- Words by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Lia Crowe

Internationally renowned car guru Tim Quocksister will never forget the first car he ever sold. It was a 1997 Porsche Boxster and it was 20 years ago香蕉视频直播攋ust two weeks after launching .

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e maintained relationships for years with customers, and a lot of customers who bought a car off of us 20 years ago still are doing it today,香蕉视频直播� the 42-year-old says, 香蕉视频直播淚 can think of multiple people who have bought 10 or 15 cars off of us over the years and I certainly appreciate their loyalty.香蕉视频直播�

The Victoria-based company saw its highest-priced car sale this spring香蕉视频直播攁 whopping $7.9 million USD for a rare 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Alloy Gullwing.

香蕉视频直播淭here were only 29 of them made and that was the third one that we have sold,香蕉视频直播� explains Tim, who香蕉视频直播檚 also sold 48 of the coupe and roadster variants of the 300SL.

香蕉视频直播淩ight now, we have four in stock and we香蕉视频直播檝e probably transacted the most of anyone else in the world that isn香蕉视频直播檛 a restoration shop. We love the cars香蕉视频直播攖hey香蕉视频直播檙e probably one of the most recognized cars in the world with the doors that go up. They香蕉视频直播檙e iconic and they were just so ahead of their time in terms of technology and performance.香蕉视频直播�

Several of those sales have been in the last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic. And given that the non-alloy versions fetch more than $1 million USD, it香蕉视频直播檚 a pretty strong indication of the health of the collector car market.

香蕉视频直播淏usiness is exceptional and we香蕉视频直播檝e sold about 120 cars on Bring a Trailer [a digital auction platform], which is now one of the biggest auction sites in the world. Over the last year they香蕉视频直播檝e set all-time records for car prices and we香蕉视频直播檝e sold three of the highest-priced cars that they香蕉视频直播檝e ever sold.香蕉视频直播�

It香蕉视频直播檚 not at all what Tim and his team expected when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit in March of 2020, shuttering businesses and rocking economies across North America and the world.

香蕉视频直播淲e obviously got a big scare and thought there香蕉视频直播檚 a good chance business is going to be non-existent. We made an effort to get rid of as much inventory as we could as fast as we could,香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播淎s it turned out, March wasn香蕉视频直播檛 as slow as we thought it would be, April was busier, May, June, July and August were good and it香蕉视频直播檚 been up, up, up every single month. What we did learn from it is that the vast majority of people have more time on their hands than they香蕉视频直播檝e ever had to sit and look at the internet and buy things they香蕉视频直播檝e always wanted.香蕉视频直播�

It香蕉视频直播檚 a far different outcome then the last time the world changed overnight. Silver Arrow was incorporated in May of 2001香蕉视频直播攍ess than four months before the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.

香蕉视频直播淢y biggest learning lesson was it doesn香蕉视频直播檛 matter how much you know, your world can change very quickly,香蕉视频直播� Tim explains. 香蕉视频直播淎t that time, I was buying cars in Canada and selling them in the United States and every US dollar was worth around $1.55 to $1.60 Canadian. And then the borders closed. I learned very quickly you can香蕉视频直播檛 count on the cross-border exchange being there. We had a good wake-up call right away.香蕉视频直播�

Silver Arrow rode out those challenging times and business has been booming ever since. In addition to David Street location in Victoria, the company has a warehouse in Blaine, Washington that it ships vehicles from, and a facility in Scottsdale, Arizona [home of the famous Barrett-Jackson collector car auctions] that香蕉视频直播檚 used as its US-operations base.

香蕉视频直播淚 would say about 70 per cent of our business is outside of Victoria and of that, 70 to 80 per cent is out of Canada,香蕉视频直播� Tim says. 香蕉视频直播淚 think for business this next year, we香蕉视频直播檙e going to make a deeper impact in the US market and build our local consignment business up more and more.香蕉视频直播�

Silver Arrow ships cars all over the world and Tim has helped buyers build $100 million-plus collections. Right now, he says the market is trending towards a much more modern era of collector vehicles.

香蕉视频直播淭here are a lot of the cars from the 香蕉视频直播�80s and 香蕉视频直播�90s that have had huge leaps in value the last few years, and a lot of your old-timers that were collectors of the 香蕉视频直播�30s, 香蕉视频直播�40s and 香蕉视频直播�50s cars are becoming a little obsolete,香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e finding that the 40-year-old collector isn香蕉视频直播檛 looking for that. They香蕉视频直播檙e looking for a car from the 香蕉视频直播�70s, 香蕉视频直播�80s or 香蕉视频直播�90s香蕉视频直播攃ars like Acura NSXs that came up in 1991, the Ferrari Testarossa or Lamborghini Countach. Those were very special in their time and are gaining a great deal of interest from younger collectors.香蕉视频直播�

As the company celebrates its 20th anniversary, Tim says the key to success is adjusting to forks in the road while keeping to your core principles.

香蕉视频直播淵ou certainly have challenges along the way, but you need to stick to your fundamentals,香蕉视频直播� he advises. 香蕉视频直播淪ay what you mean, mean what you say, and do what you say you香蕉视频直播檙e going to do.香蕉视频直播�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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