For collectors, automobiles are more than machines. They embody engineering innovation, performance history, and sculptural beauty. Every acquisition represents a moment of connoisseurship and passion, building a narrative that evolves alongside the market itself. As values for rare and historically significant cars have surged over the past several decades, the equity value tied up within these vehicles has grown as well—often remaining untapped inside garages, showrooms, and private storage facilities.
For over a century, passionate enthusiasts have used specialized financing to pursue the cars they desire, from early motoring icons to contemporary hypercars. Traditionally, collectors turned to leasing firms or niche lenders for acquisition-based financing. Sotheby’s Financial Services has revolutionized this concept for today’s market, offering a more strategic alternative: instead of borrowing simply to acquire a car, collectors can unlock liquidity from assets they already understand deeply—their existing collection.
Collectible car lending transforms long-held value into immediate financial versatility. It enables collectors to act decisively on new opportunities, invest in their companies, or rebalance broader portfolios—all without selling cherished vehicles. Sotheby’s Financial Services (SFS), in partnership with RM Sotheby’s, leads this evolving specialty lending space. With more than $12 billion in loans originated since inception and capacity to lend over $250 million on any given collection, SFS provides institutional-scale capital, discreet underwriting, and unmatched expertise in evaluating the world’s most desirable automobiles.
Primary Benefit: Unlock liquidity without liquidating your collection.
Loan Range: From $1 million to over $250 million, depending on the appraised value of your collectible car or car collection.
Collateral: Blue-chip collector cars, single vehicles, or multi-car collections; no personal financial disclosure required.
Timeline: Most loans close within approximately four to six weeks. Vehicles typically remain in your possession or in approved storage.
Why Borrow: Fund acquisitions, invest in your company, seize real estate opportunities, or expand your collection using existing equity.
Sotheby's Advantage: $12B+ in loans originated, unmatched funding capacity, and decades of RM Sotheby’s experience in automotive valuation and global sales.
The global market for collectible automobiles has become one of the most dynamic asset classes of the last half-century. Values for rare Ferrari, pre-war Bugattis, early Porsche competition cars, limited-production supercars, and iconic British and Italian grand tourers have appreciated significantly, driven by scarcity, provenance, and sustained collector demand. As this market has matured, financing has long played a role in enabling collectors to pursue these vehicles.
What distinguishes Sotheby’s Financial Services today is its ability to unlock capital from vehicles collectors already own and understand. Instead of relying on traditional loan structures tied to unfamiliar assets or rigid bank requirements, SFS empowers clients to transform their existing holdings into flexible liquidity—grounded in market expertise shaped by RM Sotheby’s global auction and private-sale data.
Collectible car lending offers a financing model that is intuitive for collectors because it centers on an asset class where their knowledge is already extensive. This alignment between expertise and collateral strengthens decision-making and enhances confidence throughout the loan process.
A collectible car-backed loan is a secured financing arrangement in which your vehicle or collection serves as collateral. Unlike traditional bank loans—often dependent on credit reports, income verification, or liquidity covenants—this model is underwritten exclusively against the appraised value of the automobile. RM Sotheby’s experts assess rarity, historical significance, provenance, mechanical condition, originality, and recent comparable sales to provide valuations that reflect real-time market insight.
This creates a discreet, efficient pathway to capital. Because underwriting is centered on the car rather than the individual, borrowers avoid intrusive financial disclosures and maintain full confidentiality. The loan process becomes not only transparent but also aligned with the collector’s own understanding of their cars’ value and significance.
Many collectors own vehicles that have appreciated dramatically—sometimes tenfold over decades. Borrowing against this embedded value allows collectors to access meaningful liquidity while retaining ownership of cars that may hold sentimental, historical, or strategic importance. Because these loans do not appear on credit searches, they provide discreet financial flexibility that complements both personal and business goals.
In addition, collectors might consider the tax implications resulting from the sale of highly appreciated vehicles. For those seeking financial flexibility, it could make sense to leverage existing assets than to disposition them and trigger capital gains taxes.
Rare automobiles often appear on the market without warning, and securing them requires decisiveness. Collectors frequently use car-backed loans to move quickly when a historically significant or limited-production model becomes available. This approach allows them to enhance their collections without selling key vehicles or disrupting the balance of their existing holdings.
While leasing or acquisition financing gives buyers access to a single vehicle through structured payments, equity release lending unlocks the strength of an entire collection. This gives collectors broader purchasing power and the ability to pursue multiple opportunities simultaneously.
Collector cars can serve as a powerful source of liquidity for entrepreneurial or personal financial goals. Borrowing against high-value automobiles allows collectors to reinvest in their companies, support new ventures, or participate in unique investment opportunities—without needing to sell assets that may continue to appreciate.
In competitive real estate markets, timing is critical. Many collectors use equity release loans to secure cash for down payments, bridge financing, or time-sensitive closings, enabling them to move swiftly while their cars remain securely in their possession.
Every loan through Sotheby’s Financial Services is guided by discretion, precision, and respect for client privacy. Because eligibility is based solely on the value of the collateral, borrowers do not undergo credit checks, income verification, or traditional financial reviews. This keeps the process private and uncomplicated.
Collectors often retain possession of their vehicles throughout the loan term, continuing to enjoy and care for them as they always have. SFS is also able to accommodate clients who keep their cars at third party storage facilities with ease, allowing collectors to access capital without disrupting their existing collecting infrastructure.
Sotheby’s Financial Services has refined collectible car lending into a streamlined, five-step process modeled on its renowned art-backed lending program. It begins with a confidential consultation where an SFS or RM Sotheby’s specialist evaluates your objectives and identifies eligible vehicles. A tailored term sheet follows, reflecting loan value, structure, and terms based on Sotheby’s appraisal standards.
Once diligence is complete and documentation finalized, funds are disbursed—often within four to six weeks. Throughout the loan term, a dedicated servicing team supports renewals, valuations, and ongoing portfolio monitoring, ensuring exceptional client service from start to finish.
Yes. In many cases, collectors retain possession of their vehicles throughout the loan, provided insurance, storage, and security standards are met. When in-residence possession is not available due to jurisdictional requirements, most commonly outside the United States, SFS works with vetted global storage partners to ensure optimal safety and care.
Loan values are based on the appraised market value of your vehicle or collection, never contstrained by the original purchase price. RM Sotheby’s teams evaluate rarity, demand, provenance, originality, and historical sales data to establish a valuation rooted in authoritative market insight.
Whether you are expanding your collection, pursuing business opportunities, or securing a time-sensitive real estate acquisition, collectible car lending through Sotheby’s Financial Services offers a trusted and sophisticated path to liquidity.
Backed by RM Sotheby’s unparalleled automotive expertise and SFS’s institutional lending platform, collectors can unlock the value of their vehicles while retaining full ownership of the cars they cherish.
Trust Sotheby’s Financial Services—where great collectors find financial flexibility, backed by the expertise and discretion of a global auction house established in 1744.
