Significant automobiles. Properly sourced.

Rodney Butterfield

Private brokerage and representation of historically important cars.

Nearly sixty years working with racing, restoration, provenance, and evaluation.

Scroll

Rodney Butterfield works directly with collectors to locate, inspect, and secure significant automobiles.

For more than fifty years, he restored and evaluated these cars himself. That experience remains central to his work today.

When engaged, he:

  • Locates the right example
  • Travels to inspect it personally
  • Reviews documentation and history
  • Assesses mechanical integrity
  • Verifies period correctness

The emphasis is simple:

  • Find the right car.
  • Confirm it is correct.
  • Place it properly.

Philosophy

"This is informed brokerage — grounded in decades of restoration experience."
The Story

The long way around.

I began building and racing cars at a young age.

That work led to professional motorsport in the 1970s, including time within McLaren’s Formula One and Indy programs.

Precision was not optional.

The 1973 team photo (background) was taken at the David Rd premises on Poyle Trading Estate, Colnbrook, England.

For the next five decades, I restored and evaluated significant automobiles — developing a detailed understanding of construction, materials, and period correctness.

Later, I operated a London showroom representing historically important cars across Europe.

Today, the work centers on private brokerage.

Collectors rely on my experience not simply to locate cars, but to evaluate them properly before acquisition.

The principles remain unchanged: Accuracy. Discretion. Responsibility.

“Understanding how a car should be built is essential to knowing whether it has been.”

What He Does

Commissioned Acquisition

Brokerage

Most important cars do not appear publicly.

They change hands privately, through established relationships. Rodney locates specific automobiles on behalf of collectors and inspects them personally.

His evaluation is shaped by more than five decades of restoration work.

He understands:

  • What factory specifications looked like
  • What proper repairs require
  • What corners are commonly cut
  • Where problems hide

The goal is not to buy quickly. It is to buy correctly.

Private Consignment & Placement

For owners wishing to sell, Rodney represents a limited number of automobiles discreetly.

Each car is evaluated thoroughly before representation.

Buyers are introduced privately and directly.

No broad advertising. No spectacle. No volume sales.

Each placement is handled individually.

Restoration Experience

Although the focus today is brokerage and representation, restoration knowledge remains foundational.

For over fifty years, Rodney restored, prepared, and evaluated significant automobiles — from racing machines to important European road cars.

That hands-on experience informs every inspection and every recommendation.

The Workshop

A working environment.

While my focus today is brokerage and representation, a working knowledge of mechanical integrity remains essential.

Understanding how a car should be built is the foundation of evaluating whether it has been.

Restorations
Contact

Call.

If you are seeking a specific automobile — or wish to place one discreetly — contact directly.

828-288-9000