What Kidston SA does

Kidston SA is a privately held Swiss boutique advisory firm headquartered in Geneva that specializes in private treaty brokerage of significant classic and collector motor cars. Founded in 2004 as a Société Anonyme, the firm acts as exclusive agent for both buyers and sellers, leveraging a global network of collectors, historians, restorers, museums, and former factory personnel to source, authenticate, and discreetly transact high-value vehicles. Kidston is selective about the deals it accepts, focusing on concours, racing, and investment-grade automobiles typically valued above €1M.

The firm monetizes through three primary streams: (1) sales commissions of 10% on transactions up to €2.5M and 5% above that threshold, with a €25,000 minimum fee per car; (2) a 15% commission on restoration project invoices, covering supervision of logistics, customs, insurance, and specialist coordination; and (3) a publications and content business producing definitive automotive reference works — including The Lamborghini Miura Book (762 numbered copies sold out in six days and awarded by Octane) and the in-development Lamborghini Countach Book — alongside documentary films. Supporting these services is the K500 market intelligence database, which has tracked every notable classic-car auction sale since 1994, and the Online Miura Register, a co-developed reference registry for Lamborghini Miura vehicles.

Kidston operates from a single Geneva office with global reach, relying on word-of-mouth referrals and an email/Instagram presence rather than auction-house distribution. Customers are high-net-worth collectors and institutions; transactions are individually large but infrequent, making revenue highly dependent on a small number of deals per year. The company has no disclosed funding, no institutional shareholders, and no public financials, consistent with a founder-controlled lifestyle business that has sustained 20 years of operation through brand reputation and specialized expertise rather than scale.

Name

Kidston SA

Legal name

Kidston SA

Website

https://kidston.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kidston SA is a Geneva-based boutique advisory firm that brokers private treaty sales of significant classic and collector motor cars for high-net-worth collectors and institutions worldwide, earning commissions on transactions, restoration projects, and definitive automotive publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sales Commission: Kidston charges commission on private treaty sales of classic motor cars. For transactions up to €2,500,000, they charge 10% commission with a minimum fee of €25,000 per motor car. On amounts exceeding €2,500,000, they charge 5% commission. Swiss TVA of 8.1% applies for clients within Switzerland.
2. Restoration Supervision: 15% commission on the net amount (excluding local taxes) of each restoration invoice. Services include supervising logistics, transportation, customs paperwork, insurance, and coordinating specialist restoration work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kidston SA is a Geneva-based boutique advisory firm that acts as exclusive agent for private treaty sales of significant classic and collector motor cars, matching high-net-worth buyers and sellers through a global network of contacts, historians, and restorers. The firm additionally supervises restoration projects on behalf of clients and produces definitive automotive publications such as the Lamborghini Miura and Countach books, supported by the proprietary K500 auction market intelligence index.

Product overview

Kidston SA operates as a boutique advisory service specializing in the world's most significant classic motor cars. The core offering is Private Sales — acting as exclusive agent to match buyers and sellers of high-value collector vehicles through a global network of contacts. Supporting this are the K500 market intelligence database (tracking auction sales since 1994), restoration supervision services, and a publications division producing definitive automotive reference books (The Lamborghini Miura Book, The Lamborghini Countach Book). The company also curates film content and maintains the Online Miura Register database. Kidston serves collectors seeking concours-quality, racing, and driving event vehicles, with offices in Geneva.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Treaty Sales (Private Sales) Kidston acts as exclusive agent arranging private treaty sales of significant classic and collector motor cars, matching buyers and sellers through the firm's global network of contacts and market intelligence. Commission: 10% on transactions up to €2,500,000 (minimum €25,000) and 5% above that threshold.
• K500 Index Proprietary auction results database and market index tracking every notable collector car auction sale since 1994, used to provide clients with perspective on wider market price developments.
• Restoration Supervision Kidston supervises client restoration projects end-to-end, including logistics, transportation, customs paperwork, insurance, specialist selection, and coordination of restoration work, charging 15% commission on each restoration invoice (net of local taxes).
• Films Documentary and film content related to classic motor cars produced or curated by Kidston and accessible through the kidston.com films section.
• The Lamborghini Miura Book Limited-edition numbered reference book on the Lamborghini Miura, based on two decades of research; the print run of 762 numbered copies sold out within six days.
• The Lamborghini Countach Book Definitive reference book on the Lamborghini Countach being produced as the follow-up to the award-winning Miura Book.
• Online Miura Register Online register of all Lamborghini Miura vehicles, providing comprehensive documentation and provenance research for each example, co-developed and maintained by Kidston.

Quantifiable outcome

• 762 numbered copies of the Lamborghini Miura Book sold out in six days

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• K500coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerK500 is a market index and database that records every notable auction sale since 1994, providing Kidston clients with proper perspective on wider market price developments. This partnership provides the 'what we know' component of their intelligence framework.
• Online Miura RegistercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKidston co-developed and maintains the Online Miura Register, which documents all Lamborghini Miura vehicles. The company produces the definitive publication on the Miura.
• The Lamborghini Countach Book ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKidston is producing the follow-up to their award-winning Lamborghini Miura book - a definitive work on the Countach. They are seeking contributions from owners, former employees, and anyone with period photographs or factory stories.
• Top Motors SalvioliminorOthersReferenced as a related entity within the K-Ops network of classic car resources and registers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Gooding & Company: Gooding & Company is a leading classic car auction house known for handling blue-chip collector vehicles. It overlaps Kidston in the high-end segment but transacts through marquee auctions rather than exclusive private brokerage.
• RM Sotheby's: RM Sotheby's is the largest dedicated classic car auction house globally, with deep collector relationships and global auction events. It competes with Kidston for significant consignments, although it operates via public auctions rather than private treaty.
• Artcurial Motorcars: Artcurial runs the prestigious Rétromobile sale in Paris and a year-round motorcar department. It is a relevant European peer for high-end classic car transactions and serves many of the same European collectors as Kidston.
• Bonhams Motor Cars: Bonhams operates an international classic car auction business as part of a broader auction house. It serves similar high-net-worth collectors and competes for the same significant consignments that Kidston places privately.

Direct peers

• Talacrest: Talacrest is a long-established UK classic car dealer specializing in significant post-war sports and racing cars. It competes with Kidston for the same high-end private consignments and collector clients.
• Girardo & Co. Girardo & Co. is a London-based specialist classic car dealer focused on significant road and racing cars. Its private-sale model, selective inventory, and collector relationships closely mirror Kidston's boutique brokerage approach.
• Coys of Kensington: Coys is a UK-based classic and collector car auction and dealership. It shares the London/European collector base and handles significant classics via auctions and private sales, similar to Kidston's hybrid but auction-led model.
• Hyman Ltd: Hyman Ltd is a US-based specialist classic car dealer handling significant European sports and racing cars. Like Kidston, it operates as a focused dealer-broker rather than an auctioneer, serving a similar collector profile.
• Broad Arrow Group: Broad Arrow is a modern classic car auction and private sales house that combines auction events with private brokerage services. Its hybrid model directly overlaps Kidston's private-treaty offering while competing for the same blue-chip consignments.

Others

• K500: K500 is the market intelligence database and auction results index closely associated with Kidston. It is an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, providing shared data infrastructure for collector car valuations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/kidstonmotorcars
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kidston-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kidston SA