When Chris Cecil-Wright bought an Aston Martin V8 EFI from Nicholas Mee & Co – London’s Aston Martin Heritage specialist – it fuelled a Cecil Wright company philosophy: be an expert in one single brand for which you have a passion. Similarly to Aston Martin for Nicholas Mee & Co, the focus became Feadship for Cecil Wright. At both companies respectively, channelled proficiency has been a key driver of their success.
‘When I bought my car three years ago, I really enjoyed the service at Nicholas Mee & Co – the personal relationship, their technical expertise, their understanding of the entire market and how ardent they are of the Aston Martin brand,’ says Chris. ‘If you want an Aston Martin, you’d be mad not to talk to them first. That got me thinking: perhaps we could build our business the same way?’
The Cecil Wright team has a broad reference of the whole second-hand yacht market, but the extraordinary growth of the industry – the number of boats, shipyards and individuals involved – is a challenge. ‘I was really impressed by the approach at Nicholas Mee & Co and it became the catalyst to our becoming specialists in Feadship at Cecil Wright.’
A RARE BEAUTY
Nicholas Mee worked for Aston Martin for 16 years, founded his own dealership in 1991, and remained a devotee of the cars’ craftsmanship and style. ‘Aston Martin was a small company making a high quality product – just 250 cars a year in the 1980’s,’ Nicholas explains. ‘With other brands, familiarity breeds contempt among the public. When people see an old Aston, they know its expensive and rare, but they don’t know how expensive. An Aston is more discerning.’
In 2009, Nicholas Mee & Co was appointed an Aston Martin Heritage specialist by the brand itself – one of only 13 agents in the world, and the only one in London. ‘We deal in Astons from 1959 to those that are 4 or 5 years old and we supply parts and technical assistance, employing five technicians with an intricate knowledge of old Aston Martins.’
CHARISMATIC CLIENTS
While the company might supply a battery conditioner for a Vanquish in Bahrain, or spark plugs for a DBS in Poland via their website, it’s the relationships with buyers and sellers that Nicholas has particularly cherished in his long career. ‘Aston Martin is an exclusive collector’s brand with a rarity aspect – it’s long appealed to those who want a Savile Row suit and buy their shoes at Loake,’ he says. ‘At Aston Martin, one chap came in with pages of specifications for each of his cars and a woman once asked us to paint the car the same ochre yellow as a teapot lid. The car that Chris bought was one of nine in a collection painted Hunter Green, with barely any miles on the clock.’
Nicholas Mee’s privileged insight into Aston Martin’s illustrious past sets him and his team apart from the rest. ‘The legacy is that those cars come back on the market, we know them and we can convey those stories to the next custodian,’ Nicholas explains, adding: ‘Our team is polished, professional and passionate about Aston Martin – and our shared knowledge makes us different from any other car dealership.’
