Bicester Heritage is the brainchild of Daniel Geoghegan, a property investment guru and lifelong classic car enthusiast. His vision was a ‘one-stop campus for historic car ownership’ on the site of the former RAF bomber station which he masterfully acquired from the MoD in 2013.
Today, Bicester Heritage is an ever-expanding unique ecosystem where cars can be bought, stored, maintained, used and traded. More than 30 specialists, including dealers, are based on the 348-acre site, as is the auction house Brightwells, and events draw thousands of enthusiasts from around the world.
‘What we’re seeing here is continuous growth,’ explains Geoghegan, ‘with specialists reporting 100 per cent year-on-year uplifts in trade in some cases.’
Transactions in the classic car market are notably quality-driven, he adds: ‘Vehicles with the best provenance and in the right condition are very liquid and desirable. However, it’s an enthusiast’s market: people should buy cars they enjoy using.’
Geoghegan, who uses his vintage Alvis as his principal mode of transport, never tires of the surroundings. ‘Walking around and seeing one of the Ferrari 250 GTOs on campus the other day meant a double-take,’ he says. ‘It’s not something you see every day: it’s stunning and it’s still the most valuable car in the world. The joy of Bicester Heritage is that you never know what’s around the corner.’