An amazing shoot for a local billionaire's estate

[p27rpy]

Yes, that's billionaire with a "B"!

I was contacted by an auction company that is in charge of liquidating a portion of the cars. They wanted me to photograph a few of the cars for their publication, and had a very short time frame. I went out last week to shoot and was completely blown away. I had no idea what I was walking in to, thinking it was just a small collection. This notable Houstonian had amassed a collection of over 650 cars worth a staggering $100 million dollars. He had famous movie star's cars (Madonna, Steve McQueen, Marlene Dietrich - the list goes on and on), notable cars from movies, racing, history and more. It was amazing that there was a gem like this in Houston, and I'd never heard of it.

The caretakers at the warehouse told me that I was actually looking at only 1/3 of the previous inventory, and that I was photographing the "leftovers"...as he said, "All the Enzo's, McLaren's, F50's, F40's and Bugatti's all left about 9 months ago"

While this was an amazing opportunity, it is very sad that the estate has decided to liquidate all these cars. The previous owner had wanted to strike a deal with the city of Houston to make a museum featuring all these cars so that the public could enjoy them for years to come. It is especially disheartening because it is doubtful that there will EVER be a collection of this quality and size ever amassed in the United States again. What a golden opportunity missed.

1909 Cartercar Model H Touring. I'd never heard of this brand until now. It goes down as the oldest car I've ever driven! Well, driven as in steered while it was being pulled by a golf cart.



1985 Aston Martin Lagonda. What an ugly car! This think reminded me of a stealth fighter, as it reflected ALL the light I put on it which made it very hard to photograph.

The interior was straight 80's, with a dash layout like an old Macintosh computer and CRT (that's right, CRT) displays. How, um, futuristic.





1957 Ford Fairlane 500. Immaculate inside and out. Love the color scheme.







1957 Lincoln Continental Mark II. This car won awards at SEMA among many others. This thing was ridiculous in person. Bagged suspension, paint that was so glossy it looked like it was a foot deep. Such a beautiful car.









1961 Nash Metropolitan. Called it the "Creampuff", haha. The doors felt like two sheets of steel welded together with nothing in between because, well, that's pretty much what it was. Gotta love safety standards of the '60's.



1916 Oldsmobile Model 44 Roadster. Bill Harrah's old car.





1931 Ford Model A Victoria. I loved the paint scheme on this car. The photos just don't do it justice.





1965 Mercury Park Lane. For some reason, I loved this car. The green dash was awesome.





1927 Rolls Royce Phantom I Towncar. I found out from someone working there that this was the same model RR as the one featured in the "car love scene" in Titanic. Very regal looking car





A beautiful 1955 T-Bird that was in immaculate shape.









Two quick cell phone shots of the Pope John Paul II's 1975 Ford Escort GL, and FDR's 1941 Presidential Packard Limousine.





Here are two quick videos I took on my phone so that you can get an idea of how large this place was.




You can view the rest of the photos here.

[TxLerman]

Nice shots! I believe the collection belonged to the late John O'Quinn. He is the attorney that passed away last year in the auto accident on Allen Parkway.

[p27rpy]

That would be him! Thanks very much.

[Tom]

Yeah, definitely John OQuinn's cars. I actually met him for the first time a couple days before his accident.

Whats really sad about that is he wanted to build a car museum that would bring people to Houston.

OQuinn wasn't a billionaire. They are selling the cars to pay off a debt from a lawsuit his estate settled because there isn't enough cash in the estate.

[p27rpy]

Thanks for that additional info, Thomas!

[groovyone]

Wow. Some very cool vehicles.

[dmarty78]

Very nice Theo!!!

[Some Idiot]

that must have been a fun rush when you walked in and saw all the cars... at first I thought they were all model cars, but nope, all real - wow... cool stuff

[Buddha]

About the 65 Mercury Park Lane, I didn't know they made any of them that weren't automatics. That car is unique.

[biggin]

Great pictures, this one caught my attention because it looks so much like a toy.



Very nice job.

[silversixx]

Nice shots! lucky to have seen those amazing cars!

[Sharon]

My brother used to do some work for him at that location and I was lucky enough to spend some time with these cars. There is really no way to adequately explain how HUGE those garages are and how many amazing cars he had. It was somewhat overwhelming! Was the Batmobile still there?

[p27rpy]

I know, it was pretty incredible. Unfortunately the batmobile had already been sold off. I would've loved to have seen it!

[Joe_Lorenzini]

What a phenomenal opportunity!! I'd be lying if I didn't say I was jealous as heck!!! Great job covering some seriously classic machines!

If I remember correctly, the car worth the most in the collection and personal favorite of the original collector is Pope John Paul II's 1975 Ford Escort GL. And since he might soon be classified as a Saint, it makes it without doubt, one of the most wanted and valuable cars in automotive history! How cool is that!

That's what I call a good day of shooting!

Congrats,

Joe

[Flores]

<tear>

damn. thats just awesome.