For nearly 30 years, Classic Cars Ltd. has enjoyed an outstanding reputation for integrity and knowledge in the collector car field.  We are fortunate to have the continued support of long time customers, many of whom have become personal friends over the years.  Virtually all of our business comes from repeat or referral business and we often represent vehicles from the collections of our clients as they acquire new vehicle to satisfy their collector car “bucket list” of vehicles to own.  Whether it be an MGB or a Maserati, we remain passionate about classic cars and, at the end of the day, it is and always will been all about the cars, and their owners.

We are centrally located in beautiful Pleasanton, CA., the heart of the Livermore Wine Country, with access to Northern & Southern CA shipping ports to meet our customers’ global needs. We look forward to talking with you regarding your collector car needs.

Tripp’s passion for cars began with one of his earliest memories which involved Tripp, his dad and his dad’s 1960 Corvette.  Tripp fondly recalls driving across a bridge in Richmond, Virginia in the black 1960 Corvette convertible that his father had been rest-oring. The emotion of enjoying something his father loved and the feeling of driving in a convertible with the top down accompanied by the soundtrack of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” on the radio is an indelible memory that cemented Tripp’s enthusiasm for classic cars.

In high school in Connecticut, Tripp made “automotive education” a key part of his curriculum. Rather than follow the reading assignments for English class, Tripp instead read every Car & Driver, Road & Track, and Motor Trend he could get his hands on. He continued his education with his friends  gaining first-hand knowledge and experience by working on their own cars.  “Fix what you break” was his dad’s philosophy…so with their approach of “trial and error,” they kept busy.  Tripp must have done 25 brake jobs on his 1980 Honda Accord thanks to Napa’s lifetime warranty on pads (and not having the money to replace the rotors).

The summer between his freshman and sophomore year of high school, Tripp’s best friend’s dad took Tripp for a ride in his brand new car, a 1990 Porsche Carrera 4 5-speed.  This guy knew how to drive as he had done quite a bit of racing at Mid-Ohio back in the day and he made those Connecticut back roads seem like a winding black ribbon. Having experienced what it was like to drive the Porsche as it was meant to be driven, Tripp was hooked on cars even more than before.

After graduating from college in New England, work and family life took priority.  The interest in cars was still very much there, but unfortunately, time was not. A job transfer brought Tripp to California and in 2007, Tripp’s parents came out from the East Coast to visit. As they often did when they were together, Tripp and his dad made a point to visit many of the boutique car shops in Northern California. During one of these visits, Tripp and his dad walked into Classic Cars Ltd. where they met Paul. Impressed with the quality of Paul’s collection of cars, his professionalism, and the way he marketed and sold his vehicles, Tripp and his dad became one of Paul’s many loyal customers and added a restored ‘57 Chevy to their car collection. Tripp and Paul hit it off and that began a 13-year relationship of “stop-ins”, “tire-kicking” and sharing stories and insights about cars.

After over 20 years of working for various hi-tech companies in North Carolina and Northern California, Tripp decided it was time to make his passion his work. During one of their “tire-kicking” conversations Tripp and Paul discussed the possibility of Tripp taking over management of Classic Cars Ltd. After many thoughtful conversations Tripp decided to pursue his dream and bought Classic Cars Ltd. from Paul in January 2020. Tripp has enjoyed meeting and working with the many existing and new Classic Cars customers. Being able to share his passion for cars with others is a dream come true.

When not at the store, you will find Tripp spending time with his family and their Rhodesian Ridgeback, Lola.