Aug. 29, 2018 8:35 a.m.
It's fair to say Tim Quocksister's obsession with cars started at an early age.
It's not unusual for Quocksister, who likes to joke that he was probably born with a steering wheel in his hands, to sell cars worth millions of dollars, and he's gaining an international reputation as the "go-to-guy" for hard-to-find luxury sports cars and collector cars. His highest sale so far clocked in at a cool $4.64 million US for a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing, one of just 29 in the world.
While most of the cars Silver Arrow sells go to global buyers, the company also inventories high-dollar Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches on its Victoria lot, and Quocksister estimates that he's had a hand in more than half of the high-end sports cars you see driving around town.
"Dollar-wise inventory at any given time, we probably have about $7 or $8 million worth of cars on site and this can include as few as 20 cars or as many as 30, and we always have cars that are in restoration," Quocksister explains.
The 38-year-old expects to exceed $40 million in sales this year and construction will begin early next year on a new, high-profile showroom on Douglas Street. It's a far cry from where he started in the industry 20 years ago, washing cars at Three Point Motors.
But after just two months, when a salesman was on vacation, Quocksister stepped in to greet customers.
"All the salesman were busy so I went out on a test drive and sold two cars my first day and they took my hose away," he says.
Quocksister went on to become the general sales manager before branching out on his own in 2001 to launch Silver Arrow Performance Cars, capitalizing on the growing demand for luxury vehicles. But after a few years, he returned to Three Point Motors and then moved into real estate, buying and selling apartments.
Quocksister credits diversification into the lucrative collector car market and providing vehicles that can't be found at other dealerships to the success he's seen since re-launching as Silver Arrow Cars.
The biggest challenge is finding inventory and Quocksister criss-crosses the globe for exclusive automobile auctions and to track down rare cars for clients.
One that stands out is a Toronto client, who spent around $30 million to build his collection. Another client has bought 37 cars from Quocksister. And of course, there are famous people with whom he's been involved. He sold Mike Tyson's Ferrari F50 in 2017 and bought Simon Cowell's Bugatti Veyron from Barrett-Jackson auctioneers. His clients have included musicians like Nickelback and numerous NHL hockey players.
With a passion for cars as the driving force behind his booming business, it should come as no surprise that Quocksister has a collection of his own — including several Porsches. But the one that means the most to him is his 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo.