OPEN OR ENCLOSED FOR A CLASSIC?
We run both trailers, so we have no reason to push you towards either. Here is how we decide which one a classic should travel on, and what stays the same whichever you pick.
START WITH THE CAR, NOT THE PRICE LIST.
The honest answer to open or enclosed is that it depends on the car, the weather and what you would feel if it turned up with a stone chip. Most firms will happily sell you the covered trailer for every job because it is the bigger number. We would rather tell you which one your car actually needs, and we will say the cheaper one out loud when it is the right one.
So before you ring anyone, ask yourself three things. How valuable is the car, in money or in years of your own work. Does it have fresh paint or a finish that has never seen a motorway. And does it matter to you whether anybody sees it on the move. Two yeses out of three and the answer is usually enclosed. None and it is usually open.
WHEN THE COVERED TRAILER IS THE RIGHT CALL.
Enclosed transport moves the car inside a fully covered trailer. Nothing touches it for the whole journey: no rain, no road grime, no stone thrown up by a lorry on the A23, no curious eyes at the services. It is the right choice for anything rare, anything valuable, anything freshly restored or resprayed, and anything you would rather nobody knew you owned.
It is also what we suggest for high end cars that are brand new and pre registered. A typical job: a customer’s new 992 GT3 RS is built and delivered to the main dealer, and they want paint protection film on it before they take delivery. We collect it from the dealer, take it to the PPF installer, and once the film is on we bring it back to the dealer ready for handover, without a single motorway mile on the bare paint. Our enclosed trailer carries vehicles up to 2.3 tonnes, which covers most classics, sports cars and prestige saloons.
Every enclosed move is photographed at collection and again at delivery, so you have a record of the car’s condition at both ends, and tracked by live GPS in between.
WHEN OPEN TRANSPORT IS THE HONEST ANSWER.
A sound, usable classic travelling forty miles on a dry day does not need a covered trailer. It needs to be loaded gently, strapped at the wheels and driven carefully, and that is exactly what happens on the open trailer, our Brian James T6, at a lower cost.
Open is also the only option for the heavier end of the classic world. Big saloons, American cars and anything over 2.3 tonnes travel on the T6, which carries vehicles up to 2.8 tonnes. The loading, strapping and handling are the same on both trailers. The difference is a roof.
If we think your car will be fine on the open trailer, we will say so. A customer who feels upsold does not ring twice, and most of our classic work is repeat work.
WHAT IS THE SAME WHICHEVER YOU CHOOSE.
Low ramps, because a lot of classics sit lower than a modern car and a standard ramp angle grounds a front valance. Wheel straps rather than body straps, so the car is held by its tyres and the suspension does its job on the road. A winch for anything that does not run, with someone at the wheel where the steering still works. Live GPS tracking on every move. And the same person quoting the job, collecting the car and handing back the keys, so nothing you told us at the quote gets lost on the way.
The other thing that is the same is that we would rather know the awkward details up front. A door that needs lifting to shut, a handbrake that will not hold, a fuel tap, a battery isolator, a sill that must not be jacked. Tell us once and the person who heard it is the one strapping the car down.
HOW TO GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER.
Tell us what the car is, where it is, where it needs to be and roughly when. A photo on WhatsApp is worth a paragraph. Call 01403 458457, message us on WhatsApp or use the contact form, and you will get a recommendation and a price with no obligation.
The full detail on both services is on enclosed transport and open transport, and there is a dedicated page on classic car transport in Sussex if the car is staying local.
Quotes by phone, WhatsApp or email. No obligation.
Vehicle transport and recovery from West Sussex. Enclosed and open transport nationwide, fully insured, with live GPS tracking and photographs at collection and delivery on every move.