Peter’s first step into the business side of the collector car world came when he happened upon an early-2000’s advert for the hobby. Experienced in the business of advertising, but seeking a shift in careers, Peter wrote up an offer to help source cars and develop a UK auction house in Italy. This would lead him to RM Auctions, which he joined full-time in early 2007, becoming a pillar in developing the businesses expansion, and eventual Managing Director in 2016, of RM’s European side, beginning with 2007’s Ferrari auction in Maranello. A stint away from RM from 2017 to 2022 saw him further his expertise, helping to establish an online auction platform and develop a brokerage business for cars and Riva boats before returning as Chairman for UK and EMEA in February 2022. He seeks to continue his streak of innovation, eye turned towards corporate relationships as well as expansion in the Middle East, where he hopes fresh new ideas, buttressed by the region’s willingness to try them out, can flourish into opportunities.
Despite seeking the new in business, Peter’s tastes are cemented in the aesthetics of a bygone era. For thirty-five years, he has owned a 1961 Jaguar E-Type Coupe—a former daily driver—and, more recently, a 1969 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, which he uses to take the family on speedy runs across continental Europe. A lover of classic boats, namely Rivas, he can claim ownership of two: a 1961 Ariston and 1969 Super Aquarama, both calling Northern Italy’s Lake Maggiore home. For Peter, the appeal of taking such wooden beauties out is the sense of traveling back in time, the water the same as when the boats’ hulls were first deftly crafted; along with free, versatile movement on the water, often shared with friends. Where possible, Peter lives life as an artistic endeavor, an ideal stemming from an early love of old films, particularly Hitchcock, and for the rhythms of jazz—live and via the medium of vinyl. Similarly, he enjoys the fifties and sixties classics for their style, beautiful lines, powerful engines, splashes of chrome, and use of natural materials, like wood and leather. The reasonings he provides for such loves are simple: he appreciates the analog and feeling of human participation that the build of such cars and boats impart. Human participation itself, and the art of conversation, is paramount, as Peter is always happy to dive into the interests of others and form new relationships.