Continuing our partnership with the Richmond Sentinel, Our City Tonight went on location to Richmond to sit down with Patrick Lee, the director of Drive Motorsports Limited. 

OCT: Patrick thank you for having us to this beautiful showroom (for the visual experience go to richmondsentinel/video). 

PL: You’re welcome Jim, this is a place that we built and expanded over the last couple of years. We want our customer experience to be very unique.

OCT: We’re sitting here in the middle of Drive Motorsports’ showroom, Patrick you’ve been here since 2018 but this company grew from your other company established in 2015. Let’s start there, with this other company.

PL: In 2015, we started Kings Auto Lease, which is a leasing and finance business that was directed to dealers and clients as well. The office was located just across the street, then in 2018 we created Drive Motorsports with an indoor showroom and with the recent addition, we have doubled the size of the showroom. 

OCT: Even though you are located in the heart of Richmond on No. 3 Road, you are tucked away with little drive-by traffic and not that many cars parked outside, so obviously you’ve done a great job promoting your company and this amazing showroom.

PL: Our showroom is important to us. It gives the experience that’s very unique. We do have some cars parked outside but most of the exotic cars are parked in the showroom, the cars are then parked in a storage facility overnight and then returned to our showroom the next day. True, we don’t have a lot of drive-by traffic however, once you hear about us, see us, then it’s up to us to create a memorable experience so that you will tell your friends.

OCT: Let’s talk about the experience because there is so much that you do. We talked earlier about how people like yourself are re-writing or re-inventing the wheel—what it’s like to buy, lease, or sell. We’re going to get into some of the brands that you carry in a minute, but first let’s talk about the experience that you create for everyone coming into your showroom. 

PL: People are going the route of researching technology, but with our customers we find they really want to experience these cars firsthand. They want to sit in the car, smell the aroma of that new leather, drive the car, and test it out on the road. This experience goes far beyond the typical clicking online to buy a car. We provide leasing and financing that is structured specifically for each client. We determine if they want short-term or longer-term financing, it’s really tailored based on each and every client’s needs. But having said that, the overall experience is really important, and without the positive experience, we won’t earn repeat business. The relationships built are far more important than just that one sale.

OCT: The pandemic had an impact on the economy, with Drive Motorsports specializing in a very unique market, was your business affected. 

PL: During Covid, quite surprisingly, people were still buying cars. Living in the lower mainland, we are aware that we have a great transit system however, I believe that people still like buying a car, getting in their car and driving to work or, enjoying a drive up to Whistler or heading down south to Seattle. Being in a nice car is a fun experience.

OCT: Let’s talk about some of the models and brands that you have here at Drive Motorsports. We can start with this beautiful Aston Martin.

PL: Aston Martin has done a great job, and typically with the Aston Martin we’re used to exotic sports vehicles, with this SUV model they came up with this really great addition. The sport SUV can go fast as heck and the drive, and the styling is very unique, you have to personally see the workmanship to appreciate it. Aston Martin has done a really good job with the design and technology.

OCT: I see you also carry the Lamborghini.

PL: Yes, we do have exotic vehicles like Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Mercedes and electric vehicle options. We also have cars that are at a much lower price point as well, so it’s not just all exotic vehicles. We can serve clients of all ranges and it’s not just cars that we have here in the showroom. We can source vehicles for clients as well, as it’s not just about four wheels and a steering wheel, many people are passionate about so much more when it comes to their vehicles, so we do everything we can to search for that special request.

OCT: I just want to touch on something that you mentioned regarding some of the things you do for your customers that includes, helping them find a vehicle even when it’s something extremely unique or rare.

PL: We can source classics as they are still very popular. Keep in mind that the market is now very global so we can go beyond Canada. We can reach out to the USA and Europe as well.

OCT: With that said, what does today’s economy look like for Drive Motorsports.

PL: Over the last six to nine months, we’ve seen a little bit of an increase in interest rates, which obviously adds to the cost of the vehicles. Again, we are going to give the best rates that we can for our clients and offer terms that best fits them. 

To view the video interview in full go to richmondsentinel.ca/videos