BENHAM (SPECIALIST CARS) LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
01834005 · ltd · incorporated 1984-07-18
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 99999
Sector: Extraterritorial bodies
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 87-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 67/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 87). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 9 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (53/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

15 live charges · 9 lenders · oldest 39.9y

25/100
too messy

Structure is too messy for a clean refinance right now — clean up first or expect bespoke terms.

  • · Oldest live charge is 39.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 9 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Legal-friction score 50/100 (high).

Data confidence

Overall: high (82/100)

Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
15 charges (15/15 with lender, 15/15 with type)
90
Directors & officers
14 officers (2 active, 14 linked, 12 with DOB)
87
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
9 connected companies via shared directors
72
Filing history
163 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Dec 2024Dec 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-12-312024-12-31

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (62 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-04-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  2. 2025-04-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-09-13
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-08-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  5. 2024-08-12
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  6. 2023-08-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  7. 2022-07-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  8. 2021-07-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  9. 2020-10-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  10. 2019-09-06
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  11. 2019-06-06
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  12. 2019-01-02
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  13. 2019-01-02
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2019-01-01
    ➕
    ADAMS, William Guy appointed
    director
  15. 2018-12-31
    ➖
    COOK, Nicholas John resigned
    director
  16. 2018-06-20
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  17. 2017-08-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  18. 2014-10-31
    ➖
    FAIRBOTHAM, Jeffrey Alan resigned
    director
  19. 2010-12-29
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #14
  20. 2010-12-17
    🔒
    Charge registered #15
    Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
  21. 2010-12-14
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #10
  22. 2010-09-02
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #13
  23. 2010-09-02
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #12
  24. 2010-08-27
    ➕
    ORTON WILLIAMS, Margaret Mary appointed
    director
  25. 2010-08-27
    ➖
    DOWNS, Michael John resigned
    secretary
  26. 2010-08-27
    ➕
    COOK, Nicholas John appointed
    director
  27. 2010-08-27
    ➕
    FAIRBOTHAM, Jeffrey Alan appointed
    director
  28. 2010-08-27
    ➖
    HOLMES, David Michael resigned
    director
  29. 2010-08-27
    ➖
    VAUGHAN, Laurence Edward William resigned
    director
  30. 2010-08-27
    🔒
    Charge registered #14
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  31. 2006-01-24
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #11
  32. 2005-11-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #8
  33. 2005-11-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  34. 2005-11-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  35. 2005-11-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #13
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  36. 2005-11-02
    🔒
    Charge registered #12
    Lender: The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
  37. 2005-08-01
    ➕
    DOWNS, Michael John appointed
    secretary
  38. 2005-08-01
    ➖
    HOGBEN, Diana resigned
    secretary
  39. 2005-08-01
    ➖
    HOGBEN, Diana resigned
    director
  40. 2005-08-01
    ➖
    HOGBEN, Philip Richard resigned
    director
  41. 2005-08-01
    ➕
    HOLMES, David Michael appointed
    director
  42. 2005-08-01
    ➖
    MARNHAM, Peter Frederick resigned
    director
  43. 2005-08-01
    ➖
    MARNHAM, Philippa Mary resigned
    director
  44. 2005-08-01
    ➖
    SMITH, Ian William resigned
    director
  45. 2005-08-01
    ➕
    VAUGHAN, Laurence Edward William appointed
    director
  46. 2005-08-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #11
    Lender: Opus Ventures General Partner Limited
  47. 2005-08-01
    🔒
    Charge registered #10
    Lender: Bmw Financial Services (GB) Limited
  48. 1996-12-15
    ➖
    DAVIES, Steven Paul resigned
    director
  49. 1994-08-19
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #9
  50. 1993-09-09
    🔒
    Charge registered #9
    Lender: Psa Wholesale Limited
Showing most recent 50 of 62 events

Owner dependency

83/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 87 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

89/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 87 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 42 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mrs Margaret Mary Orton Williams
Individual · British · DOB 06/1939 · age 87
25–50%
50–75%board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control27/08/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1984-07-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC99999 — SIC 99999

Registered office

2 Vincent Way
Raikes Lane
Bolton
Uk
BL3 2NB

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-27
Last: 2025-09-13

Officers (2 active · 12 resigned)

ADAMS, William Guy→
director · ~56y · appointed 2019-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
ORTON WILLIAMS, Margaret Mary→
director · ~87y · appointed 2010-08-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
DOWNS, Michael John→
secretary · appointed 2005-08-01 · resigned 2010-08-27
Resigned
HOGBEN, Diana→
secretary · resigned 2005-08-01
Resigned
COOK, Nicholas John→
director · ~74y · appointed 2010-08-27 · resigned 2018-12-31
Resigned
DAVIES, Steven Paul→
director · ~71y · resigned 1996-12-15
Resigned
FAIRBOTHAM, Jeffrey Alan→
director · ~70y · appointed 2010-08-27 · resigned 2014-10-31
Resigned
HOGBEN, Diana→
director · ~77y · resigned 2005-08-01
Resigned
HOGBEN, Philip Richard→
director · ~77y · resigned 2005-08-01
Resigned
HOLMES, David Michael→
director · ~70y · appointed 2005-08-01 · resigned 2010-08-27
Resigned
MARNHAM, Peter Frederick→
director · ~79y · resigned 2005-08-01
Resigned
MARNHAM, Philippa Mary→
director · ~78y · resigned 2005-08-01
Resigned
SMITH, Ian William→
director · ~65y · resigned 2005-08-01
Resigned
VAUGHAN, Laurence Edward William→
director · ~63y · appointed 2005-08-01 · resigned 2010-08-27
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

15
Total charges
3
Outstanding
3
Active lenders
Status:Lender:15 of 15 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property17/12/2010—
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property27/08/201029/12/2010
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Legal charge1 property02/11/200502/09/2010
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Governor and Company of the Bank of Scotland
Debenture1 property02/11/200502/09/2010
satisfied
Opus Ventures General Partner
Opus Ventures General Partner Limited
Composite guarantee and debenture1 property01/08/200524/01/2006
satisfied
Bmw Financial Services (GB)
Bmw Financial Services (GB) Limited
Legal charge1 property01/08/200514/12/2010
satisfied
Psa Wholesale
Psa Wholesale Limited
Deed1 property09/09/199319/08/1994
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property31/08/198904/11/2005
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Legal mortgage1 property31/08/198904/11/2005
satisfied
Bmw Finance (GB)
Bmw Finance (GB) Limited
Floating charge over used vehicles1 property07/01/198804/11/2005
outstanding
Bmw Finance (GB)
Bmw Finance (GB) Limited
Debenture1 property21/12/1987—
outstanding
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bowmaker LTD
Debenture1 property04/02/1987—
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
Lloyds Bowmaker LTD
Charge1 property29/12/198622/01/1993
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Legal charge2 properties05/11/198601/08/1990
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Charge of cash deposit1 property10/09/198601/08/1990
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (163 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2026-04-01
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-09-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-13
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-08-12
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-08-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-08-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-07-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2021-07-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2020-10-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-02