First Cut - Supercars: The Million Pound Motors

27 March 2015

Supercars are the ultimate driving machine and an absolute must-have for the wealthy. UK dealers recently saw yearly sales top the £4 billion mark. In this First Cut film from new filmmaker Rachael Kinley, meet the men and women selling cars to the Britain’s rich and famous. What are the secrets to securing six-figure sales?

Tom Hartley skipped secondary school to learn the ropes in the car trade. Now one of the go-to names in the world of luxury car sales, multimillionaire Tom has had the last laugh. But with concerns about his health, the time may have come for him to let son Carl take the driver’s seat of the business. Company co-owner Carl thinks nothing of a Monday morning helicopter ride to buy a Ferrari. He has the gift of the gab and is ready to assume the mantle, but as Tom claims “Who is better than The Daddy in car sales? Nobody!”

The industry is not exclusively a man’s world. Saba Amari owns one of Britain’s top supercar sales businesses in Preston, selling to the most prestigious buyers in the North. She claims that her clientele look for specialist vehicles as a means of “buying into a lifestyle of luxury”. With her husband Amari as buyer, the pair’s success has helped them to live by the motto “Everything in your life has to be super”. Amari has a glint in his eye for a classic Ferrari, but with a new showroom to pay for, Saba might need to keep her husband’s spending in check.

Ordinary dealerships are also getting in on the act, knowing there’s big money to be made. In one showroom in Essex with three supercars to sell, the pressure is on – not least for the potential commission. Competition is fierce between salesmen in the testosterone-fuelled environment, and selling rivals Kevin and Adam push themselves to the limit to be the victor. But is it worth the added stress for Kevin? “Supercars? I’d rather sell a Fiesta!”

A First Cut film produced and directed by Rachael Kinley
Production Company: Off the Fence
Executive Producers: Jayne Edwards, Guy Gilbert