Simon Kidston

Simon Kidston
Born Simon Home Kidston
September 1967 (age 51)
Residence Geneva, Switzerland
Nationality British
Education Aiglon College
Occupation classic car dealer
Spouse(s) Rosie Kidston
Children 2
Parent(s) Home Kidston
Relatives Glen Kidston (uncle)
Cath Kidston (cousin)
A Lamborghini Miura P400SV
A 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS

Simon Home Kidston (born September 1967) is a British classic car dealer, collector, commentator, journalist and influencer. He is the nephew of Glen Kidston, one of the "Bentley Boys", and the son of Commander Home Kidston, a naval officer and "gentleman driver".

Kidston has built a reputation as one of the leading international dealers in blue-chip collector cars for the world's elite[1], with clients including Ralph Lauren, Ferrari collector Jean-Pierre Slavic and designer Marc Newson.[2]

Early life

Simon Kidston was born in September 1967,[3] the son of Commander Home Kidston, a retired naval officer who owned and raced cars including Bentley, Bugatti and Mercedes-Benz.[4] His uncle was Glen Kidston, the record-breaking aviator and motor racing driver.[4] His cousin is the fashion designer and businesswoman Cath Kidston.

He grew up near Siena, Italy and was educated in Switzerland,[4] including Aiglon College from 1981 to 1985.[5][6]

Career

Kidston started his career in 1988 in the car auction department at Coys of Kensington.[7]

In 1996, he left to co-found Brooks Europe auction house in Geneva. He created high-profile events such as the annual Ferrari auction in Gstaad[8] and the Pur Sang à Longchamp auction in Paris.[9] From 1996–2006 he was President of Brooks Europe, which later became Bonhams Europe.[10]

In 2006, Kidston left Bonhams to start Kidston SA in Geneva, an independent advisory firm for motor car collectors around the world.[10]

In 2018, Kidston opened a new office in Dubai: Kidston DMCC.[11]

Other Roles

Kidston is a regular magazine contributor, writing columns for 'Classic Cars' and 'Sports Car Market'. He is also a guest contributor at Vanity Fair, Top Gear and Dubai Lifestyle Magazine.[12]

Kidston is head judge of the Cartier Travel With Style Concours in India[13] and an advisor to BMW Classic, the organisers of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, the oldest classic car concours in the world, set up in 1929.[14] Since 2000, Kidston has been the official commentator for that event. Between 2007–2014, he was also commentator for the Mille Miglia historic rally in which he now takes part.[15][16]

Personal life

Kidston is an avid car collector and is believed to own a Lamborghini Miura SV, Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS and a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Cabriolet originally built for his father.[17]

Kidston buys back vehicles his family previously owned, including a Gipsy Moth racing biplane his father flew in New Zealand 75 years prior.[18]

In 2009, Kidston was invited by the Mercedes-Benz Museum to drive the 300 SLR 'Uhlenhaut' coupe, widely regarded as the most valuable car in the world.[19][20]

He splits his time between Dubai, London and Geneva, and is fluent in Italian and French.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "A night out in Knightsbridge with Simon Kidston and his Monteverdi". www.classicdriver.com. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
  2. ↑ "Subscribe to read". Financial Times. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
  3. ↑ "Simon Home KIDSTON - Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)".
  4. 1 2 3 "Kidston - Info".
  5. ↑ "Registration List: Aiglon's 65th Anniversary Celebration". Aiglon Life. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Remembering Philip Parsons". Aiglon School. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "A night out in Knightsbridge with Simon Kidston and his Monteverdi". www.classicdriver.com. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  8. ↑ "Gstaad Auction - Story". www.barchetta.cc.
  9. ↑ "Kidston - The Company". www.kidston.com.
  10. 1 2 "Simon Kidston: 'In 2050 people will still collect cars' - newmobility.news". newmobility.news.
  11. 1 2 "simon kidston". therake.com.
  12. ↑ www.januar.ch, Januar Designbureau GmbH,. "Le Monde Edmond: Kidston: A 'heavyweight' speaks his mind". le-monde-edmond.com. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
  13. ↑ "Kidston - Home" (PDF). www.kidston.com.
  14. ↑ "Simon Kidston, The Voice of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2017 - Live Trading News". 8 May 2017.
  15. ↑ Mille Miglia Storica 2010 | Classic Driver Magazine
  16. ↑ Barlow, Jason. "We came dead last in the Mille Miglia".
  17. ↑ Kahn, Jeremy (2015-11-27). "25 of the world's most bankable cars". Executive Style. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
  18. ↑ "Kidston - The Company". www.kidston.com. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
  19. ↑ Precious mettle | Motor Sport Magazine Archive
  20. ↑ "Kidston - Features". www.kidston.com.
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