Most people with a $1.3 million car collection probably have a mansion to match. One man in England has taken a different approach. He lives in a modest two-bedroom home and keeps an incredible collection of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and rare performance cars in his backyard.
James bought his house about 30 years ago for roughly $67,000. Instead of upgrading to a bigger home as his finances improved, he spent decades buying the cars he dreamed about owning as a kid.
His collection includes a Lamborghini Diablo SV, a Ferrari 512 TR, a Ferrari F430 Scuderia, and several rare Lotus Carltons. Some of his cars are worth more individually than he originally paid for his house.
The YouTube channel Collecting Cars visited James in Rotherham, England, for the first episode of its series “The Art of Collecting,” published June 25, 2026. What the hosts found was far from a typical millionaire’s car collection.
A Million-Dollar Backyard
Embedded media follows; please allow a moment to load.
James calls his collection the “garage of broken dreams,” but the cars inside are anything but ordinary.
One of the first vehicles shown is his Ferrari F430 Scuderia, a lightweight, high-performance version of Ferrari’s F430.
James bought it four years ago for about $257,000. He says he has since received an offer worth nearly $389,000.
That would be a substantial profit, but he didn’t buy it to make money.
“None of the cars were investment cars,” James explains. He says he buys cars with his heart, although he recognizes that other enthusiasts often develop the same desires, pushing prices higher.
He also isn’t afraid to drive them.
Just before the filming, James took the Ferrari on a roughly 1,000-mile road trip around Scotland. He says he pushed the car hard despite being surrounded by drivers in much newer supercars.
That attitude carries through the entire collection. Rather than preserving each vehicle as a showroom piece, James drives them, repairs them, and sometimes takes them onto racetracks.
Rare Cars Everywhere
Among the most unusual vehicles in his garage is a Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, a British performance sedan that most American drivers have probably never encountered.
Sold as the Opel Lotus Omega in other European markets, the car was developed with help from Lotus and powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter inline-six producing approximately 377 horsepower.
It was designed to compete with high-performance German sedans such as the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz 500E.
James bought his first Lotus Carlton in 2011, when examples were selling for approximately $24,000 to $33,500. He says particularly clean cars can now command roughly $107,000 to $134,000.
His example currently has its cylinder head removed after developing a head-gasket leak. James plans to rebuild the engine and restore the paint.
He also owns a custom Lotus Carlton station wagon, a vehicle that looks remarkably close to something the factory might have produced.
The wagon features Lotus Carlton mechanical components, including its drivetrain, steering, and suspension hardware. James has spent years finishing the conversion and correcting problems with its custom suspension.
Although the wagon attracts attention wherever it goes, he says he may sell it because he rarely drives it.
A Special Lamborghini
The centerpiece of James’s collection is a yellow Lamborghini Diablo SV.
For James, the Diablo is much more than an expensive sports car. It represents the cars he admired growing up, including the Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Testarossa.
His Diablo SV has a 5.7-liter V12, a manual transmission, and rear-wheel drive.
James purchased it in 2020 after selling off much of his earlier collection. At one point, he owned approximately 19 cars, including eight Triumph TR7s.
He realized that maintaining so many aging vehicles would consume more time and money than he wanted to spend.
Instead, he sold several cars, used the proceeds to purchase the Diablo, and began focusing on the vehicles he truly wanted.
His Diablo also has an unusual history. James says it was one of the earliest SV models built and served as a British press car.
After its time with automotive journalists, Alpine, the car audio company, bought it and equipped it with an elaborate sound system.
James says the stereo was powerful enough to drown out the Lamborghini’s V12 engine.
He has since collected magazines, photographs, and documentation tracing the car’s history.
Unlike some of his other vehicles, the Diablo is one he says he has no intention of selling.
300,000-Mile Lamborghini
Another remarkable vehicle in the collection wasn’t present during the visit.
James also acquired a Lamborghini Murciélago that had accumulated approximately 308,000 miles under its previous owner, Simon George.
George originally used the Lamborghini in a supercar rental business to help cover the cost of owning it. After more than two decades, the car had accumulated a maintenance history that would intimidate most owners.
According to the figures discussed in the video, the Murciélago had gone through 10 clutches, two V12 engines, two transmissions, nine paint jobs, and 111 sets of Pirelli tires.
The hosts also discuss running costs approaching $1.3 million over the car’s lifetime.
When James had the chance to buy it, he couldn’t afford to pay cash. He says friends helped finance the purchase, and he later paid off his share by selling another car.
Despite its history, James admits he doesn’t enjoy driving the Murciélago as much as his Diablo or Ferrari.
At the time of filming, it was undergoing bodywork, and James said it would probably be sold.
Ferraris Worth Keeping
Another favorite is James’s Ferrari 512 TR, finished in a striking blue exterior with a red leather interior.
The 512 TR is an updated version of Ferrari’s famous Testarossa, retaining its wide body, side strakes, and pop-up headlights.
James first learned about this particular car in 2017 but couldn’t afford it at the time.
The Ferrari had originally been delivered to Malaysia, where it reportedly sat for 16 years before returning to the United Kingdom.
When James eventually found another opportunity to buy it, he decided to finance the purchase. He says it was the only car in his collection he had ever financed through a conventional loan.
The Ferrari had approximately 1,900 miles when he bought it, and its odometer had climbed to around 3,100 miles by the time of filming.
Although he receives increasingly attractive purchase offers, James says the 512 TR will remain in his collection.
Keeping Them Running
Owning rare cars is one challenge. Finding replacement parts can be another.
James has spent years collecting spare engines, transmissions, differentials, windshields, and other components for vehicles that are becoming difficult to maintain.
He estimates that his Lotus parts inventory alone is worth approximately $54,000.
He also owns a Noble M600, a rare British supercar that wasn’t available for the tour.
James says he has collected hard-to-find Noble components, including windshields and a replacement clutch, because he knows they may be impossible to obtain in the future.
His other projects include several Alpine sports cars, including an A610 undergoing extensive mechanical upgrades.
James operates a specialist automotive business that works on rare performance cars, including Alpine, TVR, and Venturi models.
The collection also includes a 1994 Range Rover Classic that he has owned for approximately 14 or 15 years.
He has spent roughly $16,000 on a rebuilt engine and discussed putting another $27,000 into improving the vehicle’s mechanical condition.
For James, even the Range Rover has personal meaning. He remembers admiring the vehicles when he was a child and wanted to own one himself.
Despite having enough valuable cars to justify moving somewhere larger, James has continued living in the same modest house he purchased decades ago.