MOTORING
Lee Rowney
From: Middlesbrough
Job: Owner, The Car Warehouse
WORDS: JULIE BURNISTON
PICTURES: CHRIS BOOTH
When did your love affair with cars begin?
Believe it or not I’ve never really been a
petrol head, it all happened by mistake.
When I was a teenager and looking for a
job, I saw a vacancy for a pizza delivery
driver. I had no money and drove cars worth
£200-£300 at most. I worked at the delivery
job seven days and nights a week, so much
so that people called me ‘Pizza Lee’. But it
gave me the opportunity to save up and buy
a half-decent car which I did up even more
and then sold on at a profit – I was always
meticulous about presentation. It went from
there really – I was great at buying, doing
up and selling on. It turned into a business
in 1996, first from premises in Stockton and
then on Snowdon Road in Middlesbrough.
Seven years ago I followed my heart
and stopped dealing in UK cars. These
days I only buy, restore and sell unusual,
promotional, rare or imported cars. I buy
the cars other dealers daren’t. We also sell
cars to museums and for TV shows. We sold
a Maserati to a production company for the
new James Bond movie!
How old were you when you passed your
test?
I was 18 and my first car was a 1972 Mini – I
swapped a video recorder for it!
Tell me about the cars you have now…
Business-wise I have over 300 cars in four
countries. If I see a car that is unusual or
made in limited numbers then I’m interested.
On a personal level, my Beetle is my pride
and joy. I was having a day off hunting
(‘looking for’) split-screen VW Campers
(Kombis) in Brazil when I saw it listed on
the equivalent of the Brazilian Auto Trader. I
called up and then arranged to see it. I took
security with me as it was out in the favelas.
The seller is a well-known Brazilian airbrush
artist called Delphino. He was a good person,
he made me a good deal and said ‘Promise
to send me a picture of the car outside
Buckingham Palace.’ I replaced the interior
when it arrived and I kept it. It’s a great car –
a real one off.
Do you choose your ride according to your
mood?
I do in some ways. If it’s good weather I
will jump in a convertible. If I want to turn
heads I’ll drive ‘The Dog’. The Japanese
use unusual buses to collect kindergarten
children from school. Each day they surprise
the children with a dog, a cat, a train and
many other creations to keep them excited
about going to school. I think the most fun
car though and the one that everyone seems
to love is a classic Mini.
Have you ever been in a car accident?
I’m either lucky or a very good driver as no,
I’ve never been in an accident.
What’s your best drive-time music?
On a summer's day you can’t beat Sunshine
On A Rainy Day by Zoe.
Where’s the best place to drive?
I really enjoy driving in Malta. I hire an
open-top jeep and cruise around all the
beaches on Gozo looking at the cars.
What was your dream car as a child?
I loved the 1970s' Porsche 911s.
Which car did your parents drive?
I wasn’t that fortunate – my parents didn’t
have a car.
What’s the worst car you’ve ever had and
why?
Ha! Well that’s a story! I was in Japan
attending some car auctions when I spotted
a Toyota Century Convertible for sale across
the other side of the country. If you know
your cars you will know that’s an amazingly
rare find, a totally unreal car. I told my agent
to buy it, which he did. I was so excited!
Three months later it arrived and we soon
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discovered it was actually a Toyota Saloon.
Some enterprising Japanese had cut the roof
off with a chainsaw. It had no back seats and
no suspension!
What’s your dream car?
I buy somebody’s dream car every week but
personally I don’t get that excited about cars
for myself. I must admit to hankering after a
Maybach 6 convertible though.
Where’s the maddest place you’ve ever
driven?
Sri Lanka. It’s crazy! There are no traffic
signs and no rules. Cars just swerve round
each other, pedestrians, bikes or trucks. Sao
Paulo is mad as well – for the sheer weight of
traffic. It can take two hours to go a couple
of miles.
Tell us about the car journey you will always
remember…
My daughter Imogen has made me say it was
the day I picked her up from the hospital
when she was born in 2011. I was driving a
Mercedes S Class at the time – so a grown up
car for me.
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