Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady
Wheels & Deals with The Old Car Lady, the UK's classic car podcast for people who love the stories behind the cars.
Sam Grange-Bailey isn't a presenter. She's a classic car dealer and a car dealer's daughter who grew up in the Manchester motor trade. She lived through the golden era of the British car business — the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and early '90s — when deals were done on a handshake, the cars had genuine personality, and the dealers who sold them were larger-than-life characters.
This podcast preserves those stories before they're lost.
Each episode brings honest, unfiltered conversations with the people who lived it: dealers, auctioneers, journalists, mechanics, and collectors. Expect tales of dodgy deals, auction house drama, barn finds, family businesses, cars that got away, and the ones that probably should have.
If you've ever wondered what it was really like inside a British car dealership before the internet changed everything or you just love hearing proper stories about proper cars ➙ this is the podcast for you.
Featured guests include Bond car specialists, Rolls-Royce dealers, senior motoring journalists, auction house insiders, and the characters who built the Manchester and UK classic car scene.
Topics: classic cars, motor trade history, buying and selling at auction, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, MG, Porsche, barn finds, modern classics, showroom stories, car dealer life, classic car values, and the unwritten rules of the trade.
New episodes every week.
🌐 theoldcarlady.com
📸 Instagram: @the_old_car_lady
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📧 grangebaileys@gmail.com
Episodes
41 episodes
Martin Buckley | Fiat 130s in Pub Car Parks, Bristol 406s & a Ferrari in Bredbury
The Old Car Lady sits down with motoring writer Martin Buckley to go through a box of photographs taken on the streets of Manchester and Stockport in the late 70s and 80s. Martin was a teenager with a camera and an eye for anything interesting,...
Andy from My Dad’s Car, E-Types, 944s and the Car Stories That Made Us
The Old Car Lady is joined by Andy from My Dad’s Car, the podcast that asks a very simple question with a very big answer: what car started it all?They talk dads, workshops, car magazines, childhood passenger-seat memories, lock...
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Tim Ashworth | Austin Metro Launch Archive, Applejack Paint & the Cassette Nobody Has Played
The Old Car Lady is back with Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics, and this time Tim has brought the archive: the original 1980 Austin Metro dealer launch pack, brochures, mechanic notes, a Metro Plus brochure even Tim had forgotten he had, and a...
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Honest John Dixon | Jaguars, Gangsters & the Shotgun Behind the Desk (Part 2)
The Old Car Lady is back with Honest John Dixon for Part 2, going deeper into the South London motor trade of the 60s and 70s: the characters, the criminal crossover and the stories that didn’t make it into Part 1.John bought an XJ6 in d...
Auction Special | Jensen Interceptor Vignale, Rover P6 Panoramic Roof & the Cars You Should Be Watching
The Old Car Lady is joined by motoring journalist Richy Barnett for the May Auction Special, picking through the Manor Park Classic Sale on Saturday 23rd May.They go through Richy’s picks, decide where they think they land against the es...
Tim Ashworth | Turbos, Barn Finds & Why Only 30 Are Left |
The MG Metro still sits in the top 10 best-selling British cars of all time. Over two million were made. And yet only around 30 to 40 MG Metro Turbos survive today.This week Sam goes to see fellow dealer and Metro enthusiast Tim Ashworth...
Honest John Dixon | Ford Capris, Fraud Squad Rolls-Royces & 40 Years in the Motor Trade
The Old Car Lady is joined by John Dixon, known as Honest John. He started cleaning cars at ten, bought his first banger at fourteen with no licence, and spent 40 years dealing from pitches and showrooms across South London and Kent.This...
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Max | E Types, Silver Shadows & the Queen of the hard shoulders with The Tyre Kickers (Part 2)
The Old Car Lady is back with Max from The Tyre Kickers for Part 2. This time it’s about the cars they love now: E types, XJS, Silver Shadows and a Porsche 928 that kept catching the eye.They go through the quick fire round, get deep on ...
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Max | SD1s, E Types & Growing Up on the Forecourt with The Tyre Kickers (Part 1)
The Old Car Lady is joined by Max, co-host of The Tyre Kickers, for the first of two conversations built around a shared childhood. Both grew up as car dealers’ kids: SD1s borrowed off the forecourt for family holidays, E types coming through b...
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Becca Treston | Daily Drivers, Accidental Owners & Why the Future of Classic Cars Needs All of Us
The Old Car Lady is joined by Becca Treston, host of the Passenger Seat Podcast, young members coordinator for the Morris Minor Owners Club and a key figure in the Women Driver Social Club.Becca daily drives Peggy, her 1968 Morris Minor,...
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Tim Grigsby | Veteran Cars, Classic Raffles & a Life Lived at Full Throttle
Use code SAM15 for 15% off your chance to win a classic car with Vintage and Classic Car Competitions: https://competitions.vintageandclassiccarhire.com/Sam Gran...
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Tim Ashworth | Minis, Metros & the Lost Art of Loving Your Car
Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) sits down with Tim Ashworth of Stockley Classics for a proper trip down memory lane and an honest look at where the classic car market stands today. Tim is a Mini and Metro specialist with decades in the tra...
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James Harding (Chops Garage) | The VAT Raffle Loophole, The Cars That Made Us & More (Pt 2)
Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 2 of her conversation with James Harding from Chop's Garage. If Part 1 was about how James got into the trade, this one is about what it's actually like to live in it.James explains why ...
NEC Classic Car & Restoration Show | Predictions, Jensen Healeys & the SD1 That Stops Traffic
Sam heads to the NEC in Birmingham for the Classic Car & Restoration Show, joining forces with Richy Barnett — Market Editor at Classic Car Weekly — to walk the Iconic Auctioneers sale floor and put their money where their mouths are on six...
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James Harding (Chops Garage) | From Suits to Spanners & Selling £4k Forecourt Cars (Part 1)
Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 1 of her conversation with James Harding from Chops Garage, a modern car dealer with a classic car soul. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who's ever dreamed of jacking in the cor...
Anthony Kearsley | Bill Gates' Audi, £50k Rolls-Royce Cushions & a Taxi for the Lama!
Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for her conversation with Anthony Kearsley, a well-known classic car collector, star of Channel 4's 'Handcuffed', and owner of Auto Couture. This episode charts Anthony's incredible journey from selling...
Simon Hope | The £10m RNLI Ferrari Story, Hope Classics & Historic Racing (Part 2)
Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 2 of her conversation with Simon Hope, co-founder of H&H Classic Auctions. This episode centres on one of the most interesting stories in recent classic car auction history: the sale of Ric...
Simon Hope | 40 Years of Auctioneering, Setting Up H&H & The £6.6m Ferrari (Part 1)
Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for Part 1 of an in-depth conversation with Simon Hope, one of the Hs behind H&H Classic Auctions. With over 40 years in the auction world, Simon shares stories from his auctioneering ...
Auction Special | Manor Park Classics | What Sold, What Didn't & Why!
Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for a special auction episode recorded on Friday 13th February 2026, predicting results for Manor Park Classics' sale the following day. Sam goes through her shortlist from a dealer's...
Martin Buckley | Teenage Author, Facel Vega & Why a Brochure Might Be the Wiser Choice
Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for a conversation with Martin Buckley, motoring journalist and classic car author whose first book was published when he was just 19. Martin has written over 20 car books including the acclaimed...
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Richie Barnett | Car Books, Italian Styling, American Engines, Gangsters and Showbiz
Join Sam Grange Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for a conversation with Richy Barnett, classic car enthusiast, book collector, and Markets Editor for Classic Car Weekly. Richy’s career started at Chaters Car Bookshop, and he now curates what must be ...
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Albert Walsh | 55 Years in Prestige Cars, Racing E-Types & The Motor Trade Prostitute
Join Sam Grange-Bailey (The Old Car Lady) for a conversation with Albert Walsh, a veteran of the motor trade with over 55 years' experience. Albert is a well-respected member of Porsche Club GB, regularly consulted for pre-purchase inspections,...
Martin Buckley | Oldsmobile Toronados, NSU Ro80s & His Modified Rolls-Royce
Join Sam Grange-Bailey (The Old Car Lady) as she takes an exclusive tour of Martin Buckley's personal classic car collection. Martin is a leading motoring journalist, monthly contributor to Classic and Sports Car Magazine, and author of ...
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Listener Special | Radiator Eggs, Mazda Appeal & My Number Plate Book
This week on Wheels & Deals, it's a listener special! I'm sharing some of the fantastic stories and comments you've sent in, answering your questions, and even launching a special appeal to track down the history of a very rare car.<...
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Richie Barnett | 2025 Market Review, E-Type Declines & The £382k Ford
This week on Wheels & Deals, I'm joined by Richie Barnett, Markets Editor for Classic Car Weekly, for a look back at the classic car market in 2025. We discuss the standout cars of the year, the surprising market trends, and what we ...
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