Here is a detail that explains everything about the man. In the late 1980s, Derek Mathewson bought an Aston Martin DB6 from a salvage yard in Luton. It had been stolen, crashed and written off. He repaired it himself, and then he did something almost nobody would do with a DB6: he drove it every day. That is Derek Mathewson’s car collection in one story. These are not investments locked in a garage. They are cars he actually wanted.

The Collection: Quick Facts

Owner	Derek Mathewson
Years in the motor trade	Over 50, since 1970
Aston Martins	Around five
Aston models	DB6, DB MkIII, DBS, AM Vantage, DB9 Volante
Bentleys	Four
Bentley models	Continental S3, two MkVIs, a 4½-litre
Also owns	British commercial vehicles and pre-war cars
First Aston	A DB6, bought late 1980s from a salvage yard in Luton
His approach	No longer actively searches for cars
His view	“The best cars in life are the ones that you find by accident”
Business	Mathewsons Classic Cars, Thornton-le-Dale
Known from	Bangers & Cash on U&Yesterday

A Dealer Who Is Really a Collector

You cannot understand the business without understanding this. Derek has been trading since 1970, but the company’s own history admits that even in the early days, when he was selling ordinary cars and vans in Bedfordshire, the showrooms were always full of his real passion: vintage and classic cars. He was buying what he loved and selling what paid. Half a century later, that instinct still shapes Mathewsons Classic Cars and the kind of vehicles the family choose to champion.

The Aston Martins

Derek owns around five Aston Martins, and the spread tells you he is not chasing a single era. There is the DB6, the famous one that started it all. There is a DB MkIII, a genuinely early car. Then a DBS and an AM Vantage from the wedge-shaped seventies, machines that were unfashionable for decades and are only now appreciated properly. And a DB9 Volante, which is comparatively modern. That is not a curated investment portfolio. That is somebody buying the cars he happened to want, over forty years.

The Story of That First DB6

The DB6 deserves its own section because of how he got it. He found it at Universal Salvage in Luton in the late 1980s: a stolen and damaged car, written off, the sort of thing most people would have broken for parts. He repaired it and used it as his daily transport. Think about that for a moment. A DB6 is one of the most desirable British cars ever built, and he treated it like a Cortina. It says more about his attitude to cars than any auction result ever could.

The Bentleys

Alongside the Astons sit four Bentleys, and again the range is wide. A Continental S3, one of the great post-war grand tourers. Two MkVIs, the car that effectively saved Bentley after the war and put the marque back on the road. And a 4½-litre, a genuinely pre-war machine of the sort associated with the Bentley Boys and Le Mans in the twenties. Owning one of those is a serious commitment. Owning it alongside a fleet of Astons suggests a man who simply cannot say no to a good car.

Commercials and Pre-War Machinery

This is the part collectors find most endearing. As well as the glamorous cars, Derek owns British commercial vehicles and pre-war machinery. Old lorries and vans have almost none of the resale glamour of a DB6, and they take up an enormous amount of space. People collect them for one reason only, which is that they genuinely love them. It also fits the philosophy of the auction house, which built its name on entry-level classics rather than exotica, the cars ordinary families actually owned.

“Found by Accident”

Derek has said that he no longer actively searches for vehicles, because in his view the best cars in life are the ones you find by accident. That is a striking thing for a man in the trade to admit. It is also, if you think about it, the entire premise of his television programme. Every episode is somebody stumbling across a forgotten car in a barn. He is describing his own philosophy, and it happens to make excellent television. Our profile of Derek Mathewson’s net worth and career covers the wider story.

Why He Once Quit Classics

It has not all been smooth. Derek moved into classic car trading during the 1980s but grew disillusioned with the private market, where cars were routinely described far more generously than they deserved. A particularly badly misrepresented Healey 3000 was the final straw, and he walked away from classics for a while. He returned in the mid-1990s and eventually dealt exclusively in older vehicles. That experience is why the family are so insistent on honest descriptions, a trait Dave Mathewson still shows every week.

From Collector to Auctioneer

The auction house exists because of a downturn. After the 2007 to 2009 recession, Derek found retail selling had become miserable and cynical, and faced a choice between closing and changing. In 2011 he started holding classic car auctions at the museum and showroom premises instead. A collector’s knowledge turned out to be perfect training for an auctioneer, because valuing a car accurately is exactly what he had been doing privately for forty years. Paul Mathewson now runs most of the sales.

What Is the Collection Worth?

We are not going to give you a figure, and here is why. Derek has never valued his collection publicly, classic car values move constantly, and condition matters enormously on cars of this age. A pre-war 4½-litre Bentley alone can be worth a very great deal, but what any specific example is worth depends on history, originality and paperwork that nobody outside the family has seen. Sites offering a precise total are guessing. What is fair to say is that it is a significant and thoughtfully assembled collection.

Can You See the Cars?

The showroom at Roxby Garage on Pickering Road in Thornton-le-Dale holds over a hundred cars and motorbikes plus a substantial automobilia collection, and it has become a genuine destination for fans. Whether any particular car from Derek’s personal collection is on display on a given day is another matter entirely, since these are his cars rather than stock. Our guide to where Bangers and Cash is filmed has the practical detail on visiting, including the coach park.

Passing the Passion Down

What is being handed to the next generation is not just a business. It is a way of looking at cars. Charlie Mathewson and Jack Mathewson grew up around a showroom full of vehicles their grandfather could not bear to sell, and they are now learning the trade from Paul and Dave. Series 13 marked that shift openly, sending Charlie out alone to collect an Austin van. The full family picture is in our Bangers and Cash cast guide.

Why These Marques and Not Others

There is a logic to a collection built around Aston Martin and Bentley, even if it was assembled by instinct rather than plan. Both are British, both have deep motorsport and grand touring histories, and both make cars designed to be driven long distances rather than parked. That suits a man who repaired a written-off DB6 and then used it as daily transport. It is a very different mindset from collectors who buy for appreciation and never turn a key, and it explains why so much of what he owns has genuine miles on it.

What His Collection Teaches Buyers

There are useful lessons in how Derek has bought over fifty-six years. He bought unfashionable cars, like seventies wedge-era Astons, long before the market caught up. He bought damaged cars and fixed them rather than paying a premium for perfection. And he bought what he actually liked, which meant he was never disappointed by a valuation. Anyone entering the market chasing personalised number plates in the UK or bidding at their first auction could do far worse than copy that approach. Buy the car, not the spreadsheet.

Final Thoughts

Derek Mathewson’s collection is not a trophy cabinet. It is the accumulated result of a man saying yes to interesting cars for fifty-six years, from a salvaged DB6 he drove to work to a pre-war Bentley and a yard full of old lorries. He does not hunt for them any more. He waits for them to turn up, which is exactly what happens every week on television. That is not a marketing line. It is just how he has always done it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What cars does Derek Mathewson own?

He owns around five Aston Martins including a DB6, DB MkIII, DBS, AM Vantage and DB9 Volante, plus four Bentleys and various commercials and pre-war vehicles.

What was Derek Mathewson’s first Aston Martin?

A DB6 bought in the late 1980s from a salvage yard in Luton. It had been stolen and damaged, and he repaired it and used it daily.

How many Bentleys does Derek Mathewson have?

Four: a Continental S3, two MkVIs and a pre-war 4½-litre, alongside his Aston Martins and other classic vehicles.

Does Derek Mathewson still look for cars?

No. He has said he no longer actively searches, because in his view the best cars are the ones you find by accident.

What is Derek Mathewson’s car collection worth?

No verified figure exists. He has never valued it publicly and classic car values vary hugely with condition and history.

Can you see Derek Mathewson’s cars?

The Mathewsons showroom in Thornton-le-Dale displays over 100 vehicles, but his personal cars are not necessarily on public display.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information. Details of the collection come from a published interview with Derek Mathewson and the Mathewsons company website. We do not publish estimated valuations. Collections change over time.