Ling's Cars
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Vehicle dealership |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Ling Valentine |
| Headquarters | Newcastle upon Tyne , England, United Kingdom |
Key people | Ling Valentine (founder) |
| Website | www |
LINGsCARS.com (often presented as LINGsCARS) operates as a vehicle dealership located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, distinguished by its uniquely designed website.
History
The enterprise Ling's Cars was established in 2000 by Ling Valentine, a Chinese entrepreneur originally hailing from Chengdu, China, who moved to the United Kingdom during the 1990s. Alongside her husband Jon, she launched the company from their own living room. By 2006, the firm was achieving monthly sales exceeding £1 million and reported a profit of £100,000 in 2005. Ling Valentine gained further public recognition in 2007 through her participation in the BBC reality television program Dragons' Den. In 2013, she changed her residence from Low Fell to Grange Villa. On October 21, 2020, Ling declared her retirement from the automotive sector to embark on a global cycling journey, entrusting her employees with ongoing business operations.
Website
The website of Ling's Cars has been characterized as "the most unusual website on the internet." It included features such as karaoke, online games, an e-commerce section, and a frequently asked questions page. In 2014, Ling expressed her intention to differentiate herself amid numerous similar car leasing websites.
In February 2025, the website underwent a redesign that eliminated animated components and subdued the background design. A pared-down version of the original site is now accessible at https://museum.lingscars.com/. Certain sections, including Scalextric, were removed from the main navigation but remain reachable through direct URLs.
Controversies
Ling's Cars has encountered several issues with the ASA. In 2013, an advertisement promoting a 1982 DMC DeLorean was scrutinized by the ASA. Another ad was prohibited in 2018 due to the use of the term "bum boys." During June 2020 amid the George Floyd protests, Ling's Cars released a Facebook advertisement containing slogans such as "Black Cars Matter" and "Once you go black, you never go back," which led to complaints and subsequent banning by the ASA.