25 April 2024
The Private Client Classic Car Team - The Chosen Ones
8 minutes
Bicester Heritage, the UK’s centre of excellence for classic cars is home to 50 invited-only businesses, where specialists in their field provide the very best service to enthusiasts including performance engineering, storage, touring events, specialist fuels – and, crucially, insurance and risk management services for important classic car collections or exceptional, individual vehicles.
Howden classic car insurance experts Angus Forsyth and Marcus Atkinson got the call from Bicester Heritage CEO Dan Geoghegan to ask them to make the former RAF Bicester airfield their base due to their reputation for competitive and discreet cover for the world’s most precious cars.
Angus and Marcus are considered two of the world’s leading specialists in this field, well-known in the insurance community with a reputation for offering exceptional service and competitive premiums. They are entrenched in the historic car community as regular participants in car shows and rallies such as the 1,000 Mile Trial, the Veteran Car Run, the Nuvolari rally and many other HERO-ERA events.
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Angus’s first rally was the 2005 London to Brighton Veteran car run in a 1897 Delahaye in 2005 and he’s taken part every year since then. He is also an avid car collector with a soft spot for the E-type Jaguar. He says: “Marcus and I are the client-facing members of a much larger Howden Group Private Client team whose support means we can invest our time in meeting and visiting our clients. This gives us time to learn more about clients’ often world-class collections so we can offer on-hand risk management advice and get a true understanding of an individual’s insurance needs – be that valuation advice, rally intelligence, or fire and security updates to save them money. (Image: Out on the road. Angus driving a Jaguar E-Type Series while competing in the Scottish Malts Rally on the Isle of Mull.) |
“It’s so important to build a strong partnership with our clients who appreciate they are dealing with like-minded individuals rather than a faceless entity at the end of a phone.
“Combined, Marcus and I have worked in insurance for 60-plus years and much of that in the classic car market. We have extensive knowledge of vehicle values and the specialists who look after such cars. We also have the requisite industry understanding of market trends, so clients not only enjoy competitive terms and conditions for their classic cars but they also have the peace of mind knowing we have their best interests at heart when reviewing a mid-term adjustment or renewal as well as being on-hand 24/7 to help with claims.”
Standing out from the crowd
Marcus feels strongly that car owners with a specialist asset require a specialist to manage and handle the risk. Marcus said: “The critical element of any insurance contract is how the claims are handled. Using a standard insurer or comparison site to provide terms for a classic vehicle may mean bespoke terms that we offer such as agreed value, overseas use, breakdown and recovery cover, an extended option to drive other cars and so on may not be replicated with a regular car insurer.
“We look after vehicles valued over £100,000 or collections of classic vehicles valued over £250,000 and work closely with insurers in the event of a claim to ensure the best industry experts are involved and the client’s prized asset can be repaired or recovered with minimal hassle for the consumer. It’s what we do better than anyone else.
“We are trusted by leading insurance companies such as Hiscox, Chubb and syndicates at Lloyd’s of London, as well as rally experts HERO-ERA. We are also founding partners of The Classic Collective, a collaboration of classic car insurance brands who work to provide a range of insurance options for owners.
“A recent loss saw us arrange to have the agreed value, £320,000, for an insured vintage vehicle paid to the client within five working days. The client was hugely impressed with the level of service and efficiency of the claim that we oversaw.
“Classic car owners need to know their insurance broker understands their passion so we can also advise on storage, conditions and options. It’s no good calling a call centre when you have a unique AC Cobra or Lister Maserati – owners of precious cars or collections want to talk to someone who appreciates their vehicles. We also have the advantage of an immediate lead into insurance decision makers, so we offer the leading insurance and risk management services for owners of prestigious cars and collections of classic vehicles.
Rally drivers at heart
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(Image: Marcus Atkinson(left) and Angus Forsyth celebrate completing the Flying Scotsman Rally.) |
Angus and Marcus also understand the challenges of rally driving and often compete. They have also, on several occasions, been in tricky situations, as Angus explains: “A few years back we broke down near a small French village in a 1930 Austin Ulster and were kindly towed to a nearby town where there was the potential to secure a breakdown mechanic.
“However, being towed at speed, in a small car behind a large van, was truly terrifying as we had limited brakes compared to the van and had no way of seeing what was ahead, be it a corner, a junction or other vehicles. It seemed like a 30-minute journey but was in fact only about one mile. We both found ourselves with a few more grey hairs after that ordeal!”
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Marcus added: “On the London to Lisbon Rally, we were Car No 1 as we were driving the oldest car. Throughout the event, the other participants had been cheering us on and hugely supportive of us driving the little Austin Ulster with a 500cc engine on this, the longest endurance rally in Europe! “On Day 10, the final leg, we departed the start line and 10 miles later were travelling through a village where we spotted a bus-load of musicians cheering and shouting. Sensing an opportunity, we stopped the car and got out to meet them as they disembarked. It turned out they were a 52-piece brass band who accompanied us as we drove towards the finishing line. It was all captured on video and shown at that evening’s Gala Dinner for all the competitors and the Portuguese Ambassador. There was much hilarity, and we secured the ‘Spirit of the Event’ award!” Marcus’s favourite car is a 1970 Fiat 124 Spider which, he says, is the “prettiest four-seater Italian sportscar ever built”. Marcus said: “The body was designed by renowned car designer Pininfarina and built in limited numbers from 1969 to 1974. “The engine sounds amazing and it drives beautifully. I use this car specifically for doing European Tours with my wife, Tiggy. My youngest son, Harry, also has half-a-dozen rallies under his belt. He navigates for me, and we have had some success, but the most important part is getting him excited about old cars and understanding about rallying. (Image: Angus and Marcus in the Austin Ulster.) |
“He’s completed a mechanics apprenticeship and is keen to have the Fiat 124 as his first car when he turns 17 later this year! I have also rallied with my goddaughter Charlotte. I did this as part of her 18th birthday present and she did brilliantly. She and Harry will now be competing together in the Rally of the Ages at Bicester on September 7 this year.
“In this event the driver and navigator have a combined age of below 70 years old and entry to the event is completely free. It is designed to encourage family teams and to give younger people a taste of historic motorsport. This type of rally is more than pace – each stage has a target average speed so how early or late you arrive at a checkpoint has an impact on your points. Navigation and teamwork is as important as driving skills.
“The 100-mile open road route around the glorious Oxfordshire countryside also features four technical tests at Bicester. It is run by HERO-ERA, a Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance (HVLA) partner and organisers of historic motoring events. HERO-ERA is known for competitive rallying events across the world including the Peking to Paris motor challenge.”
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(Image: Angus & Marcus on a HERO Mile Trial in a 1039 MG K2) |
Angus’s son Archie, 22, has also been on numerous rallies since he was 16, learning to navigate for his father. Angus is also a great believer that young people involved in rallies become better motorists. He says: “At a young age they become far superior drivers thanks to the experience they gain in old cars with their limited capabilities.”
Angus says the most important car he owns is a 1963 Volvo P1800. He said: “Sadly, my mother died when I was young, and she had one of these cars – to this day it is still one of the few vivid reminders I have of her. It was the first car I ever bought, within minutes of passing my driving test, and I still drive it today, some 44 years later. Incidentally, it has never broken down!”
How Howden came to Bicester
There were 400 enquiries for 50 units at Bicester Heritage, the epicentre for classic car enthusiasts, “so we had the luxury of picking and choosing” says Bicester Heritage CEO Dan Geoghegan.
He said: “The historic car insurance market has always been vibrant and when we got here, I went to see Marcus and Angus. I thought these are nice guys – they're upstanding, they understand the market, they're not in it for any other reason than to make it better. They gave the ability to provide insurance for classic cars on a worldwide basis coupled with a strong network of partners which all adds to the party.
“They were fresh personalities with spirit, inventive and innovative so I invited them down and we stayed in touch. I thought they would really fit in and add some wisdom, professionalism and, I realised, good humour.”
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Angus and Marcus now work in the Station Armoury 123 building at the centre of Bicester Heritage in a former Second World War II lecture room. They share the building with global motorsport legends Brabham Limited and the site’s charity partner StarterMotor, which encourages young people to get involved in historic motoring. Marcus said: “We love historic cars and so having a base in this historic building, complete with metal framed Crittall windows and a high ceiling, feels just right. It’s as if we’re now part of this Bicester Heritage family. Everyone on the site is obsessive about classic cars and we are absolutely in the centre of it.” (Image: Marcus and his wife Tiggy at the Bicester Heritage Sunday Scramble April 2022. Credit. Will Boradhead) |
Classic and Vintage Car Insurance
Over the years we’ve had many interesting conversations with our customers about why they have a classic car. Some just love getting under the bonnet and view their classic car as a restoration project, whereas others enjoy the pleasure of driving a historic car on the open road. Then there’s simply the cool factor – whether it’s an Alfa Romeo 8C convertible from the 1930s, an American muscle 60s Ford Mustang or an 80s Porsche 911 – our clients love the feeling of nostalgia it gives them.
We cover a vast array of classic and vintage models and offer insurance solutions for collectors and enthusiasts alike. And we’ll only work with insurers who provide a great service and share our passion for the classic motor industry.
Whether you have a single classic car or a collection made up of vintage cars, classic cars, high performance cars, or even a combination of vehicles – we can find an insurance policy that’s right for you.