedes W111 280 SE convertible
- 1989 Mercedes R107 560 SL
- 1986 Aston Martin Volante
- 2005 BMW M3 convertible
As told to Maximilian James.