we opened our doors in 1986…

…but the seed was planted long before that.

In the 1960s, with Milt meticulously collecting and displaying his matchbox cars, and stew obsessively memorising every bus route in south west london, it would have been safe to assume from their early development that one day they might work with cars. But it wasn’t clear then to which ends they were going to take it…

…But you might’ve been able to hedge a better guess in the 70s.

In 1973, a film directed by George Lucas, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola and Gary Kurtz was made; this film was none-other than the incomparable “American Graffiti” - from this point on, the Boys were hooked on the sun-baked, downtempo, Southern Californian car-culture which encapsulated the West for fifteen-or-so years after the end of the Second World War. late-teens would buy these huge glamorous machines, and spend all night ‘shooting the breeze’ with their buddies. The Boys wanted a piece of the action, and leapt headfirst into the American car scene that was emerging in London in the early Seventies. The Chelsea Cruise (not spitting distance from their Mum and Dad’s flat in Battersea where they lived with their three siblings) fanned the flames of encouragement, establishing a network of good mates, who were all equally as enthusiastic about the motors.

Milt and Stew applied for apprenticeships in car mechanics, for the sole purpose of learning how to fix their own cars, with them ending up at Jack Barclay Rolls Royce and Bentley, and Naylor and Root Vauxhall, respectively.

The boys were faced with an ultimatum; carry on working at their respective garages, or take a leap of faith. Stew, gunning for a 1959 Ford Galaxie Skyliner, and Milton hustling for a 1958 Chevrolet Impala Sports Coupe, were giving up no time soon. So they doubled-down on the dream, and opened Dream Cars at Ingate Place, Battersea, later that year.

The business soon became a mainstay of the creative industries; From meticulous film directors, to esteemed designers, producers and fashion photographers alike, Dream Cars became the ‘weapon of choice’ for discerning creatives who strove for something above what other companies were willing or able to offer.

A test advert was put in the exchange and mart. it read “Huge selection of American cars for sale…” and from eight o’clock in the morning when the newspaper went on sale, the phone started ringing, and it hasn’t stopped since.

Ask either Milt or Stew, and they’ll tell you that the real pleasure, though, has been the privilege of being able to meet, call friends with, and work alongside such a broad and diverse range of amazing, fun, fascinating, talented, creative, and influential people, and now with the added bonus of taking their kids along on that journey with them.