Zander Miller’s first all-day event was a resounding success, with 160 classic and supercars on display. Laura Hitchcock reports
18-year-old Zander Miller from Verwood staged his first all day Classic & Supercar Sunday event at Clayesmore School in August, and estimates that the classic and supercars on display had a combined value of more than £40 million pounds.
‘It is tricky to estimate’ said Zander. ‘The Ferrari F40 that came is worth over £1m, due to its rarity, age and condition. Many of the supercars are worth between £250,000-£500,000. And then the classic cars ranged from 1920 to 1997; we had an Aston Martin DB2 and an Aston Martin DB11. They’re 70 years apart! I’d imagine we had a value of around £40 (ish) million.’
Born on Instagram
Regular readers will remember The BV feature on Zander in the June issue (read it here) – the teenager’s hobby of photographing supercars and posting them on Instagram led to Zander organising his first supercar owners meet-up, and the formation of the South Coast Supercar Club. In his final year of sixth form at Clayesmore, the budding entrepreneur was noticed by the school team who were keen to encourage him – they subsequently invited Zander to put on a full day event at the school over the summer.
Zander grabbed the opportunity and, despite being in the middle of his A Levels year, threw himself into organising the one-day event.
I spoke with Zander afterwards to find out how his first big show had worked out. Firstly, I wondered just how many cars had shown up on the day?
‘The Clayesmore Classic & Supercar Sunday had 160 classic and supercars on display to the public. We had expected 150!’
Can you tell us about some of the cars that were there?
‘The Hendy Group, our headline sponsors, brought a lovely example of an RS Cosworth. We also had a Ferrari F40 on display from one of our most exclusive members, offering the rare opportunity to view such an iconic car – we were really happy that the owner even allowed the public to sit inside!
‘One of our other sponsors, First Choice Detailing, had arranged cars on their stand in three colours to represent the Italian flag, covering the most track-focused and exclusive cars manufacturers can offer. There was a member’s Alfa Romeo GTAM (one of only 500 examples in the world), and a Ferrari SF90 Stradale, Ferrari’s latest and greatest hybrid technology which reaches more than 200mph!
‘We were very fortunate that Meridian Modena (our local Ferrari dealership) was able to bring its brand new Ferrari 296 GTB demonstrator car. We were delighted to have had this on display next to the F40, as not many customers have taken delivery of this elegant machine.’
Taking notes
Putting on your first major event of this kind is a huge amount of work. Was it a steep learning curve?
‘If you’d asked me eight months ago if I would be working with Clayesmore and arranging a proper car event, I never would have believed you! Every single step has been a huge learning curve and has taught me so much about arranging a professional event for which customers are willing to buy tickets … and then be satisfied on the day.
‘I know now what works and what doesn’t for future events.
‘I had a lot of positive feedback both during and after the event which is so nice to hear after all the hours of hard work and planning! All the praise really does make it worthwhile, and keeps me motivated.
Of course, I had a few comments and tips on what I can still improve. Hendy’s told me: “if you come out of the blocks and everything’s perfect, you’re either naive or lucky”. There are some positive lessons learned that will make sure my business continues to grow and be successful.’
And then there were exams
Will there be a 2023 Classic & Supercar Sunday event?
‘Ha, I’m not sure yet! But there will definitely be something. I look forward to what is in store for the club, and I’m excited to see where these next events take me. I think a big charitable event is what I’d like to do next.’
On the day we spoke, Zander had just learned his A Level results:
‘Somehow I’ve managed to arrange Clayesmore Classic and Supercar Sunday while juggling all of my subjects at Clayesmore. I’m glad I can say that my place at Bournemouth University was approved, and I achieved a Distinction* in my Enterprise and Entrepreneurship BTec, A* in Photography, A* in Design and Technology and B in Business Studies.
‘The last few months have been busy and tough. But I have come out the other side with amazing grades and a growing and profitable business in an industry in which I look forward to working after my degree.
‘I’d also like to mention how grateful I am to Clayesmore for giving me the opportunity to work alongside them, starting an event which has the opportunity to become even more successful in the future. And a further thanks goes personally to Rhiannon Harris from Clayesmore School, with whom I worked closely on the event. It simply would not have been as successful without her.’
You can follow Zander on Instagram on @SCsupercarClub, or get in touch with him here.
Thanks to Ben Hazell for allowing the use of his photography. See a full gallery of images from the Classic & Supercar Sunday event at Clayesmore School on the BH1 Photography website here.
