Review of 2008

11th December 2008

We may still be a few weeks away from the end of the year, but now seems an opportune moment for me to draw breath and look back over the year that was 2008. To state the obvious, 2008 has been a difficult year for many industries globally and the motor trade has not been without its problems and casualties. However for Frank Dale & Stepsons, 2008 has been a very productive and successful 12 months. We have focused strongly on offering for sale only the very best Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars, concentrating particularly on the rare and much sought after stylish pre-war cars, the Continental series Bentleys and coachbuilt Rolls-Royces built between 1952 and 1966, and the modern classics in the making, such as the Continental R, S and T, the Azure and Rolls-Royce Corniche convertibles along with its Bentley counterpart, the Continental convertible.

Traditional forms of investment such as stocks and shares and the property market have been adversely affected during 2008, so we have found many new investors have been looking elsewhere, and they have found that certain types of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars have been a more than satisfactory alternative. Not only have they performed well in holding or increasing their value, but they have provided a great deal of pleasure to their new owners, something no stock or share could ever do. Our long list of new customers in 2008 coupled with our existing and valued client base has resulted in Frank Dale & Stepsons enjoying a very successful 12 months.

Having studied the results from the many auctions this year, there seems to be a consistent theme. That being that the rare, stylish and exotic cars in good to excellent condition have sold for very handsome prices, and I put our successful year somewhat down to this factor, and to having such an excellent selection of cars of this nature. I am always very proud when I walk through our showroom to see such a consistently high quality selection of Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars on display. Our workshops, restoration facility and trimming shop have also enjoyed an excellent year, carrying out many major restorations on a number of cars of great importance and beauty, whilst our servicing department continues to serve our customers in the London area and beyond.

Such has been the demand in our workshops that we have expanded our team. Our workshop manager Vincent Roma has done an excellent job in not only overseeing the works his team carry out, but also passing on his knowledge to our younger members of staff, ensuring that the future of Frank Dale & Stepsons is in safe hands. Our showrooms have also been very busy, with my colleague and co-director James Crickmay and his son Giles assisting me admirably in welcoming our customers and friends from all over the world, as well as dealing with the day to day running of the business. Our restructured and improved website continues to receive a great deal of traffic each day and coupled with our extensive advertising strategy, the cars we have for sale are given a very high profile and the best possible coverage in the market place.

It has been a busy year for our company, not only on the domestic front but also abroad. Both the number of cars we have exported and our foreign exhibiting commitments have increased during 2008. During the year we attended the Retromobile Festival in Paris in February, exhibited at the Antwerp Classic Salon in March and the Essen Techno Classica in April. We also made our first trip to the Geneva Classics show in October, exhibiting two Bentleys. On the home front, we attended both the RREC and BDC rallies, as well as exhibiting at the 75th Anniversary Festival of the Derby Bentley in Gloucestershire, exhibiting at The Goodwood Revival Festival and also The MPH Show here in West London. James, Giles, Vincent and I have also visited a number of customers all over the world during 2008, making it one of our busiest years on the travelling front, and making British Airways very happy no doubt.

From a personal point of view 2008 not only saw me reach my 70th birthday, but also marked my 50th year at Frank Dale & Stepsons. How time has flown! To celebrate the latter, I resurrected an old tradition I began with my brother John and my stepfather Frank Dale in the 1970’s, that being to write and produce a Rolls-Royce and Bentley catalogue, giving our existing and future customers an insight into the company, advice on buying a Rolls-Royce or Bentley motor car, the cars we sell and the standards we keep. It was a great deal of work, but a rewarding exercise. Many thousand copies were distributed amongst our friends at the various Rolls-Royce and Bentley clubs around the world and the response was very warming. I received several hundred letters and emails from all corners of the world which were greatly received, so thank you to all who took the time to get in touch. I am sure an updated version will reach fruition at some point in the near future.

Well that brings my brief review of the year to an end. I would like to wish all of our current and future customers a very happy holiday season and we look forward to seeing and hearing from you in 2009.

Best wishes Ivor Gordon (Chairman of Frank Dale & Stepsons)