- Classic Parade Ltd took upfront payments from customers for hiring supercars before cancelling bookings at short notice and not paying refunds
- Customers included people booking vehicles for significant personal occasions, while more than £1.4 million passed through company bank accounts without explanation
- The director failed to engage with investigators, meet any Companies House filing obligations, and the company had no genuine presence at its address in Knightsbridge
A luxury car hire company which took thousands of pounds from customers and repeatedly failed to deliver vehicles or refund their money has been shut down.
Classic Parade Ltd claimed to operate from an office in Knightsbridge, offering the hire of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other supercars through its website.
However, Insolvency Service investigations found a consistent pattern of bookings being cancelled shortly before the hire date, with customers promised refunds which never arrived.
At least 48 complaints were made to Action Fraud, with alleged losses totalling £220,675.
Complainants included a customer who had booked a Mercedes G63 AMG for his wedding day, and another who had arranged a luxury hire as a special gift for a terminally ill family member.
At the same time, company bank records showed what appeared to be personal spending at Harrods, Gucci and Prada, which the director failed to explain.
Classic Parade Ltd was wound up at the High Court in London on Tuesday 14 July.
Joanna Caswell, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said
Classic Parade Ltd presented itself as a prestigious supercar hire business, but our investigation found a very different picture.
Customers who had saved for special occasions, including a wedding and a gift for a terminally ill family member, were left out of pocket and without the experience they had paid for.
The winding-up of this company should serve as a warning that the Insolvency Service will act where businesses fail to operate with basic honesty and transparency.
Classic Parade Ltd was incorporated in March 2023. Its website describes it as the UK’s “number one chauffeuring and supercar hire service”, celebrating 20 years of service.
Insolvency Service investigators identified at least 14 customers who paid hire charges and security deposits for services which were never delivered.
In each case, Classic Parade Ltd cancelled the booking shortly before it was due to begin, citing reasons including mechanical faults, engine management lights, insurance issues or security checks on payments.
Customers were offered refunds, but these were not paid.
Twelve County Court Judgments totalling £66,225 were registered against the company between September 2023 and October 2024 by customers attempting to recover their money.
Evidence was uncovered of the company behaving aggressively towards customers who posted negative reviews online, threatening legal action against them. In one case, the director threatened to post damaging reviews of a customer’s own business unless the negative review was removed.
Investigators were also unable to establish the full extent of Classic Parade Ltd’s trading.
More than £1.4 million passed through its bank accounts, but the director failed to provide any information to explain these transactions, or attend an interview with the Insolvency Service.
Some customers had also been directed to make payments to third-party accounts, including one in the name of ‘Classic Parade Competitions’ and in some cases directly into the director’s personal account, rather than to the company itself.
Payments of £166,893 were made to the director personally, a further £121,847 to what the Insolvency Service understands is his partner, and £28,154 on apparent personal expenditure at retailers including Harrods, Gucci and Prada.
No evidence was supplied that any of these payments were for business purposes.
The company failed to file any accounts or confirmation statements at Companies House, and one of its bank accounts was closed in February 2025.
It also had no genuine presence at its registered Knightsbridge address, which was a virtual office it had vacated approximately two years before the investigation.
The Official Receiver has been appointed liquidator of Classic Parade Ltd.
All enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to
Public Interest Unit
PO Box 16664
Birmingham
B2 2JQ