When Rodger Dudding bought an almost-new Jensen FF back in 1968, little did he know that half a century later he would still own it - along with two more, plus more than 400 other classic cars and around 65 motorbikes.

He even owns 24 - yes 24 - Aston Martin Lagondas - or 4% of the entire production of the striking William Towns designed luxury car.

Buying whatever takes his fancy, Rodger has built up what he claims is the biggest car collection in the UK, and probably Europe too.

Called Studio 434 and not open to the public, Autocar recently got the chance to look around the incredible hoard of rarities.

As well as his 420 cars, Rodger also has around 65 motorcycles in his collection. Some are rare and some are less so - and then there's this unique 48-cylinder Kawasaki.

Despite the huge cylinder count the total displacement is just 4.2 litres - and because there's a separate 75cc single-cylinder engine required to start the main powerplant, it's really a 49-cylinder Kawasaki.

Everyone knows the Vignale-styled Interceptor that arrived in 1966; Rodger owns several of them. He also owns one of these much rarer original Interceptors, launched in 1949.

Just 32 of these four-seater convertibles were made, each powered by the 4.0-litre straight-six more usually seen in an Austin Princess limousine that was current between 1947 and 1956.

Lightning GTWhen it was unveiled at the 2008 British motor show there were great hopes that Britain could lead the world when it came to high-performance electric cars.
But after the 402bhp prototype was shown it all went quiet. Rodger now owns that car, but Lightning reckons it's still in with a chance of putting the GT into production...

AC Ace BrooklandsIt was the car that led to AC's bankruptcy in 2000. First shown in 1991 as a prototype, the Brooklands entered production in 1993 but AC went belly up in 1996. With new owners, a redesigned Ace appeared in 1997, now with rectangular headlights instead of round.
Just 46 of the original car were built; along with a mere 12 of the later model.

Jensen GTThe Jensen-Healey Roadster that was produced between 1972 and 1976 is pretty well known, but much more obscure is this 2+2 shooting brake that was built for just six months before Jensen went bust in 1976.
Just 500 or so were made, each mechanically identical to the Roadster; Rodger owns three of them.

Towns HustlerPerhaps it should come as no surprise that Rodger owns a Hustler - just like the Lagonda it was designed by Williams Towns.
Rodger's Hustler has six wheels; some got only four. Around 500 Hustlers were made, with Towns offering a dozen different variations on the theme. One had a Jaguar V12 but Rodger's has a BMC 1275cc A-Series engine.

Rolls-Royce CamargueDesigned by Pininfarina on an off day, the Camargue was a two-door coupé based on the contemporary Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

The most expensive production car available when it was launched in 1975, the Camargue looked like an overgrown Fiat 130 coupé yet it cost as much as a (very nice) house to buy.
Just 531 were made before production ended in 1986.

Triumph StagsBetween 1970 and 1977 just 25,000 or so Triumph Stags were built.
Known in period as the Snag, on account of its numerous engine problems (it was fitted with a 3.0-litre V8 unique to this car), the cars can now be made to run reliably. Which Rodger is no doubt relieved about as he owns eight of them.

Jensen 541Rodger owns a huge array of Jensens but one of the prettiest is this 541, built in 1956.
First shown with a steel body in 1953, by the time production started two years later the 541 featured a glass-fibre body with power supplied by a triple-carb 4.0-litre straight-six borrowed from the Austin A135 Princess.

Ford Classic CapriWith their trans-Atlantic styling the Ford Consul Classic and Capri didn't prove popular with British buyers and few of these cars are now left. While the Classic was a family saloon in two- or four-door forms, the Capri was a more rakish two-door coupé.
Rodger has two Capris including this unique convertible edition with no weather protection whatsoever: perfect for the British climate.
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Jowett JavelinIn the pre-war years Jowett built cars that were simple but tough. Then in 1947 it introduced the advanced Javelin family saloon with six seats, a flat-four engine, torsion-bar suspension and an aerodynamic body.
But the car was unreliable with engines and gearboxes self-destructing all too quickly - leading directly to the company going belly up in 1954.

Austin Seven White RabbitThis supercharged single-seater was campaigned between the early 1930s and 1963 when it then disappeared from view.
For nearly half a century it languished in various sheds and barns awaiting restoration, then in 2010 it was finally overhauled before Rodger bought it at auction in 2012. He had no idea of its history though - he just liked the look of it.

Ford Granada Mk2From those early '80s days when Rover, Ford and Vauxhall were in a pitched battle to sell as many luxobarges as they could, while Audi, BMW and Mercedes barely figured in British sales charts.
The (European) Granada was the daddy of them all, from 1976 built in Germany alone. This one is the most luxurious of all - a 2.8i Ghia X from 1984 with all the trimmings.

Daimler SP250For years the Daimler SP250 was out in the wilderness, but these V8-powered sports cars have become hot property in recent years.
The glass-fibre may have challenging styling but with just 2654 examples made, demand now massively outstrips supply.

DeLorean DMC-12One day somebody will make a film of John Z DeLorean's life and in particular the gripping saga that was the DMC-12 story.
About 9000 of these gull-winged stainless steel-bodied cars were made and it’s reckoned that about two-thirds still exist, each powered by a 2849cc V6.

Austin-Healey 3000The quintessential British sports car, the Big Healey was the result of a tie up between Austin boss Leonard Lord and Donald Healey.
The latter showed a prototype roadster at the 1952 London motor show and when the former saw it he realised it was just what was needed to inject some glamour into a dowdy model range. The car proved a massive hit, especially in the US, with production running between 1953 and 1968.

Jensen SV8With so many Jensens in his collection it makes sense for Rodger to have one of the very last cars to bear the name (he actually owns two).
First shown at the 1998 British motor show, the SV8 quickly ran into problems and just 20 were made before the project was sold on to SV Automotive which built another dozen cars. This is one of those later SV8s.

Lagonda RapideAs a die-hard Aston Martin Lagonda fan, Rodger just had to buy one of these original Lagonda four-door saloons. Just 55 Rapides were built between 1961 and 1964, each one fitted with Aston's 4.0-litre straight-six.
It was the same engine that the DB5 used and thanks to low values for years, many Rapides were broken for their running gear. Now these cars have become very collectable and values have risen accordingly.

Maserati QuattroportesRodger isn't afraid to add multiples to his collection - he's got plenty of pairs and triplets, partly because he buys stuff without knowing what he's already got. This is a pair of fifth-generation Quattroportes, current from 2003 until 2012.

BMW 8-Series and 6-SeriesIt's been a long time coming, but at last the original BMW 8 Series is starting to become rather desirable. These svelte coupés with V8 or V12 power first hit the road in 1989 and production lasted for a decade.
Next to the 8 Series is an original 6 Series. All of these coupés featured a straight-six with this one being an unusual entry-level 628 CSi edition; most were range-topping 635 CSi models.

BentleysWho doesn't love a Bentley? Rodger's got 22 of them, from a 1923 3-Litre to this 2008 Continental GTC. Along the way he's also got a slew of Arnages, Continentals (R, T, SC), an Azure and various variations on the Turbo R theme.

.Mercedes 250 SERodger owns just five Mercedes; two R107 SLs, a Pagoda SL, an E55 AMG and this - a 250SE from 1967.
Part of the W108 S-Class range launched in 1965, this saloon is one of the more affordable variants. More collectable are the coupé and cabriolet, while there were also 280 and 300 versions with bigger engines.

A varied collectionIf ever you needed proof that Rodger's collection is utterly unpredictable, this one picture just sums things up.
On the left is a Lotus Elise S1, flanked by a Triumph Vitesse, original Aston Martin Vanquish and a Skoda Felicia Fun. Rodger buys what he likes...

Lanchester LD10A rather obscure classic this one, in a highly unusual colour scheme. Despite the bright hues the Lanchester was a heavy car with rather stunted performance as a result.
But it was advanced for its time with its coil-spring independent front suspension and an overhead-valve engine. The first cars were sold in 1946 and 579 were sold before production was wound up in 1951.

Mercedes SLThe original Mercedes SL, the gull-winged 300SL, was out of reach for most. Merc's plan with that car's replacement was to make the car more accessible by building in much greater numbers - although the 'Pagoda' was still pretty exclusive. The first cars got a 2.3-litre straight-six (as shown here); later came a 2.5-litre unit then a 2.8-litre.

Jaguar E-TypeThere were three generations of E-Type with the first cars featuring enclosed headlights like this one here.
That marks it out as a Series 1 and in particular one of the later 4.2-litre editions (earlier cars got a 3.8-litre engine). As a result this is one of the most sought after of the numerous E-Type models.

Rover P6The first ever European Car of the Year, the P6 was incredibly forward-thinking in its design, engineering and construction when it burst onto the scene in 1963.
It was a complete departure for a British company that until now was seen as the epitome of conservatism - and things got even more exciting when the legendary Buick-designed 3.5-litre V8 became an option in 1968.

Lamborghini CountachFewer than 2000 Countaches were built in a production run that stretched from 1974 right the way through to 1990, when the Diablo took over.
Values of these cars have gone wild in recent years, with early cars becoming especially collectable as they're so unusual. The later cars like this Anniversary are more numerous though.

MGBProving that Rodger is happy to add mainstream classics to his collection, among all of the exotica and rarities is perhaps the most accessible British sports car ever made - the MGB.
This one is the most sought after of the breed as it’s a chrome-bumpered roadster; the later rubber-bumpered cars have less of a following.

Jaguar XK150Jaguar wowed the crowds at the 1948 British motor show at Earls Court with the XK120, which was developed into the XK140 before becoming the XK150 in 1955.
It would be the final evolution of the XK breed before the E-Type took over in 1961. All XKs and the initial E-Types would be powered by the legendary XK straight-six engine.

Lotus EuropaWhen it arrived in 1966 the Europa was supposed to replace the Seven, but that car soldiered on with Lotus until 1973, when Caterham took over.
Meanwhile, the Europa was built until 1975, initially with a mid-mounted Renault 16 engine and gearbox (as seen here), then from 1971 Lotus fitted its own 1588cc twin-cam four-pot. Rodger has a twin-cam Europa too - of course.

Citroen DSEven now the Citroen DS looks futuristic, but when it was first unveiled in 1955 it must have looked as though the Martians had landed.
The DS remained in production right the way up to 1975, by which point it had received a new nose design with faired-in headlights.
Rodger owns three of these later saloons - along with one of the very rare, desirable and valuable decapotable (convertible) models.

Maserati MerakMaserati launched the V8-powered Bora in 1971; a year later the V6-engined Merak went on sale using much the same bodyshell and structure.
Between 1972 and 1983 Maserati built 1140 Meraks; this is one of the last cars made and it's to SS spec which means it gets extra power (220bhp instead of 190bhp).

Aston Martin VantageThe ultimate incarnation of the unloved Virage, the Vantage of 1993 came with a 550bhp supercharged V8 that also developed 550lb ft of torque. In 1998 there would be a V600 edition with a ludicrous 600bhp but Rodger's isn't one of those - it's a 550bhp model.

Aston Martin V8 Zagato VolanteAston Martin's association with Zagato had started in 1961, but it would be another 25 years before there was an encore. While just 19 DB4 GT Zagatos were made in the early 1960s, in the eighties 52 V8 coupés were built along with 37 convertibles. The car pictured is one of the latter.

Messerschmitt KR200One of the most recognisable bubble cars, the Messerschmitt KR200 offered seating for two, one in front of the other. The plastic canopy guaranteed an unbearably hot cabin when the sun came out, but to counter this a cabriolet version was later offered - the KR201, first built in 1958.

Austin A40 SomersetPart of the Austin 'Counties' range that also included the A40 Dorset, A40 Devon, A70 Hampshire and A70 Hereford, the smaller-engined A40 Somerset came in saloon and convertible forms with a 1.2-litre engine. If you can find a classic car that's more quintessentially British we'd love to see it.

TrojanAfter WW2, plane manufacturer Heinkel found itself at a loose end so it moved into making bikes and scooters before then switching to microcars in 1956.
Its Kabine initially featured a 174cc single-cylinder engine but this was soon enlarged to 204cc. From 1960 the Kabine was made under licence by British company Trojan, as seen here with this 1964 example.

Lotus M250Launched at the 1999 Frankfurt motor show, the M250 was a non-running mock-up that showed what a more usable fixed-head Elise 2+2 might look like.
Lotus got as far as taking deposits but then returned them to its customers, having undertaken a feasibility study which showed that the project wasn't viable.
Which was a shame - we reckon it looks sensational, and like a sports car designed today rather than two decades ago.

Morris MinorOf all the cars in Rodger's collection, this is the one that he wouldn't ever part with. Bought new by his father in 1955, when he died it was willed to Rodger's sister.
But Rodger wasn't going to let anybody else get their hands on it - so he bought his sister a new car instead, and added the Minor to his collection.
Everyone knows the Vignale-styled Interceptor that arrived in 1966; Rodger owns several of them. He also owns one of these much rarer original Interceptors, launched in 1949.

Just 32 of these four-seater convertibles were made, each powered by the 4.0-litre straight-six more usually seen in an Austin Princess limousine that was current between 1947 and 1956.

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As well as his 420 cars, Rodger also has around 65 motorcycles in his collection. Some are rare and some are less so - and then there's this unique 48-cylinder Kawasaki.

Despite the huge cylinder count the total displacement is just 4.2 litres - and because there's a separate 75cc single-cylinder engine required to start the main powerplant, it's really a 49-cylinder Kawasaki.

more

Hmm life is not fair!!!! See me here no get even wheelbarrow tyre

Ahmed0336:
Hmm life is not fair!!!! See me here no get even wheelbarrow tyre

GOD go provide las las

How do they keep all these cars alive? White-man insanity.

Na the OP be the only car i want for all of them

Wow, this must be the collection that inspired Jay Leno to amass his own collection of fine cars.

BraniacX:
Na the OP be the only car i want for all of them

Las las....na to crash you into Third Mainland Bridge o!

Alvin007:


Las las....na to crash you into Third Mainland Bridge o!

Bros! you wan follow drag the motor?

BraniacX:

Bros! you wan follow drag the motor?

Drag kwa?
Bruv...na only you this motor fit o!

400 cars only? Sultan of Brunei owns a collection of more than 5000 cars.

Google it!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYvzqdGGpEo

Zoharariel:
400 cars only? Sultan of Brunei owns a collection of more than 5000 cars.

Google it!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYvzqdGGpEo

We already know that he owns 5,000 cars.

Thank you

Alvin007:

Drag kwa?
Bruv...na only you this motor fit o!

op you hia?

BraniacX:

op you hia?

yes o

seunmohmoh:
yes o

oya reply my mail