Inside UK’s first classic car museum hidden inside PIZZA restaurant… featuring stunning collection & slice of F1 history
PETROLHEADS and pizza lovers aren’t necessarily the most natural bedfellows – but a unique classic car museum is hoping to change that.
The amazing showroom houses a collection of some of the most iconic, and expensive cars, of all time – and everything you see is for sale.
Hexham Classics in East Finchley, North London, is tucked away on the suburban high street just a stone’s throw from the Tube station.
You might well walk past it with little more than a passing glance at the row of Porche 911s parked outside.
But step inside and you’ll discover a petrolhead paradise, packed to the gills with vintage cars that are as rare as they are beautiful.
The showroom is run by Paul Michaels, who set up the business as an outlet for his love for Jaguar E-Types back in 1963.
Paul has a fascinating history and is one of the most silently significant men in British motoring history.
He is responsible for saving and maintaining hundreds of valued classics over the years, including his own beloved (and completely original) Mk I E-Type.
And, under his stewardship, Hexagon even competed in Formula 1 as Goldie Hexagon Racing in 1974.
A sixth-place finish in Monaco and top-five placings in the Austrian and USA Grand Prix saw the outfit emerge as perhaps the most successful privateer team in the championship’s professional history.
Speaking to SunMotors, he said: “The first word I ever said when I was born was ‘car’, so I knew where I was going.
“This is sales of upmarket cars, particularly sports cars.
“We sell cars you want to drive.”
The showroom originally operated as a franchise for BMW until the firm decided to withdraw the licence in 2014.
Since then, Hexagon has been set up as a shrine to performance motoring across the decades.
Highlights currently on the showroom floor include Paul’s E-Type, a 1959 Lancia Flaminia and a BMW M3 worth over £300,000.
However, there’s another unusual resident at the dealership – a full-blown pizzeria run by Paul’s son-in-law Cam Mitchell.
Specialising in crispy, New York-style pizza, 67 Sourdough was established after Hexagon took over the site of a restaurant next door after the pandemic.
Rather than converting it into more showroom space, the family decided to make use of the pizza oven that was already installed to add a unique twist to the showroom.
Cam told The Sun: “I think I can make a lot of people happy by making pizza…and making this whole space much more welcoming and community-focussed.
“Obviously there are a lot of expensive classic cars here, not everyone is in the market for buying a classic car.
“But everyone can appreciate them.
“Pizza and cars just seem to go together.”
Guests can pick up a delicious pizza made to order and enjoy it in the dining room, which features floor-to-ceiling windows so diners can look out on the rows of cars as they eat.
Orders for collection are also available and the restaurant runs a stall at the local farmers’ market just outside Hexagon every Sunday.
Cam even hinted that they might be getting on Deliveroo soon.
Just remember to keep any post-pizza greasy fingers away from the ultra-expensive motors.