Linkage 016 51 We do a lot of charity events at the garage and have raised over a million dollars for the Boys and Girls Club alone. We don’t do any political fundraising — just charities involving either scholarships or folks with medical needs. We don’t deduct anything from the donations — in fact we never see the money. It goes from the donor directly to those in need, and that keeps everybody honest. Making friends The really fun part of my garage is when I get to show people lost technology — like my Doble steam car. It’s really fun when someone like Christian Von Koenigsegg asks you, “How does this work? I still pinch myself when I look back at some of the luminaries that have toured my garage. Gordon Murray sitting in my Mercer Raceabout is one of my favorites. Great designers, such as Marcello Gandini and Giotto Bizzarrini looking over my two Lamborghini Miuras is a memory I will never forget. My garage helped me be friends with my heroes, such Dan Gurney and Phil Hill. Having Sterling Moss drive me around Laguna Seca at speed in his record-breaking 1955 SLR is one of the highlights of my life. None of these amazing experiences would have happened without my garage. The original 17,500-square-foot building is now the shop where we do most of the work. We have an engine dyno and a chassis dyno. We have a paint booth. We have a water cutter and we do 3D printing, which lets us make parts that are no longer available. We try to be as green as possible by using solar power on the roof and a vibratory cleaner — as well as non-toxic cleaners whenever possible. I have been very fortunate to acquire a lot of antique metalshaping tools, such as English wheels and other devices that are no longer available. If you are a collector who has the means to acquire valuable autos, try to acquire valuable people as well. For the price of one vintage car you could hire a qualified mechanic. Believe me, these wonderful people will save your life. The number of times my guys have found something that I overlooked — and almost burned down the garage are too numerous to mention. There are tons of old guys that would love nothing better than taking care of someone’s vintage automobiles — plus it’s a point of pride for a lot of them to pass on their knowledge to some younger people. We had a seminar at the shop one day where old guys with carburetor jets and float bowls were exchanging information with college students with OBDII scanner reading tools. Each group was impressed with the other. Every year, McPherson College, in Kansas, turns out qualified students who have a four-year degree in automobile restoration. These are young people who are eager to learn the skills that are fast disappearing. I believe they also have a course on how to manage automobile collections as well. Here’s what I like about America: When I was in college, I worked at a car dealership called Foreign Motors on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. Once or twice a month, a group of us — I was the youngest — went to one of our wealthy customer’s homes in Chestnut Hill to detail (we called it wash and wax in those days) his collection of Mercedes-Benz cars. I took that job because I thought that was as close as I would ever get to those kind of cars. As we were working one day, one of the older guys said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if this was the only job we had — just cleaning this guy’s cars? I quickly said, “Wouldn’t it be even cooler to be the guy that owed the cars?” One guy was laughing so hard he dropped his supplies. “Keep dreaming kid, it’s never gonna happen,” he said. I actually got mad and said, “I’m not saying it’s gonna happen; I’m just saying it’s possible.” Those three older guys shook their heads like I was out of my mind. I was lucky. I was able to achieve my dreams. I always felt sorry for those guys for not even trying. My favorite quote comes a fellow New Englander, John Greenleaf Whittier: “For all the sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, ’It might have been.’”
52 Linkage 016 AMERICAN MUSCLE Space that Works Garages can be about storage or presentation, but they’re also about process by JIM PICKERING ANY CAR PERSON will tell you that garage space is premium space. The dream of the classic car has to reside somewhere, and just how that dream is fulfilled within the studs speaks more about the person than it does about the cars. For some, it’s about presentation. Careful lighting on special cars, well-thought-out placement and expensive automobilia on the walls. A place to display a collection. When I walk into my garage and look around, all I see is a catalyst. My garage is trouble. My garage is an enabler. Turning the page In 2018, my wife and I bought a new house, and as a big bonus, I found myself expanding from a dark two-car garage into an oversized three-car setup. As I was rolling my tools into my new space, I got a call from an editor friend who for months had been pitching me to write a how-to book on building modified classic C10 trucks. We’d had the conversation a handful of times already, and my answer had always been a friendly no: I knew the trucks, but my two-car garage was filled with a ’66 Chevrolet full-size car, thank you very much. I just didn’t have room. It’s not that I didn’t want to, I’d tell him. I just couldn’t. Really, though, the small garage was a convenient excuse keeping me from an intimidating task — 80,000 words and 450 photos. Doing it right meant a
Linkage 016 53 full-on truck build done in my off hours, managing all the parts sourcing and installations while also working full-time and still raising a young family. I’d have to go to school on some of it. See one, do one, teach one as my nurse educator wife Kristina likes to say. All done on a nine-month deadline. Even if everything went right, I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. But, as we started up the same conversation again in my new space, I looked over at my ’66, dwarfed by the room around it. In a moment of either weakness or clarity spurred by square footage, I caved and agreed. Experts and students Soon I had a ’79 C10 blown apart in my new workspace. For the next nine months, I spent most of my weekends and nearly all of my evenings either building the truck in my garage or writing about my progress a few feet away in my office. The DIY build was a challenge — but most intimidating were the tasks I couldn’t do myself. The axle is a great example. Setting up gears is an art form, particularly in a GM axle that uses a crush sleeve to set pinion bearing preload. I had to explain how to do it in the book. I needed help. But there’s always a guy to go to, and in my area, that guy was Dan of Dan’s Gears. I sort of knew Dan, so he didn’t tell me to pound sand when I called to ask if I could learn from him and take a few photos. I gathered up all the things I thought he’d need: an Eaton posi carrier, a 4.11 gearset, a set of bearings, races and seals. Then I brought my axle housing to his home-based shop early on a Tuesday. Dan’s garage was an enabling space, too. It was large, and was filled with a lift and a bunch of special tools, some of which he’d made over the years. He ran at half speed for me, stopping to explain proper case preload, rules of thumb for pinion shims and how to make setup bearings that don’t require a press. I shot a thousand photos and took notes, and at the end of it, had a fresh axle in performance spec for the C10. He charged me less than he should have, and I promised him a copy of the book as soon as it was ready. Then I sped home to write everything down. The axle chapter ended up being the first one I completed. It set the tone for the entire project. Six months later — ahead of schedule — the 6.0 LS motor I built in my garage fired for the first time. About a month after that, I took the ’79 out for its first drive. My daughter Katie rode shotgun, clapping the whole time. When the book finally came out, I drove the ‘79 to take a copy to Dan — and was surprised to find his place empty. He’d moved away. It seemed smaller than it was the day we set up the axle. Collecting skills The book did well enough that I wasn’t afraid to sign on for another in the summer of 2020 — this one all about 1967-72 GM trucks. Soon after, I had a 1967 C20 blown apart in my garage — but this time, I was on my own to document the build of a 12-bolt axle. I bought a 20-ton press and sourced a dial indicator from Summit Racing, and then I started searching around for the specs I’d need. It’s a special kind of strange to Google something and find the answer in your own book. That’s when I realized how important the time and space at Dan’s really was. When I went to do the axle work myself in my own garage, Dan’s art was there, too — only now it was coming from me. The press now lives in the corner of my garage, next to a welder, a couple of workbenches, an engine hoist and an engine stand that together fill the space and set the tone. Of course, even with all that stuff, I still have some room. Or at least I did. As of a month ago, a new-to-me 1968 Camaro that I didn’t need is blown apart with a whole lot of intimidating sheet metal troubles that I need to figure out how to fix. See one. Do one. Maybe I’ll teach one, too.
54 Linkage 016 TALKING FAST Building for a Great 2024 McLaren’s Formula One team finished well in 2023 after a slow start — and the 2024 season starts in early March by ZAK BROWN AS I LOOK out of my office window, I can see the pale winter sun dipping behind the lake and the hills beyond. In this little corner of Surrey, where the McLaren Technology Centre is based, the winter landscape appears calm. After being on the road for months on end and traveling thousands of miles across the globe, the holiday season is a chance to catch our breath and reflect on an epic season. However, the stillness outside is in stark contrast to the work going on deep inside the MTC. It’s all hands on deck in our manufacturing departments as we feverishly work to create our 2024 Formula One car. Before we know it, we’ll be boarding that first flight of the year to Bahrain. Arriving at the season opener in 2023, we knew we weren’t going to be competitive. And that was borne out on the race track. As the Red Bull team scampered off into the distance, we struggled with technical problems and Lando Norris could only manage 17th. In fact, the year continued poorly, with the nadir coming in Miami. There we were the tenth-slowest team. While it was a difficult start in F1, our new adventure in Formula E started brightly, with rookie Jake Dennis putting his McLaren on pole position in Riyadh — in only his third race. We also enjoyed a decent start in Extreme E, as we secured top spot in the Redemption Race in the Desert X Prix in NEOM, Saudi Arabia. Sixty fast years The past year was an important one for McLaren as we celebrated 60 years since the team’s formation. As part of the important milestone, we ran at Monaco and the Indianapolis 500 in special commemorative liveries. For me, the Indy 500 was one of my personal highlights of the season. We led 78 of 200 laps — and had two cars capable of victory. Sadly it wasn’t our year, but I can’t wait to head back there next May — and also put together a strong campaign across the whole IndyCar season in 2024. Another personal highlight for me was McLaren’s home Grand Prix at Silverstone. I felt that was the turning point in our season.
Linkage 016 55 When Lando burst into the lead off the start line, and the cheers erupted from the grandstands, it was truly a spine-tingling moment. Lando has been on top of his game in 2023, with great speed and fantastic race craft. He rarely makes mistakes, and I think he was too hard on himself when he picked up a track limits penalty in Qatar qualifying. You only have to look down the grid to see that when drivers make a mistake they are usually in the fence. Oscar Piastri has been equally brilliant this past season, and it was a shame he just missed out on a podium at the British Grand Prix because of the timing of the Safety Car. But the rookie led his first laps a few races later at Spa — and triumphed in the Qatar Sprint to take his first P1 spot in an F1 race. He will continue to impress as he builds on his experience. Going into 2023, the goal was to finish fourth overall in F1. We achieved that aim, but the reality is that we’ve been a blend of being the ninth-quickest team, while at the end of the year we were arguably the second fastest out there. In those early days, we stayed focused and remained calm and had the confidence and the belief we could reverse our fortunes. I have to give a lot of credit to our Team Principal Andrea Stella and his leadership for a phenomenal turnaround. He has done an outstanding job, not only in the culture he has created, but the way he has empowered people. Andrea’s a fantastic leader and a great communicator. He’s also tough, demanding and fair. New year, new tech As the year comes to a close at the MTC, I’m excited about a few of the long-term infrastructure projects that are now up-and-running. We have our new wind tunnel and simulator, plus our upgraded manufacturing unit. We have a renewed deal with Mercedes and new personnel starting in the New Year. I’m hoping that we’ll start 2024 strongly and then aim to maximize everything for the year after. Finally, I want to add a special mention to all the fans — and particularly the Papaya fans. There is no sport without you, so we appreciate your support and are already looking forward to seeing you at a race track in the near future.
56 Linkage 016 BUILDING A STORY IN LINKAGE 013, I told you how back in 2007, “Popular Mechanics” magazine hired my Minisport shop to transform a classic General Motors “Squarebody” Dually pickup truck into a high-performance vehicle capable of winning a 2,900-mile race from New York City to Los Angeles. This cross-country event had been dreamed up by British entrepreneur Tim Porter to honor the 35th Anniversary of Brock Yates’ 1971 Cannonball Sea-to-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash and the 25th Anniversary of “The Cannonball Run” movie. Named “White Lightning!” by Hearst Publication’s PR Department, our pickup was patterned after a similar Dually that had starred in “The Cannonball Run.” This was not some lightweight “mini truck” White Lightning’s Great American Run Coveys of speeding supercars provide the distraction needed to avoid tickets and build a strong lead by RICH TAYLOR like the Ford Rangers Steve Saleen built for the SCCA RaceTruck Challenge of the late-1980s, nor was it a 700-horsepower, 3,300-pound tube-frame stock car disguised under flimsy bodywork like those in the NASCAR Truck Series. Powered by a fuel-injected, 502-ci V8 rated at 505 horsepower and 550 ft-lbs of torque, White Lightning! was a 4-door, 6-wheel monster more than 20 feet long that weighed over 7,000 lbs. That included 140 gallons of fuel split between two 20-gallon tanks and two 50-gallon fuel cells. It had a computerized Flex-Fuel system that ran on either 93 Octane gasoline or E85, a Gear Vendors Overdrive/Underdrive providing a total of six forward speeds, an early Tom Tom GPS “portable navigation system” and a rare mobile WiFi. Remember, the very first iPhone was introduced in June, 2007, literally one month before our cross-country race. A mobile Internet connection for your laptop computer was still an expensive, high-tech add-on. I was the designated driver and my client, Bruce Mitnick, Director of Special Projects for Hearst Corporation, my navigator. The event started from the famous Tavern on the Green in Central Park at midnight on Sunday evening, July 29, 2007. The first time anyone actually drove White Lightning! further than on and off the lift in my shop, I motored 100 miles from Connecticut to the Hearst Tower at the corner of 8th Avenue and 57th Street in Manhattan. Happily, everything seemed to work and nothing fell off. Photos by Taylor-Constantine
Linkage 016 57 Last-minute surprises Cathie Black, President of Hearst Magazines, held a sidewalk press conference to publicize our participation in The Great American Run. Bruce Mitnick and I then drove White Lightning! 10 blocks to the Tavern on the Green to start the race. When organizer Tim Porter was convincing Bruce to sponsor his event, he had promised 400 cars would participate, 100 each leaving from Miami, Atlanta, Washington DC and New York. In actual fact, no cars started from Atlanta nor Washington, and only 35 vehicles from Miami and 45 from New York. During the Driver’s Meeting at Tavern on the Green, we learned that unlike the original Cannonball Runs that were unlimited high-speed races in which you could choose your preferred route, The Great American Run was not a race, but a modest Time-Speed-Distance rally over a course specified in a route book, with checkpoints along the way, four overnight stops and a target average speed of just 61 mph. Until that moment, I believe Bruce thought “Popular Mechanics” was the major event sponsor. Instead, every vehicle had to carry The Great American Run decals and Saleen Automotive decals. To me, it seemed like Tim Porter had made a bigger deal with Steve Saleen than with “Popular Mechanics.” First Prize was now a new Saleen Mustang 281. There were almost a dozen Saleens among the 80 vehicles—one of them driven by Steve’s daughter Molly Saleen—and a checkpoint at a Saleen dealership in Indianapolis. The only signs of “Popular Mechanics” sponsorship were the decals on our own truck. The first car of The Great American Run turned out of the Tavern on the Green driveway onto West 66th Street and Central Park West at midnight. The pack followed at one-minute intervals. It was a mixed group that included everything from a Mazda RX-7 wearing racing slicks to a new Bugatti Veyron. There were multiple Astons, Audis, BMWs, Lotuses, Mercedes, Porsches, Saleen Mustangs, Roush Mustangs, Corvettes, one Cadillac XLRV and a new Rolls-Royce Phantom. Bruce and I were the only team driving a 20-year-old pickup truck. The route took us out of Manhattan, up along the Hudson River, then wandering around in the Catskill Mountains for hours. It was a dark and rainy night. The thing I remember most is that we were driving along in the middle of a group of about 10 racers on a narrow, two-lane mountain road somewhere near Ellenville, New York, when a red Corvette came from the back of the pack, passed everyone on a double yellow and was immediately pulled over by a New York State Trooper hiding in the bushes. Unintentionally, this sacrificial Corvette “took a bullet” and allowed the rest of us to speed away. Finally, around dawn, the cold rain let up, and we connected with Interstate 70 East of Columbus, Ohio. We then raced straight west to Indianapolis. We pulled into the Indianapolis Checkpoint around 10 a.m. Despite the dark, the traffic and the twisty mountain roads, I had averaged 80 mph for the first 750 miles of The Great American Run, which was identical to Dan Gurney’s 1971 coast-to-coast average in a Ferrari Daytona! Bruce and I were so early, we had time to refuel and wash White Lightning! before idling through the Checkpoint to “Zero,” with an average speed of exactly 61.0 mph. Then we ate a quick lunch and slept until 6 a.m. the next morning. Troopers on patrol The second day was very different. After starting from a checkpoint at the local Ford dealership that handled Saleen Mustangs, we droned across I-70 to St. Louis, then I-44 to Tulsa, Oklahoma — roughly 650 miles. I shifted White Lightning! into overdrive, set the cruise control at 90 mph, turned on the air-conditioning and relaxed in my genuine leather bucket seat with adjustable armrests. With the big V8 loafing along at just over 2,000 rpm, I was getting better than 10 mpg, which thanks to our auxiliary fuel tanks, gave me a range of over 1,400 miles. As soon as we got out of Indy traffic, a group of about six Ferraris, Porsches and Corvettes blew by us like we were tied to a post. Ten miles down the highway, all six were pulled over, while an Indiana State Trooper gave them tickets. Half an hour later, they all blasted by us again. Sure enough, in another 10 miles, all of them were on the side of the Interstate chatting with another Trooper. This went on throughout the day. Not one policeman even looked at White Lightning! quietly sneaking by at 90 mph, as they were so busy searching for Ferraris doing 150. By the same token, not one other rally competitor had figured out it was ultimately quicker to drive 90 mph and not get stopped than 150 mph and get stopped repeatedly. We had equipped our truck to be able to navigate a route using GPS and computer, but all I had to do was follow the Interstate on cruise control. With no need to navigate, Bruce used his laptop to send out advertising contracts for “Popular Mechanics” and keep up with his normal office emails. Determined to justify the huge trouble and expense we’d gone through to make White Lightning! compatible with E85, Bruce did waste an hour on the Internet trying to find a gas station that sold E85. Even in the Midwest cornfields, the nearest one he could find was two hours out of the way. He gave up, and we ran 93 Octane gasoline in all four fuel tanks, rather than gas in the left side and E85 in the right side as we had originally intended. We averaged almost 90 mph from Indianapolis to Tulsa, including refueling and washing the truck when we arrived. Once again, according to official results handed out by The Great American Run organizers, we had zeroed every checkpoint and were tied for the lead with one other car. On to Vegas! After dinner and 10 hours sleep, we were ready to go again the next morning, 650 miles to Albuquerque following I-40 and Route 66. Frankly, I was so tired I don’t remember much about it. I do know that Bruce believed we still zeroed every stage. Another 650 miles got us to Las Vegas on I-40. Now we driving through the sunny Southwest in August, with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees. White Lightning! was perfectly comfortable, unlike the Saleen Mustangs that had been fitted with trendy clear-glass
58 Linkage 016 BUILDING A STORY roofs. These acted like a greenhouse, using solar power to cook the passengers. By the time we reached Las Vegas, the Saleen Mustangs that repeatedly passed us had bath towels or hotel shower curtains duct-taped to the inside of the roof. Las Vegas is my least-favorite American city. Why? Well, my theory is that in every small town there are two swinging couples who think they’re cool hipsters — cheap imitations of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in their Rat Pack days. Las Vegas is where all these small town swingers gather. The Great American Run stayed at Sheldon Adelson’s new Venetian. I ordered room service and went to sleep. The morning start from Las Vegas was delayed by an accident that snarled traffic on the highway, and since the 30 cars or so that had made it from Miami had now joined us, there were roughly 70 cars still competing in The Great American Run. The official results still showed us tied for first. The checkpoint finally opened at 9 a.m., which among other things, meant when we raced across Death Valley, it was over 100 degrees. When we got to Muroc Dry Lake in the afternoon on our way to Willow Springs, it was more like 115. After behaving perfectly for three days, White Lightning! decided it didn’t like these extremely hot and dry conditions. We would drive along perfectly fine, then the big V8 would start running poorly — and then vapor lock. If I switched fuel tanks, the vapor lock would go away for a while, then return. I finally figured out that the fuel injection system operated by pumping excess fuel to the fuel log, then injecting just what was needed and sending the excess fuel back to the tank. It was so hot that the fuel returning to the tank was heating up the gas in the tank, and causing vapor lock. The solution was to run on the left fuel cell until incipient vapor lock, then switch to the right fuel cell until incipient vapor lock, then switch back. And over and over again. By noon, the ambient temperature was nearly 120 degrees, and I was switching from one tank to another every five minutes. Once we got to Willow Springs and let things cool off at the checkpoint, everything was fine from there to the finish in Los Angeles. We left White Lightning! overnight in a parking garage on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and took a taxi to the historic 1923 Millennium Biltmore in downtown Los Angeles for The Great American Run Victory Banquet. Tim Porter didn’t even start his party until 9 p.m., and the noise level in the Biltmore Ballroom was so high that we really could have used earplugs. Dinner wasn’t served until midnight. Bruce was convinced we had zeroed the week. He was determined to wait until the winner was announced. The evening dragged on, and at 2 a.m., I finally gave up and went to bed. I’d accomplished my personal goals to build White Lightning! and drive it across the country faster than Dan Gurney’s 80 mile-per-hour average driving a Ferrari Daytona in the 1971 Cannonball. My 84 mph average, including fuel stops — but not including our mandatory overnights — more than accomplished both goals. In the morning, Bruce was seriously annoyed. Not only did we not win The Great American Run driving White Lightning!, we were not even included in the results! My interpretation was that organizer Tim Porter would have been mortified to give his prize to a couple of 60-year-old guys driving a 20-year-old dually pickup sponsored by, of all things, “Popular Mechanics.” What would all those rich guys in Astons, Bugattis and Rolls-Royces think? So he just left us out. The winners of The Great American Run were claimed to be Mike Jones and Steve Games, who just happened to be driving the Saleen Mustang 281 that was to be awarded to the winners. The Great American Run now seemed to me like a Saleen marketing stunt. Bruce flew home while I rescued White Lightning! from Rodeo Drive and drove it to Scottsdale, where I left it with a friend of mine who owned a classic car storage facility called The Stables. Losing White Lightning! Five months later, Bruce and I flew back to Scottsdale for the January old car auctions. We splurged some more of Randy Hearst’s money and stayed at the Frank Lloyd Wrightstyle Arizona Biltmore, cleaned up the already immaculate White Lightning! and sold it at the Barrett-Jackson auction. Hearst donated the meager proceeds to charity. This final, vivid memory seems like only yesterday: I’m driving White Lightning! across the Barrett-Jackson stage, and Bruce is looking at me through the windshield. Now remember, this is probably the best Squarebody GM truck in the world, recipient of a cost-noobject restoration, that just raced 3,000 miles across the country without a problem, well, except for the high-temp vapor lock in the desert. I had already told Bruce that if the truck didn’t bring a reasonable price, he should turn down the auction offer, and I would buy it from Hearst. The bidding stalled at just $25,000! Bruce looked at me, and raised his arms in the universal sign “What do you want me to do?” I started to answer, but a BarrettJackson employee stepped between us and the auctioneer quickly hammered “Sold!” before I could say anything. I’d still like to know who was smart enough or lucky enough to end up with White Lightning! for 10 cents on the dollar. I wish it were me!
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60 Linkage 016 THE LONG ROAD Why Peter Mullin’s Garage was Special An amazing set of cars that looked great together made Mullin’s stunning underground garage completely unique by GRETA GOODING THIS PAST SUMMER, the car community lost Peter Mullin — a true philanthropist and beloved figure in car collecting. Beyond his generosity and engagement with the community at large, Mullin’s eye for collecting was distinct and wonderful. His garage deserves to be celebrated for its completeness — and for its greater meaning. Taste is deeply personal. It is often shaped by history, cultural context and experience. Most folks will volunteer their favorite car as one that has an extricable memory to it — their neighbor had a ‘56 Thunderbird growing up, or they were transfixed by the anachronistic yellow 1928 Rolls Royce Phantom I in “The Great Gatsby” movie starring Robert Redford. This kind of taste is contagious, shaping most great acquisitions in the contemporary trade. Rare and prodigious is the kind of taste which springs from instinct alone, and Mr. Mullin had this in spades. The Best Garage Before there was the Mullin Museum, Chairmanship of the Board of the Petersen Automotive Museum or even the many Best of Show awards, including Pebble Beach, there was a legendary garage in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Decades ago, Jim Hull was getting his 1947 Delahaye 135MS Chapron photographed on his lawn, when the photographer decided the California bungalow wasn’t doing the car justice. Mr. Hull recalled a house with big white columns down the street, but he didn’t know the owners very well. After they agreed to let the car pose on the lawn, Mr. Hull dropped off a fateful photograph of the car — “I think I just left it in the mailbox, and boom, I got a call” he recalled. Mr. Mullin, who owned that big house, found love at first sight with the Delahaye, and the two men formed an incredibly close friendship. Hull, a businessman and trained architect, had a keen eye for design. Mullin, who had a background as an artist before shifting to insurance, had a penchant for all things Art Deco, which led them down the rabbit hole of pre-war Bugattis and Talbot-Lagos. It was difficult to dredge up much information about these vehicles in Southern California at the time, so the two embarked on many research trips to France and beyond. Many of these trips started with entrance records at Les Mans, which is how they located a Talbot-Lago 4.5 liter T26C Grand Prix in derelict condition. They went in on the car together, before showing it at Pebble Beach, where Mr. Mullin was a total neophyte. The Talbot was an automotive gateway drug that would lead to literally hundreds of Bugattis, Delahayes, more Talbots, Delages, Citroëns and many more less-obscure marques.
Linkage 016 61 A powerful — and healthy — drug The piece de resistance of Mullin’s collection was the hard stuff— the hard stuff being a 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic, which quickly became a legendary car in the collecting community. With only four in existence, the 57SC was the apex of Mullin’s collecting. A rare bird, this car exemplified the have-it-or-don’t instinctual taste which made Mullin a lauded figure among his more-seasoned peers. In a 2017 interview, Mullin said of the car, “You might expect that something so exotic, so low and sleek to be difficult [to drive], but it handles great and the acceleration is terrific. It’s a real thrill.” Soon, Mullin’s garage in Brentwood needed to grow. Hull and others recall him digging up the yard to build a stateof-the-art underground compound, with a stainless-steel car turntable. On the walls, Mullin proudly displayed the work of Keith Collins, a multimedia muralist whose work is also now on display at the Mullin Automotive Museum. The entire garage had a modern — yet Art Deco — feel, cementing it as an underground treasure trove. Word travelled about the elusive French automotive haven within the sleepy L.A. neighborhood. Mullin’s creation inspired many of the most famous garages on the West Coast. An inspiration to generations As we’ve all explained at one point or another to friends who just don’t really get what we do, great cars are more than assets to us. Somewhere along the way, this sentiment can be fumbled and obscured. Original paint is sanded away in favor of a moremodern hue, cars exit their single family ownership, and the most beautiful cars’ tires shy away from real pavement for decades on end. But these are all just expressions of personal taste. In today’s car collecting world, I see the spirit of Mr. Mullin’s garage as having a lasting and indelible impact. Young Millennials and Gen Z kids scour the Internet for hidden 1980s 911s. Their sheer visceral interest in cars like the BMW E30 M3, which has such distinct, nostalgic lines, represent the same kind of cult following that makes it all so fun. But it only takes one set of eyes to cherish. Perhaps what Mr. Mullin best exemplified was the practice of loving a car simply because something about it spoke to him. All this brought about Mullin’s collection of cars that just made sense together. That eclectic collection brought others in on the alchemy for decades.
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GARAGE MUST-HAVES MAKING THE MOST OF THE SPACE Linkage talks garages with Steven Harris, Craig Jackson, Ken Gross and Elana Scherr by JIM PICKERING Images: Steven Harris Architects LLP 66 Linkage 016
GARAGES COME IN all shapes and sizes — and to suit all types of collectors and collections. But what elements are required for the perfect garage space? Let’s start the discussion with a noted architect and car collector, Steven Harris, who is founding partner of Steven Harris Architects LLP and Professor of Architecture at Yale University. So, cars and garages and architecture — how do they fit together? I just came back from the RM Sotheby’s sale in Houston. It was the White Collection. And those are all white cars, in a white space, with a white floor. And clearly, in that space there was an alignment between the collectors’ vision of what he wanted and the container they came in… in other words, the garage. It was a high ceiling, open-bar-joist, relatively simple industrial building. Nothing hung on the walls. All the memorabilia was in containers upstairs and in filing cabinets. It was just the cars. A very different idea from that…. We did a garage, 10 or 15 years ago in San Diego, for a Porsche collector. It’s intimate. It’s cars that he used. It held about 10 cars. Had a turntable, a tunnel and an elevator, and it had a bunch of round windows that looked at the Pacific Ocean behind the cars. From the house you’d never know it was there. Along the street there was a three-car garage. If you happened to go into the right hand bay, there was a lift. It drops you down, and you go through about a 70-foot long tunnel. Alongside the tunnel there are Porsche dealership letters that spell out Porsche, and as you drive down the tunnel, they light up: P. O. R. S. …And then there’s a turntable, and the room where all the cars are. There’s one little piece of glass in the floor, in the front hall upstairs, where you can look down into the garage. Otherwise you would never know it was there. We’re working on two or three other projects now that are quite different from each other. One is a 52-car garage with a house on top. That’s at Thermal Racetrack in California. The other is a private sort of man-cave garage in Beverly Hills. Another, also in Beverly Hills, is a project that includes a big ramp through it. The idea behind it is the Fiat factory, with the racetrack on the roof. I would start by asking about the nature of the collection. How are you going to use the cars? There’s one version of a garage that’s static display. You have some very pretty cars, and they’re very nicely lit. That’s the sort of Ralph Lauren model… you know, his place in Connecticut. Linkage 016 67
68 Linkage 016 GARAGE MUST-HAVES Another is… I’m building a garage now for myself, in California. The cars are in the basement. It’ll hold 25 cars. In lighting the cars… we’ve chosen to light the perimeter. The walls, all the way around, are lit from the top and the bottom, so you have a wash of light all the way around. And each car has one light on it, to sort of pick up the highlights on it. If you have a garage with lifts, you tend to use them less. It’s a pain to move the car out from underneath, lower the lift, take it out, put the other car back, and all that kind of thing. The one we’re doing in California is set up so that I can get in any car and drive it straight to an elevator, and it goes up to the street. Jerry Seinfeld’s garage in Manhattan is a little like that. There’s a car elevator, and there’s a code on the elevator to tell it which floor to go to. You can pretty much put in and take out any car… it doesn’t require you to move them all around to get one out. I know of garages or storage spaces where cars are put eight inches apart in all directions, and there are 40 cars in there, and to get any one of them out, you have to move nine of them. It seems like there needs to be a balance of utility and presentation, to some extent. Another question has to do with the character of the space itself. Ralph Lauren’s garage, The White Collection, a lot of places… there is nothing on the walls. The car is the object. Other examples are full of memorabilia. Remember Jim Taylor’s collection? Popcorn machines, posters, gas pumps — all the neon. In some cases, that is a kind of period collection. In L.A., the Malamut Collection… it’s all sort of ’50s and ’60s cars. It’s like dressing in period costume. The whole place… there’s a little diner over here, etc.... I have cars from 1953 to 2019, so I’m not going to go set up a 1974 diner. Typically, garages, with a few exceptions, are utility buildings. The White Collection in some ways looks like the Petersen Museum, which is a kind of industrial building, You wouldn’t mistake it for the Guggenheim. Utilitarian construction… sometimes it’s heavy timber. Looks like a barn. Other times it’s industrial, like the White Collection. We’re working on a project where, and this is a garage where all the cars are easily accessible, has a vaulted roof that is like Pier Nervi — in other words it’s exposed concrete, and it has a very esoteric structure to it. But that is unusual. For me, the big question is what you do with the walls after you figure out how to get the cars in and out. Garages are typically orthogonal. It’s a dumb rectangle. Because that’s the easiest way. Cars don’t like weird acute angles. And also, cars don’t like natural light. The paint fades, the upholstery dries out, that sort of thing. Even the Revs Institute — Miles Collier’s setup in Florida — has some windows, but the shades are always down. There seem to be three schools of thought about how to light cars. One is that flat luminous panel — that Michael Furman photography method. The White Collection Darin Schnabel ©2023 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Linkage 016 69 Right, the light box that he hangs over a car… Porsche dealerships have them as well. Another is the Petersen model, where there are track lights everywhere. It’s kind of theatrical lighting. That’s more museum lighting, often. The Saratoga Auto Museum has a whole theatrical lighting system in it. The third is to light the perimeter, with very occasional lights on the cars. And that’s a relatively economical model. Access to garages is always tricky. Among the other things for sale at the White Collection — among the memorabilia — were these little Porsche wooden ramps. It was a way of, if your car’s angle of approach is really low… I mean, everyone and his brother has scraped a spoiler. That’s an important thing. That’s one of the reasons I think elevators are so popular. It eliminates the problem of having to have a really long ramp. I come across a lot of people who need more garage space. They either have to sell a car, or if they want to buy a new car, they have to build a garage for it. That I think is part of the value of lifts. Four-post lifts. The advantage of a four-post lift over a two-post lift is that it distributes the load over a broader area, and you don’t typically have to put footings beneath it, if you’re dealing with a concrete floor. Those two post lifts… it’s a little trickier. When people use cars seasonally, lifts make sense. In other words, if you have a Porsche 356 and you live in upstate New York, you’re probably not going to drive it in January. You just sort of store it up there. And then maybe you switch the cars around in the spring. It isn’t a daily driver kind of thing. Overall, I think a close reading of how you’re going to use the cars is the most important thing. Beyond that, are you storing the cars for convenience, or are you creating a showroom for them? There are people who have wine cellars where they have dinner in the wine cellar. And there are people who keep their wine in Sub-Zero wine coolers. And you know, both people drink wine, but they treat it differently, in terms of how they conceive of it. Along those lines, I don’t think there is a single answer to what makes the best garage. Working with them is huge fun, but each one is very different. It all depends on who the space is for — and fundamentally, on how the cars will be used, what kinds of cars are included, and the kind of character that suits the owner. Jim Taylor Collection Image: Ryan Merrill, Broad Arrow Auctions
70 Linkage 016 GARAGE MUST-HAVES CRAIG JACKSON Chairman and CEO, Barrett-Jackson For me, when I created my garage — “The Rotunda” — it was about putting my cars in an environment that was equal with the house, so that it just sort of flowed, making the cars a part of the house. For some, it may be about equipping your garage with creature comfort technology, just like you might do in your home. I added padded walls for the acoustics and wrapped them to resemble door panels. I put in an exhaust removal system into the floor, battery charging system, televisions and touch screens to house video, restoration photos, provenance, and documentation. I also equipped it like a smart house where I can run the whole garage from my phone. Additionally, I put in a turntable because how that garage is positioned, I didn’t have the ability to put in another door, so the turntable made the most sense for the space, and it really adds to the personality of the garage. But I have another garage that some might consider more traditional with more neons and memorabilia around the room, and that sort of space, exemplifying nostalgia and history, is appreciated by many enthusiasts as well. Like I tell people at our auctions when they’re asking which cars they should buy, I say “bid on what you like.” Buy the cars that you’re going to enjoy and similarly, you should build the garage that you’re going to love. I made The Rotunda look like a wheel from a 1967 Shelby GT500 because I love those cars. They’ve played an important role in my passion for the collector car hobby. There is no right or wrong answer — it’s your garage, and if it serves as a place that houses and showcases what you’re most passionate about, then that’s the perfect garage.
Linkage 016 71 KEN GROSS Former Director of the Petersen Museum Award-winning author and Pebble Beach Concours Judge I was garage deprived as a kid, so I’m making up for it. Growing up in a small home north of Boston, in the ‘50s, I endured a cramped one-car garage that featured a single, 75-watt overhead light bulb, no windows, an uneven concrete floor, and no heat. That wasn’t ideal for installing an Oldsmobile V8 engine in my 1940 Ford coupe, but I managed. After school, when I wasn’t playing hockey, I worked part time in a small ESSO filling station that had a grease pit, not a lift. The slippery garage floors were coated in a layer of dirt and lubricants from decades of oil leaks and fluid spills. The space was dim, crowded and fetid. The old mechanics there were fanatical about their tools, and the toolboxes were largely off limits to a kid who mostly just pumped gas. So, in the back of my mind, I was always thinking about what my ideal garage would be like when I could afford one. Today, my home garage is on the cover of Phil Berg’s first “Ultimate Garages” book. That doesn’t mean it’s a Garage Mahal by any means, but it suits me. It holds four cars in three wide bays. Three old Ford hot rods sit on the floor. A fourth car — my wife’s Porsche 356B Super 90 — sits proudly atop a four-post Backyard Buddy lift that operates on 220 volts — another personal requirement. That doubles as an outlet for an electrical vehicle charger. It’s a far cry from that old ESSO station. There are white-painted walls, multiple fluorescent overhead lights, a Modine Hot Dawg propane heater, painted floors covered with thick rubber tiles, several large windows, two spacious work benches, lots of storage shelving and a decorative wall of auto art, posters and memorabilia. There’s a large rolling Sears Craftsman tool cabinet packed with standard American, European metric and British Whitworth tools. A portable Craftsman 8 gallon, 1.8-hp, 150-psi horizontal air compressor sits next to a pair of restored Radio Flyer wagons that are laden with primo detailing supplies. There are floor jacks, jack-stands, abundant chocks, a pair of creepers, and portable lights galore. It’s ideally suited for work — no frills. And I have everything I need. Well, almost. I’d like a few more bays so I could have a few more cars. But compared to my parents’ house and that murky old ESSO station, I’m living the dream.
72 Linkage 016 GARAGE MUST-HAVES ELANA SCHERR Senior Features Editor, “Car and Driver” Author, collector, columnist, restorer The realtor looked confused. My husband had just handed her an 8x10 sheet of paper. In the corner, about the size of a quarter, was a little sketch of a house. The rest of the page was labeled, “Garage.” That was about 20 years ago, and while we didn’t find the perfect set-up, we did purchase a small house on a large (for Los Angeles) property and eventually built a 40x40 steel shop that, at the time, seemed like way more space than anyone could use. Let me tell ya, it fills up fast. I’d like to claim we own one of those spotless workspaces with matched cabinets, posters on the finished walls and tools resting in neatly-cut foam drawer liners, but if you want an accurate image of our place, imagine a “Where’s Waldo,” drawing, but instead of a little guy in stripes, you’re looking for a 10mm. There is some organization beneath the piles of parts. Cars undergoing active maintenance sit on the right side, where the BendPak hoist makes oil changes so easy that I don’t have any excuse for how behind I am on them, and the roll-up door has been fitted with LED lights — highly recommended — or else get the kind of doors that roll up and don’t block your overheads. The two main suggestions I have about any garage are to get the biggest air compressor you can find, so it isn’t running constantly and making your neighbors hate you, and twice the lighting you think you need, because finding a dropped bolt is hard enough without having to do it in the dark. Our garage was built with big vehicles in mind, since we already knew we wanted to restore a vintage race car hauler, so the tall ceilings house sky-high shelves of ramp-truck parts. In the back, various muscle car transmissions, alternators and mysterious brackets line the walls. Do we need them? We will if we didn’t have them. In the second bay we have a small machine shop area, with a mill and a lathe lit by a vintage glass chandelier that once hung in Tom’s mom’s dining room. Dolores’s lighting isn’t the only nod to our dearly departed. We also have a toolbox I inherited from the brilliant racer and fabricator Tom Jobe, and a wrench from NASCAR’s Cotton Owens, as well as various tools passed down on both sides of our families. Nothing hits like a grandfather’s hammer. I like to imagine that a little of those people’s genius comes through and into our projects. If only their ghosts would also come help us tidy up. Image: Povi Pullinen
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74 Linkage 016 GARAGE MUST-HAVES Stringo — The Original Vehicle Mover Shuffling cars inside a large collection isn’t always convenient, especially when they’re already put away for the season — and starting classic cars for just long enough to move them around can be harmful, too. Stringo offers a solution to these problems in its S range of vehicle movers. These units grab and lift the front or rear wheels of a car, and an on-board electric motor then works to maneuver the car around your space. Think of it like a cross between a tow truck and a hand truck — with a top speed of about 4 mph and one-person operation. There are different models available, including the new Four Wheel Mover (4WM), as well as a DuoMover — a set of skates that pair with the S range to get all four wheels off the ground. The S2 can handle an axle weight of 2,645 pounds and will run five hours on a charge. The S3 takes on 3,970 pounds and runs 10 hours — more than enough for just about any classic car in your collection. For larger collections where vehicle shuffling is a challenge, the Stringo is a fantastic solution. Learn more at www. stringo.com. Jay Leno’s Garage — Two Bucket Detailing Kit The team at JLG has put together the ultimate in overall detailing: the Two Bucket Detailing Kit. This has everything a collector needs to clean, dry and polish their cars — including both buckets for a dedicated suds and a dedicated clean water washing and rinsing effort. Included are the twin five-gallon buckets, two Grit Guard bucket inserts to sift the dirt and grime down and away, a Chenille Wash Mitt, super foaming Wash + Wax shampoo, spray-on Wheel Cleaner, Tire & Trim Care dressing, Quick Detailer, spray-on Radiant Ceramic Coating, Interior Detailer, an Edgeless Drying Towel, two Utility Microfiber Towels and a Foam Block Applicator. These are professional-grade products that will keep your classic or collector car looking its best for the long haul. Get it from www.lenosgarage.com for $164.97. Moduline Aluminum Cabinets The ownership of any classic or collector car is greater than the space taken up by the car itself. All those extra components, spare parts, washes, waxes, and more has to go somewhere — not to mention all the other things that aren’t car related but still end up in your garage space anyway. Moduline solves the problem of storage in a clean, classy and custom way — and their products fit regardless of how you intend on using your space. These are custom metal cabinets that are modular in their construction, which gives owners a variety of logistical options to suit the available space. They’re designed and built in the U.S. and come in a range of styles and colors, and offer a high-end finish and feel as well as a proper place for everything. Moduline’s website has specific combinations available to purchase: For example, an 8-foot wide Pro II Garage Cabinet Combination runs about $6,000, depending on options. But where this really shines is in the company’s ability to design solutions for your specific space and your specific needs. Learn more at www. modulinecabinets.com. GARAGE PRODUCTS EVERY GARAGE SPACE may be as different as the people that build and use them, but the common ground is that they are spaces for cars — and there are a lot of great products out there that illuminate the experience of interacting with our cars. Here are some of our favorite garage products in 2024:
Linkage 016 75 GoJack Wheel Dolly The GoJack isn’t a new product, but it’s one of the most useful things on the market for both DIYers and collectors alike. These dollies act as their own jacks: A footoperated ratcheting mechanism squeezes your car’s tire between two rollers, which then lifts the tire up off the ground and onto the GoJack. The rollers only touch the tire — there’s no frame contact, and the fact that the wheels are being lifted means the car’s center of gravity remains low. Once all four wheels are up, your car is on casters and can be pushed anywhere inside your garage or shop — great for larger collections as well as DIY restorers operating out of smaller garage spaces. There are no hydraulics, electrics or compressed air required, and these are made in the U.S.A. A GoJack Wheel Dolly Shop Kit starts at $1,435 and comes with four GoJacks and a rolling storage cart. There are also options available for trucks and SUVs, as well as low-profile performance models as well. Learn more at www.zendextool.com. BendPak — GrandPrix GP-9F Four-Post Lift A four-post lift is a great solution for both storage and maintenance — and if you’re in the market, it pays to go with a company that has years of experience in the business of building professionalgrade lifts. GrandPrix by BendPak is designed for the home enthusiast. It’s been built with limited space in mind, using slim-but-toughened boxed steel columns that are just 4.75 inches square — giving it excellent resistance to twisting and bending. It also has 5/8-inch thick 12-inch square baseplates that better support loads on varied floor surfaces, as well as 13 locking positions spaced every four inches to suit a range of ceiling heights. The GP-9F can pick up 9,000 pounds safely — and it can go from the floor to max rise in just 45 seconds. But best of all is that this lift comes with all the accessories already included — quickmount casters to move the lift around, polyethylene drip trays, a mobile jack tray, removable approach ramps, and both forward and rear-mounted hardened steel tire stops. The commercial-grade tech within is a plus, and so too is BendPak’s network of dealers and service providers who can assist with maintenance and warranty repairs if needed. The GrandPrix GP-9F is $7,245 at www. bendpak.com. California Car Cover — Customweave Stretch-Fit Indoor Custom Car Cover The Customweave indoor car cover uses a polyester knit with a cotton liner, which means its extra soft on the paint side and also has enough bulk to protect your car from minor dings and dents while it’s in storage. That’s all great, but the best part here is the Lycra-Spandex tech that’s been built into the cover, meaning that it literally stretches to fit, hugging the contours of your car and showing off its lines. That’s important, because the biggest problem with car covers is the fact that many of them turn cars into undefined black or gray blob shapes — and collector car owners are proud of the pride and joy they have stored underneath. The Customweave Stretch-Fit is a great balance of protection and visibility — you’ll know what’s underneath is a Mustang fastback, 911 coupe or E-Type by the shape alone, thanks to the fact that these covers are custom-fit to the exact year, make and model. The Customweave is made in the U.S.A and is available in black, dark gray, light gray, blue and red. Prices start at $395. Learn more at www.calcarcover.com.
76 Linkage 016 VINTAGE AUTO POSTERS YOU’VE SEEN THEM all over: on “Seinfeld,” in a friend’s garage, in ads, and in magazines. You are a huge car fan — and have been attracted to them — but have been put off by not knowing what to look for. We’re talking about collecting and displaying bona-fide vintage posters. One key element is to be sure you’re buying and receiving a guaranteed original poster. Only reputable people will stand behind what they sell. Frankly, eBay is a crapshoot, as some sellers don’t know, and many flat out misrepresent their wares. Auctions can be okay — but only if they stand behind what they’ve sold, which is rare. Keep in mind that whatever you buy is something that you’ll want to “see” all the time. My advice is crystal clear — buy only what YOU love. If you don’t want to see this poster all the time, then why own it? The beauty of fine posters is that once framed and displayed you are effectively done. No oil changes, maintenance, license costs or other expenses. The one caveat is that you should not display your poster in “high light” conditions. Light, both direct and indirect, is not your poster’s friend. When you have a poster framed, be sure to that archival framing materials be utilized — especially “UV treated” Plexiglas or acrylic glazing material. This material helps protect your poster, but it will not prevent damage from excessive light. Getting started Vintage automotive posters are generally from the 1890s through the mid-1970s. The earlier ones will almost always be illustrative, whereas posters from the 1950s onward will incorporate photography to some extent. The early posters, pre-World War II, were primarily created to Getting Started with Vintage Car Posters It’s easy — and fun — to learn more about how to find genuine posters, care for them and love them by TONY SINGER advertise an event or a marque of vehicle. The stone litho process inherently means that the number printed was relatively low. From the 1950s onward, most posters were offset litho, although there are some that were silk-screen printed in quite small numbers. One should look for posters that are professionally mounted on archival linen. This assures that the poster is on a stable substrate, will not wrinkle because of humidity — and allows framing right up to the edge. This is the worldwide museum standard for poster conservation and restoration. Avoid, if at all possible, posters that have been “dry mounted” onto foamcore. The categories of these posters are generally marque or brand related, commemorating an event or outcome, and lastly the events themselves. A very broad generalization on pricing is that pre-World War II images are about $1,500 to $15,000. Posters from the 1950s and 1960s can range from about $500 to $9,000. Posters from the 1970s are around $350 to $5,000. Everything depends upon the image itself, the artist and the subject matter. Diving into the world of vintage auto posters is like traveling back to another age. We see what excited people decades ago, and the artwork brings new appreciation for the old cars that have survived to our time. In the next installment, I will address posters from the 1890s through the 1940s. There are a wide variety of styles and subjects to excite one’s eye and imagination.
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THE KNOWLEDGE 78 Linkage 016 The Architecture of Bespoke Classic Car Garages Thoughtful architects and owners collaborate on special, welcoming spaces that celebrate the cars and art by DAVID MOYER COLLECTOR CARS CAN be tucked away in dilapidated structures, sleep undetected behind ordinary overhead doors, languish under tarps and tin roofs or bask in cavernous warehouses and secretive bunkers. Then there are a lucky few cars that rest in extraordinary garages designed to standards worthy of rare Ferraris, restored Mercedes, landmark Cobras and quirky Morgans. These are the garages that bring pleasure to their owners even when empty, please passersby with their attractive facades and align with the architecture of their parent houses. Let’s examine three very special garages.
Linkage 016 79 Reversing proportions We all want to spend more time in our garage, but first we need to cut the grass, sort the basement and clean the pool. Even if we farm out most of those tasks, that means a larger house, managing staff, talking to contractors and the wetlands commission. It’s a wonder we get to our garages at all. Rosa and Zach Schulman solved this problem with a unique property: a compact two-bedroom home with a 10-bay garage that is the perfect residence for their autocentered lifestyle. The layout grants them the biggest gift of all: the time to truly enjoy their cars and each other. The low-lying structure registers as only a story-and-a-half to the eye and is in keeping with the secluded neighborhood. Around a spacious courtyard is the main, L-shaped building, with four single bays, a small porch and entryway. On the other leg is a double bay door, and a single bay. Opposite is a three-bay standalone building. The painted clapboard of taupe and mossy tan blends into the surrounding forest with a disappearing visual footprint. Cupolas and horse silhouettes in the functional shutters accent the clean design.
80 Linkage 016 THE KNOWLEDGE Inside, the walls are adorned with a minimum of automobilia. The spaces are filled with vintage BMWs, Porsches, an ancient preservation-class Lancia and an award-winning 1960 Flaminia. There’s a dedicated service bay walled off from the others — with a lift and paint-booth style lighting. The story of how the living space/garage proportions were reversed started with two plots with two houses. One house burnt down, and the adjacent homeowner, a car collector, bought the property and built this garage and living space for an in-law. When the main house was sold, the combination didn’t appeal to the first buyers. They sold the main house separately and this “carriage house” languished on the market until Rosa discovered it — the perfect spot for a couple focused on their hobby. Rosa says it feels like their “apartment in the city.” At any time, be it an entire weekend or just 20 minutes after dinner, Zach is steps away from being able to relax with their cars. The fleet spans three-quarters of a century and ranges from a chipped, bare-metal preservation car to a concours winner restored to perfection. “Sometimes I’ll just open the doors, stand in the courtyard and look,” he says. The building is his frame for the art of the collection — and, simultaneously, a work of art on its own. The garage would be attractive, even if it were only filled with daily drivers. The vehicles would be impressive even in a featureless metal building. Together, there’s a whole-greater-than-the-sum gestalt further amplified by the well-deserved pride of the people who brought it together.
Linkage 016 81 Blending into nature The overall impression of our next garage is “rustic men’s hunting lodge” — and for good reason. At the turn of the (last) century, this was a New England town’s gun club. The owner has preserved the exterior — stone pillars and stucco walls — faithfully. The driveway levels out to a porte cochère. Off to the left there’s a cascade of additional structures, all attached and stepped in a descending pattern as the topography drops off. Downstairs the space opens into a two-bay, five-car showroom for a collection including a Shelby Cobra, an AC Bristol, a Jaguar XK 120 coupe, a Triumph TR8, and a Porsche 911. Traditional automobilia — gasoline brand signs and pumps, marque dealership neon, metal signs advertising authorized service — are largely absent. Instead, period posters, original illustrations, and limited-edition prints by talented artists compliment the rolling art parked on the epoxy floors. The section of the showroom not directly open to the driveway features windows. Natural light floods the room. Another two bays, walled off from the showroom, form the workshop. An Aston Martin DB4 is on the lift. This south-facing room is also filled with light. The garage is in keeping with its surroundings and is well-integrated into a historic structure. But this collector talks less about the garage’s design than about the feeling it engenders and the experiences it enables. Steps away, but mentally far from the main residence, he sees this garage as a special place — and going to it feels very much like “getting away.” He invites a fellow vintage racer over, and they “commune with the cars,” working on them while listening to music. Sometimes they just share glasses of wine and just sit in the space discussing tracks and tactics. “It’s my ‘lake house,’” he remarks — without the hour’s drive. This is where he feels comfortable, turning wrenches while watching the sunsets that are framed surprisingly well by the windows. The passage of time and increasing importance of spending it on favored activity is similarly framed by the garage itself. It has the look of a finely tailored suit and the comfort of faded, years-old jeans.
82 Linkage 016 THE KNOWLEDGE The view from an architect Tom Smith is a well-established architect in Westchester County, New York, who has designed seven garages for clients with classic cars. He worked with prominent architect and industrial designer Elliot Noyes before forming the Faesy-Smith firm with his partner. Collectors came to Tom when they learned he was a classic car aficionado as well. Clients turned to him for their unique needs for multiple vehicle storage and workshop space. Tom’s firm offers turn-key project management — which is important in states with strict zoning requirements and town-by-town building standards. The challenge of designing a garage that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional is largely a blend of fully understanding the client’s needs, a solid grasp of the local building codes (which limit creativity) and applying the architect’s own design sense. For Tom, that comes down to avoiding the mediocrity that planning and zoning regulations often promote — and choosing to align the garage’s style with the existing residence. Or, he makes it markedly different. Tom’s designs reflect the beauty of cars’ sheet metal and chrome in his shingles and roof tiles. Tom’s goal is, simply, “celebrating the cars with the building.”
Linkage 016 83 Harmony amid regulations Our third garage, One of Fasey-Smith’s designs, was created within the tightest of zoning ordinances — yet it appears as a building without compromise. Built for a champion vintage car race driver when his collection outgrew his main house’s four bays, it’s an ideal space for tinkering with his collection of concours-winning British sports cars — and displaying his many trophies in the upstairs lounge When the cars are sorted and detailed, he may just sit with a glass of port enjoying them as objects of art. “To me, they’re living, breathing things,” he says, conjuring up memories of races, rallies, concours and the friends made through the hobby. He owns an enviable mix of Jaguar, Lotus, Bentley and Aston Martin cars, and this collector and his architect have created the ideal building for expressing multiple facets of classic car ownership, enjoyment and appreciation. The uncommon denominator Well-designed garages integrated with their surroundings are about preservation and stewardship. Many thoughtful collectors believe in honoring history through classic car restoration, operation, archival research and racing — and returning them to pristine states for the enjoyment of others and themselves. These cars deserve a pedestal, a glass case of sorts. To display Grecian urns, Rodin sculptures and Vermeer paintings, we build museums with the care and artistic sense that mirrors what’s inside. To these car collectors, who are, in a sense, trustees of their own, private museums, building garages with the care and artistic sense that mirrors the cars inside is as integral to the hobby as the roads that lead to their intriguing bay doors.
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88 Linkage 016 HIGH MOUNTAIN CLASSICS THE LAMBORGHINI COUNTACH is outlandish. It’s an impractical-yet-alluring symbol of attentiongrabbing excess, with high-horsepower thrills crossed over eye-popping styling and panache. This is a car that still turns heads despite a production run that began nearly 50 years ago and continued for over 15 years, spanning numerous company ownerships and engineering refinements. But despite that, the Countach remained essentially the same as it was when it first became a poster car for young teenagers in the 1970s and 1980s. Of course, years later, some of the same folks who had that poster on their wall now have the real thing in their garages. But with the dream comes some reality: Supercars don’t stay new forever, and exotic vehicles need routine maintenance at rather short intervals. Who the heck can actually fix these things? To find someone, you need to dig a bit deeper — and that’s where Victor Holtorf has found his passion. A Return to Analog High Mountain Classics is a go-to for 12-cylinder Lamborghini owners in need of old-school service by Chuck Gilchrest
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90 Linkage 016 HIGH MOUNTAIN CLASSICS From ranch to raging bull Victor Holtorf’s story started on a ranch outside Akron, Colorado — the kind of place where fixing a variety of machines was just part of the daily routine, even as a 9-year-old kid. Holtorf left the ranch to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University, continuing into graduate studies at MIT, acquiring a Masters in both Engineering and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Business. His skill sets caught the eye of pioneering businessman Larry Ellison, who brought Victor into the fold at Oracle as Silicon Valley became the epicenter for innovation. Holtorf changed gears from mechanical engineering projects and became a leading software engineer during his time in the computer world. As a single, successful guy in the Bay Area, he too was drawn the halo cars of his poster car days, so he purchased his first Countach — an LP400 Persicopio — in the mid-’80s. Old horizons However, there was something about working in the digital world of software development in California that didn’t sit quite right with Holtorf. Eventually, the call of a simpler, more-analog lifestyle finally took hold and prompted a move back to the Front Range of Colorado. By this time, he’d acquired quite a bit of knowledge about European performance cars, and was specifically focused on Lotus automobiles — a marque that even today remains his favorite. Victor’s mechanical obsessions led him to buy a British and European automotive repair and restoration business in Fort Collins, Colorado — a shop that has been in business since the 1970s. This shop, called “The Motorway,” provided the tools and personnel to take a deep dive into the specialty car world. What started as a repair shop fixing rusty British body panels and rebuilding balky gearboxes, soon became a destination facility for full body-off rotisserie restorations, unique repower projects and vintage car race preparation. In 2012, the owners of renowned Bugatti specialists High Mountain Classics, located in nearby Berthoud Colorado, sold their business to Holtorf. Classic Bugatti vehicles lovingly cared for by High
Linkage 016 91 LEARN MORE: High Mountain Classics 1418 Webster Ave, Fort Collins, CO 970.532.2339 www.highmountainclassics.com Mountain Classics had several Pebble Beach Best of Show awards to their credit, so maintaining the quality of workmanship with new ownership was of paramount importance. Vintage Bugatti owners — those with Grand Prix cars and glorious Type 57 Atalante Coupes — were knocking at the door, giving the business a shot in the arm. At the same time, Holtorf also clung to his affection for the ubiquitous Lamborghini models. In time, he acquired four different Countach models, and his shop also became a destination for other 12-cylinder Lambo owners who needed to keep their own cars in good running order. Analog specialties With the ebb and flow of supercar values, especially among vehicles with exotic engineering, cars often fall into neglect — especially as the rising prices of repairs and maintenance start to outweigh the novelty and status. High Mountain Classics, now merged with the Motorway, took in many of these objects of neglect, specializing only in those Lamborghinis that relied on analog controls and systems. A tour of the shop reveals a host of cars in various states of disassembly. Many others are waiting in the wings. There’s a Diablo in the midst of a suspension overhaul. Down the way, a Countach sits with its glorious engine on a stand nearby, the Weber carburetors being meticulously overhauled. Even a rare Silhouette peers out in a different room awaiting service. Other marques such as Lotus, Alpine, Morris Mini, are here, too, waiting for time and parts. There’s only one computer in the office and it’s used for billing. The digital world is left outside. Inside the shop A recent visit gives a snapshot of any given day: Two Grand Prix Bugattis are getting major work done: A Type 41 in final assembly and a Type 35 rolling chassis with its motor completely torn down in the machine shop. An MGA and Austin-Healey 3000 are just settling in with fresh paint. Motor swaps are happening as well. A 15-year newer engine is being installed in a ’70s XJ6 Jaguar. The most outlandish swap is tucked into an adjacent room. Here a Ferrari 250 GTE is getting a new Chevrolet crate motor and Tremec 5-speed gearbox, along with modern vented disc brakes all around. Heresy, right? Not exactly. Holtorf understood the owner was unable to source the proper Ferrari engine for this car that he acquired in very poor condition, and his goal was to have car that he could use on regular occasions — not a museum piece he was afraid to drive on public streets. Holtorf is adamant that he will not be rushed to complete a car on a set time schedule. There’s often too many unseen aspects of a project and while he’s made exceptions to that rule in order to make a delivery to a concours event such as Pebble Beach, promises and quotes are transformed into estimates that are not binding in any way. “There are two types of cars”, says Holtorf. “There are Toys and Tools. I only work on the former. If you need your car to take you to the office in the morning, there are some very good shops elsewhere in the neighborhood that can help you.” But when it comes to his beloved Countach, Victor and his school-aged children love nothing better than pulling up in front of the schoolyard in the morning and raising the butterfly wing door.
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Linkage 016 93 A Barn Full of Treasures Ever see a light fixture made out of a Porsche 356C engine cover? by CHESTER ALLEN WHEN YOU WALK into Jim Beeger’s big car barn, one thing jumps out at you. There is just one car in this barn — a gorgeous Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS — although Beeger owns a lot of nice cars. Why? There’s only room for one car. This barn, which started life decades ago as a Sears Roebuck & Company prefabricated barn in a rural neighborhood south of Portland Oregon, is a big space, but most of it is filled with Beeger’s favorite car books, car magazine collection, automobilia — and probably the best Laguna Seca memorabilia collection on the planet. “I lived on the Monterey Peninsula for a long time,” said Beeger, who is retired real estate developer. “And every time Laguna Seca was getting ready to throw things away, I’d run up there and grab it. “Now, this place is really a Laguna Seca shrine.”
94 Linkage 016 BEHIND THE WHEEL A lifetime’s passion Up until a few years ago, Beeger had an even larger collection of automobilia, books, posters, car parts — you name it — but he downsized after a big move. The collection is still massive, and, yes, it’s growing again. “I love it in here,” Beeger said. “This is place to hang out with friends, listen to music, have beer or a glass of wine and talk about cars.” Beeger turned the old barn into his favourite haunt a few years ago. The walls are very high, and they’re covered with framed Laguna Seca posters — both recent and a long time ago. A favorite gathering spot is glass tabletop perched on old racing slicks. “The tires I got for free, but that glass tabletop cost me 1,500 bucks,” Beeger said. “I never want anything for free again.” Thousands of books and magazines are carefully shelved and cataloged along the walls. There are special sections for Porsche, Ferrari, muscle cars and other makes and models. “I’ve got every issue of “Road & Track,” and I’m always looking for bound volumes of the magazine,” Beeger said. “I’m still looking for that elusive second issue of Linkage.”
Linkage 016 95 Still going Beeger’s dad was a big car guy, and the two often went to watch the midget racers on the local track. Beeger caught the racing bug, and he fell in love with fast cars — and the complicated, challenging Laguna Seca track and the many types of racing that happen on the circuit each year. “I’ve got old Laguna Seca banners that they couldn’t give away — except to me,” he said. “Now, I’ve got a lot of Laguna Seca history here. I don’t know what it’s worth, but I love to see it. I’m a very visual person, and I love looking at this stuff. I have filled this barn up to the rafters with this stuff.” Beeger starts each day with online searches for interesting car stuff, especially if it is connected to Laguna Seca. He also checks out antique stores and other spots. At one time in his life, he would race to every Monterey Car Week event — and make sure to grab all the year’s collectible memorabilia. These days, he’s looking for relics of the past. Some of Beeger’s finds are amazing relics of car history, such as the old gas pump in the car barn. While Beeger starts his day looking for more car treasures, he often ends the day in his car barn, where there is room for just one car — maybe two at a pinch. “I’m a collector,” he said with a huge laugh. “And the difference between a hoarder and a collector is that I use spreadsheets to keep track of everything.”
96 Linkage 016 MOST COMPANY HEADQUARTERS are just that — a place where executives make decisions in a private setting. Richard Griot, founder of Griot’s Garage, didn’t read that memo. A few years ago, when it was time to create a company headquarters, Griot, along with his sons and employees, brainstormed a company headquarters that is a testing lab, a video studio, a retail store, a car display that changes every month, a restoration shop and a huge area for car shows. Oh yeah, it also has really nice offices for company executives. “We host about 120 events a year, including 12 of our monthly “Caffeine & Gasoline” shows,” said Nick Griot, CEO and son of Richard Griot. “Any car club that exists can use this facility — it’s a safe space for anyone who likes cars.” Many garages in one big building Griot’s bought a massive building — a Coca-Cola bottling and distribution plant that was built on 3333 South 38th Street in Tacoma, WA during the 1950s — even though the structure and site were too big, Nick Griot said. “We’re still growing into the space,” he said. Griot’s Huge, Multi-Use Garage It’s a car care test lab, a filming studio, a car gallery, a store, a gathering spot and a few offices that have room for a display car by CHESTER ALLEN
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98 Linkage 016 BEHIND THE WHEEL The red, white and black building has become a landmark attraction for car people over the past decade, even though much of the building is off-limits to the public. Many of these spaces are garages that are equipped for a special use. One garage is a huge area, with bays for cars and lots of equipment, just to test new car care products. Bright lights for shooting videos are suspended from the ceiling. Test bottles stand ready to dispense prototype car paint care products onto a car hood that is partitioned into grids. “This is a high-use space,” Nick Griot said. “Little changes can make a big difference.” The video lights also create a lot of contrast on car finishes, which helps evaluate potential products. Another huge room is a video studio, with plenty of room for cars. Some of the cars from Richard Griot’s collection, including the historic 1967 McLaren M6A Can-Am race car that won its class at the 2023 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, roost in another section of the building. Richard Griot raced the car at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the days just before Pebble Beach. “The cleanup was a big job,” Richard Griot said. “But we had the stuff to make it happen.” Public spaces A large retail store that sells all of Griot Garage’s products greets visitors, and a short walk through the store leads to a bright, clean gallery that hosts stunning car displays each month. For December 2023, Tri-Five Chevrolet cars were the stars, including a resto-mod 1955 Bel Air Nomad and a very original ’55 Bel Air convertible. An intimidating gasser crouched nearby. A Ferrari display is on tap in the near future. Each month’s car display often ties in with Griot’s big “Caffeine & Gasoline” show in the parking lot and car show area. Each parking slot is oversized — just for the car shows. “We gauge how many people showed up by the number of donuts people eat,” said Nick Griot. ‘We’ll serve 40 to 70 dozen donuts.” Another garage space near the retail store is where customers can take free car-care classes and test products from the shelves. Griot’s huge garage fills lots of roles, but the key part is being able to connect with car people, Nick Griot said. Griot’s employees say the complex of garages is far better than working in an industrial park or a conventional corporate headquarters. “If I get bored, I’m just a few steps away from looking at a great car, checking on a product or just catching the smell of race gas,” Nick Griot said. “This is a great place for car people, whether they live in Tacoma or anywhere else in the country.” For more information about Griot’s Garage Headquarters and Flagship Retail Store, visit www.griotsgarage.com.
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