 Wickins then rented a farmer's field at Frimley Bridges, now under junction 4 of the M3 motorway, and set up his first public auction.The 14 cars auctioned sold for a total of £8,250.Wickins and one of his brothers immediately founded Southern Counties Car Auctions, which, after exiting the Royal Navy shortly afterwards, he expanded across the UK by selling surplus ex-British Army and Royal Air Force vehicles for the Ministry of Defence.