We spend some time with Tom Hartley Jnr to talk about setting up on his own, the brand he’s most passionate about and the cars he longs to get his hands on. Written by: Matt Parker
I’d be amazed if you’re reading this and haven’t heard of Tom Hartley Jnr. He’s been in the business of the world’s best cars for as long as he can remember, and since making the bold decision to go it alone a few years ago, he’s continued to deal in the sort of machinery dreams are made of. We caught up with Tom to find out why he took that leap of faith and what makes the man and the business tick.
“I left school at 11 years old to go into the car business”, Tom tells us, “Then, after working for several years, firstly in my dad’s business and then becoming a full partner in that business, working alongside my father and brother, I made the conscious decision in 2014 to launch my own independent enterprise. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but at the same time, I wanted to create a business that totally reflects the way I conduct myself in business
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and to concentrate on the cars I’m particularly interested in”.
readers will know, things can be As so many slow in the infancy of a new business, but Tom has fond memories of a surprisingly successful start. “When I first set up on my own, the very first week, I remember selling three very different but important cars. One was a Ferrari F12, one was a Ferrari 250 Tour de France and the other was a Ferrari Daytona — they all sort of happened quite quickly which was a good start for the business!”. Since that roaring start, the team grew and the momentum continued. “At first, it was just myself, my PA Holly and my head detailer Jonathan, both of whom had worked for me in the old business. Now, there are 10 of us in total, and as every year has gone by since 2014, the business has grown year on year which is
