Brexit Causes Multi Million Pound Supercar Spending Spree

All car enthusiasts have at least one pricey or crazy car they'd love to break the bank for if given the chance.

A Bugatti La Voiture Noire, costing a cool £14.4 million? Or a slightly cheaper Lambo Veneno Roadster at £3.4 million? Maybe you fancy something more eccentric like the Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me, or a replica Batmobile?

For most of us, owning these cars is just a pipe dream.

Whilst most folk were panicking over Brexit and COVID-19, some wealthy car enthusiasts cashed in and made their motoring dreams a reality in anticipation of serious price hikes.

Using data from the DVLA, we wanted to uncover which uber-expensive sports cars, supercars, and other quirky models were imported to the UK during Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this post, we’ll answer a few main questions about the most expensive and unexpected cars imported into the UK:

Sports Cars/Supercars Imported Before/After Brexit Vote

With the cutting of ties to the EU looming over the UK, we wanted to see if people were more inclined to cash in on pricey imported car models before or after the Brexit vote. 

The figures show that there was in fact an upsurge in importing premium sports cars and supercars after the vote to leave was cast.

From 2015 to 2010, 2,198 sports cars and supercars were imported to the UK. Post-vote, between 2016 and 2020, there were 2,650 - an increase of 452 cars (+17%).

Sports/Supercars Imports Before/After Vote (Over £100,000)
PeriodAmount
2016-2020 (17% increase after Brexit)2650
2015-20102198
Total4848

Imported Cars Valued Above 500k Before/After Brexit Vote

With news headlines everywhere warning us of price hikes in the post-Brexit era, we were also keen to see whether UK buyers splashed out on uber-expensive luxury cars before we left the EU. 

Before the Brexit vote was cast, there were only 9 cars imported to the UK that were valued above £500k each - a total of £7 million.

In the limbo period from the referendum until the eventual Brexit, this figure more than doubled. 20 cars valued above £500k were imported to the UK, coming to a whopping total of £21 million (+300%)

Sports/Supercars Imports Before/After Vote
PeriodAmount
2016-2020£21,102,159 (297.2% increase after Brexit)
2015-2010£7,100,608
Total£28,202,767

Most Expensive Cars Imported During Brexit

Of the 20 cars imported with a value of over £500k, there are some with an even more extortionate price tag that stand out.

The most expensive car imported between 2016 and 2020 was the Koenigsegg Agera, valued at £1,827,649. This Swedish 2-door targa top sports car was produced between 2011 and 2018, and the RS variant was given the title of the world’s fastest production car in 2017, roaring up to 285mph!

Second on the list is the Pagani Huayra, imported in 2017 and 2018. With a hefty price tag of £1,698,757, this model promises big things, taking its name from huayra-tata, a Quechua wind God. It lives up to its name, with gull wing or swan wing doors depending on the body style. There was a limited initial run of 100 units, and by 2015 they had completely sold out.

Third up is the Aston Martin Vulcan, at £1,647,571. Only 24 were ever built in its 2015-16 production run. There is actually only one Vulcan model in the world that is road-legal.

Multiple Pagani models feature on the list - they make up 5 of the 20 most expensive cars to be precise. The Italian manufacturer (whose founder previously worked for Lamborghini) deals solely in sports cars.

Supercar Imports After Vote - Above £500,000
YearModelPrice
2020BIZZARRINI P538 £680,832
2020BUGATTI VEYRON£1,360,257
2020MERCEDES SLR MCLAREN AUTO£599,950
2020PORSCHE CARRERA GT£750,000
2020ASTON MARTIN VULCAN£1,647,571
2019MERCEDES-BENZ SLR MCLAREN 722S AUTO£599,950
2019PAGANI ZONDA F £1,197,383
2018FERRARI LAFERRARI AB S-A£1,015,142
2018KOENIGSEGG AGERA £1,827,649
2018MCLAREN P1£1,100,000
2018MERCEDES SLR MCLAREN AUTO£599,950
2018PAGANI HUAYRA £1,698,757
2018PAGANI ZONDA F £1,197,383
2018PORSCHE 918 SPYDER S-A£605,658
2018PORSCHE CARRERA GT£750,000
2017FERRARI F40 £949,950
2017PAGANI HUAYRA £1,698,757
2017PORSCHE 918 SPYDER S-A£605,658
2016FERRARI F12BERLINETTA TDF S-A£639,990
2016PAGANI ZONDA S £1,577,323

Most Expensive Cars Imported During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Whilst many people across Britain were tightening their purse strings during the pandemic, some people were splashing some serious cash.

5 cars valued at over £500k were imported during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The most expensive of these cars was the Aston Martin Vulcan at £1,647,571 which, as we mentioned, was the third most expensive car imported to the UK after the Brexit vote was cast. It seems that the pandemic presented a ripe opportunity for a British buyer to nab one of these rare vehicles!

The second most expensive car imported at this time was the Bugatti Veyron at £1,360,257. The French manufacturer designed and developed the car in Germany and named it after racing driver Pierre Veyron. Top Gear named it “Car of the Decade”!

Supercar Imports During CV19 - Above £500,000
YearModelPrice
2020BIZZARINI P538 £680,832
2020BUGATTI VEYRON£1,360,257
2020MERCEDES SLR MCLAREN AUTO£599,950
2020PORSCHE CARRERA GT£750,000
2020ASTON MARTIN VULCAN £1,647,571

Unexpected Cars Imported During The COVID-19 Pandemic

With pubs, restaurants, cinemas, gyms, and more on lockdown, British car buffs made their own fun. There were some very quirky models amongst those imported to the UK during the pandemic.

One iconic model was the DeLorean DMC-12 - Doc Brown transformed one of these into a time machine in the Back to the Future trilogy. Maybe someone was looking to turn back the clock to better times?

Another imported pop culture favourite was the Cadillac Superior Ambulance. One of these models is famous for appearing in the Ghostbusters movies - there was definitely something strange going on in our neighbourhoods, so it was a fitting car to invest in!

The Amphicar 770 was an odd purchase - it is able to drive on water! Manufactured by Quandt Group in West Germany from 1961 to 1965, it is capable of only 38hp. We’re not sure anyone bought it as a serious runaround. Maybe they were contemplating escaping British lockdown via the sea.

Our final weird and wonderful imported car is the Isetta 300, otherwise known as the “bubble car”. It is an egg-shaped microcar that was branded the top selling single cylinder car in the world, with over 161,728 sold. It opens out the front, revealing a single bench chair just big enough for 2 people, a wheel and a couple of pedals. It’d be perfect for snagging a space at the supermarket during the bulk-buying era, but not so much for loading the groceries to take home.

Unexpected Cars Imports During CV19
YearModel
2020DELOREAN DMC-12
2020AMPHICAR 770
2020ISETTA 300
2020SUPERIOR AMBULANCE

Summary

The DVLA import data shows that, even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and major political shifts, there are still plenty of car enthusiasts looking to import flashy or unorthodox cars.

In the short-term, Brexit had a positive impact on car imports for models with a high price tag. Numbers of imports increased significantly, most likely in a bid to “get it while you can” before post-Brexit price hikes.

During COVID-19, motoring mavericks were still investing in expensive vehicles, with some pretty unique models thrown into the mix.

Methodology

Through a Freedom of Information request, we asked the DVLA to tell us the make, model, and year for every vehicle imported to the UK in the past 10 years. We extracted all sports cars, supercars and other niche models from the list. We manually checked the current price of each car online via auction sites and historical sale prices. You can access the original data here.