Dentist with Britain's biggest classic car collection puts it up for sale - for a cool £100m

A dentist who has amassed Britain's biggest private car collection is selling up - for an astonishing £100 MILLION.

James Hull has spent a fortune filling a number of warehouses with a one-of-a-kind motors from the past 80 years.

He now owns more than 450 classics, ranging from multi-million pound Jaguars through to Morris Minors.

The collection also includes Lord Mountbatten's Mini Traveller, Winston Churchill's Austin and a Bentley owned by Elton John.

There are cars covering every decade from the 1930s onwards including a super-rare 1950s Jaguar XKSS.

His Jaguar D-Type will be worth in excess of £4 million while the C-Type is also worth millions.

Dr Hull, who made his fortune pioneering cosmetic dentistry in the UK, has battled cancer three times in the past four years, earning him the nickname Lazarus to friends.

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Now, because of his health issues, he has decided to sell up and hopes to a buyer will come in with a £100 million-plus offer.

The collection, located in Herefordshire, is made up of 457 classic vehicles, 365 pedal cars and 300 pieces of memorabilia including model aircraft from WW1 and WW2.

It is thought to be the highest value sale in the UK with Dr Hull, 53, only willing to sell the huge collection as one lot.

A number of the cars have appeared at motor shows around the world, competed in the Mille Miglia and even been used for the Queen's 80th birthday parade.

There are also dozens of cars which have won concours awards.

The collection, which is being sold privately, has already had a 'huge amount of interest' from private buyers and consortiums, Dr Hull told The Financial Times.

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Despite interest from abroad, it is hoped the collection will remain in the UK.

He said: 'I'm merely a passionate custodian of this hugely significant part of British history and, with luck, I will succeed in finding a home that can not only be enjoyed and treasured by the British public but also be admired by visitors from across the world.

'It is the culmination of a life-long hobby. Each car has its story and all have played a part in the history of British motoring. It is part of our heritage.'

The collection also includes a Humber which was owned by the judge presiding over the Profumo Affair and a 1961 Jaguar E-Type which belonged to Britain's world motorcycle champion Mike Hailwood.

There is a collection of British campervans from the 40s, 50s and 60s, and within the 4x4 section early Land Rovers and pristine classic Range Rovers. A Sinclair C5 from the 1980s is also in the collection.

Hull has travelled extensively around the world tracking down some of the rarest, original British models.

He then ships them back to the UK where they are stripped down before being restored, repainted and re-assembled by his team of mechanics. 

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This process, requiring extensive research to source original components and fittings, takes typically three years per car and has ensured the vehicles in this collection are world renowned for their quality and integrity.

James Hull made his money in dentistry, founding James Hull Associates in 1987.

He became the market leader in cosmetic dentistry, specialising in teeth whitening, veneers and implants.

Over the years he spent his spare time building up the phenomenal collection of classic cars.

But in 2006, he was left devastated when vandals broke into a warehouse which stored a number of them.

They then hotwired the Jaguars and crashed dozens of them. Police later said they had 'treated the cars like dodgems'.

Over the past decade, prices for classic cars have gone through the roof, outperforming every other investment and sending the value of the collection soaring.

If he finds a buyer willing to stump up the nine-figure asking price,  Dr Hull won't be entirely sure what he will do next.

He added: 'I'm a collector, so who knows what will turn up next! My wife hopes it will be something smaller like stamps.'