In our new regular feature, Luxury Lifestyle Magazine meets some of the world’s leading entrepreneurs to discover their five favourite cars, and how they mapped out their own personal journey.
Name: Matt Haycox
Business sector(s): Finance, Leisure.
LLM: Are you a car guy?:
MH: To an extent. My friends always laugh at me for being unable to answer any kind of technical question about the cars I own, but I love certain cars, so I guess I have an emotional attachment, rather than a geeky fascination! Just knowing that it looks great and drives well is about as good as i get!
I have been lucky enough to have owned some fantastic cars over the years that i have loved for various different reasons, as well as some i really haven’t enjoyed. I think it’s been linked to how my businesses are going, as these things always mean more when there is a good positive story to them.
5. Ferrari 458 Spyder
When I was a kid I had a poster of a yellow Ferrari on my wall, and had this in the back of my mind when I was building my business.
A year ago I had initially walked into the showroom for a 488, but my car expert friend managed to bamboozle me with resale stats about ‘aspirated’ engines, and how i was much better off with the 458. My eyes glazed over, but when the sales assistant told me there was a yellow one available for delivery two days later i was in! However, I did break it up a little with some black wrapping, as even i thought it was a bit too much!
The engine purrs and it drives like a dream – nothing quite beats a Ferrari with the roof down on a sunny day, and I never want to let this baby go!
4. Rolls Royce Ghost
The Rolls Royce brand left a real mark on me right at the outset of my business career, when I signed a big deal in the back of one, before getting out of the car early to avoid the investor seeing my blue Vauxhall Corsa parked around the corner (more on that later!). I came away motivated to get to a point when I could do business in the back of my own one day.
Cut forward a few years, and I picked up the the long wheel base Ghost, although I have only actually driven it once when my driver was asleep and its keys were all that were available to get me to a curry house at 2am, when i was very peckish! However, sitting in the back of this beast really is my happy place!
I use it for long work journeys during the day, when i can set my laptop and paperwork out in the back, and get a full days work done whilst travelling, and being super comfy too! At night its also great to travel to dinner, sat relaxing with a mate and drinking a bottle of wine. It’s another car i really couldn’t ever see me wanting to be without.
3. BMW M4
I have always been a big fan of the German company – whatever class of BMW you have, you will always be happy. Big, small, fast, family – they just do a great job across the board.
I used to have the M3 many years ago, and jumped at the chance to get an M4 a few years back.
I have always described the M4 as the best ‘pound for pound’ car i have ever had. It looks great with sleek lines, drives amazingly well, and is still in a semi-sensible price bracket. I would take it over a Porsche or Lamborghini all day long.
2. Bentley GT Convertible
I had the GT convertible for a couple of years, and it’s a car to create memories in. I had some great stories to tell in it, especially the story as to how i came to not own it anymore – although probably not one for printing in the article!
The Bentley is super fast, but super comfortable, and so deceptively spacious at the same time. I had it in black with full red leather interior, which looked striking.
I was actually walking through Berkley Square the other week and saw the new GT in black, which is just coming out, complete with red leather interior. I didn’t think the old one could be improved on, but this just looks so powerful and meaty, yet sleek at the same time – it is definitely on my 2019 shopping list!
1. Vauxhall Cavalier
However, number one is this little baby, for posterity’s sake!
Everyone remembers their first car, and the difference it makes to their lives in terms of freedom. I started my first business at school, but it was only when I passed my test two months after my 17th birthday, and realised how much easier it was to sell my products when I could jump into the car and drive to potential clients that I started to see real success.
Even now, some of my favourite memories are of being in that blue Corsa, on the way to grow my early business, with Roxette on the tape deck blaring out.
If you own a business and are seeking advice or financial support check out www.matt-haycox.com.
