10 Hidden Hot Rod Garages of the Super Rich
Ask any true blue hot rodder what they would do if they won the lottery, and 10 times out of 10, they will tell you some version of the man-cave dream garage. Winning lottery tickets like that are few and far between, which is why a lot of folks work so hard in life to make their own winning lottery ticket. Hard work, however, can only take you so far in the quest for automotive nirvana. One must also possess deep knowledge of the cars in question, as well as curate a network of collectors and parts sources.
Here we’ve combed through the HOT ROD archives to dig out 10 muscle car and hot rod collections that show an amazing dedication over years and decades to building and preserving some of the most prized cars in our world. These are the cars and work spaces that most of us can only dream about, but you’ll quickly see that even though there is a gulf in the resources between most of us and the super-rich, there’s the same love of the machinery that we can all relate to.
Do Garage-Kept Cars Last Longer?
Before diving in, we want to address a question we get asked from time to time: Do garage-kept cars last longer? The answer as you’ll see here is emphatically, yes! Over the years, the outside elements take a toll on cars, whether it’s from the weather, the sun, or critters. The more protection you can provide, the better off your ride will fare. A car cover is better than nothing, but exposure from below to the moist earth can still cause damage from trapped moisture that can’t escape, and in some cases, it’s worse than not having a car cover at all. Car covers are best used on a built-up surface such as sealed asphalt or concrete. Indoor storage is even better, where maintenance can be easily performed, and batteries can be kept on trickle chargers for easy starting. So, who’s got the coolest hot rod garages? Let’s take a look!
Dave Garton; Spring Hill, Florida
If you’re looking for the poster boy for all things Ford, look no further than Dave Garton. It takes a lot of dedication—even if you are loaded—to collect such an eclectic group of Fords, which includes a pair of new-generation GT-40s, Cobra Jet Mustangs old and new, and a Nostalgia Super Stock 1964 Thunderbolt that Garton races in his spare time. These weren’t paid for with lottery winnings, though. Garton has worked a sideline job for decades in order to pay for them, proving that setting goals and working hard for them can pay off big-time! Check out the inside story here.
Al Decarolis; Northwest New Jersey
The Mopar world has its own adherents, and Al Decarolis has been an active collector ever since his 17th birthday. Decarolis has his collection stashed away in a series of hidden barns in northwest New Jersey, and he is understandably reluctant to let the exact location of his prized Mopars be known. He has, however, been known to do some horse-trading from time to time, and he says he might be willing to let something go with the right offer (he can be reached at [email protected]). Among his favorites are intermediate-sized B-Bodies like Roadrunners and Chargers, and E-Bodies. If you like what you see, check out 36 more exciting photos of Al’s collection here.
Mike Eden; Freedom, Pennsylvania
One of the common threads of all the super-collectors mentioned here is that most of them started early. That’s also the case for Mike Eden, who by the obvious looks of it, is a huge Chevy fan. We don’t know which came first, Mike’s love of cars or everything else mechanical, but it’s hard to tell when you see his company website (EdenTool.com). Making injection-molding tools has been good to Mike over the years, and it has allowed him to indulge his passion for Chevrolets—most of which are trucks and ’60s-era muscle cars like Chevelles, Novas, and Impalas. See the whole story here.
Tim & Pam Welborn; Alexander City, Alabama
Of all the muscle car collections in this story, the Welborn Musclecar Museum is the only one open to the public, though because it’s in Alexander City, Alabama, we could argue that it’s still relatively well hidden. Tim Welborn is a well-known collector of Mopars and takes special interest in the winged ones. That’s not to say no other brands are collected, but there’s arguably no one else on the planet who has amassed more Dodge Daytonas and Plymouth Superbirds than Welborn, and he’s certainly considered one of the world’s top experts. The Welborns spend a lot of time attending Mopar collector events and are always happy to talk with similarly minded enthusiasts.
Tony Deptula; Brighton, Michigan
Sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time, and we just happened to be shooting a Ford Maverick for the cover of Car Craft magazine when we stumbled into the Deptula Performance garage next door. Tony Deptula might not be that much into Fords, but that didn’t stop him from throwing the doors open for us and letting us see his solid collection of Chevys and Mopars. Deptula is a mechanic by trade, and his passion for old muscle cars was evident to us from the first moment. What Tony lacks in the financial department is more than made up for with his mechanical ability and horse-trading ways.
Jim Simpson; Williamston, South Carolina
Drive through the small South Carolina town of Williamston, and you might well drive right by the old Texaco station on the corner. That, my friends, is really Jim Simpson’s muscle car collection hiding in plain sight. Jim is unusual in that he came to the muscle car religion relatively late in life, not securing his first one until well into his 50s. We say better late than never, and Jim hasn’t looked back. Jim credits his hard work in the family’s hardware business (he runs the local ACE Hardware franchise), and his collection ironically resides in the same building his father’s hardware store was in decades ago.
Rich Conklin; Northern New Jersey
Sometimes your love of the automobile leads to a productive business, and that can certainly be said of Rich Conklin and his company, Radir Wheels. To say that Rich is merely a successful businessman, however, would be remiss as Rich is also an accomplished fabricator and car builder, as we witnessed in his garage, christened the Hot Rod Farm. Rich is particularly fond of 1960s-era gassers, Corvettes, and tri-five Chevys, and after watching him rip up the road in several of them, it’s obvious he isn’t afraid to drive them!
Matt Murray; Pottstown, Pennsylvania
You’ll drive through the sleepy town of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and never know what lurks behind the oversized bi-fold doors of Matt Murray’s garage. It was advertised as a 1930s house with an oversized three-car garage that in fact used to be an airplane hangar, and Murray pounced on the home after seeing the perfectly preserved period-correct man cave, then proceeded to deck it out with the most amazing collection of street rods and other 1950s hot rodding memorabilia we’ve ever seen outside of a for-profit museum.
Chuck Fisher; New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut’s reputation as a bedroom community for New York City is a pretty good tipoff that you’d be near some massive car collections like Chuck Fisher’s, but it’s no guarantee that you’d actually find this well-hidden stash of muscle car-era day-two machines. Fisher has been collecting since the 1980s when he came of driving age, and despite not coming from wealth, has spent the fair amount of every waking day pursuing his dream. Most notable are Chuck’s Mopars, but he’s recently been on a Ford Ranchero binge. Check out the lead image that features the dual-quad, tunnel-rammed, Wedge-powered Charger Chuck used on his honeymoon.
Rod Saboury; Manchester, Maryland
If the name Rod Saboury sounds familiar, it’s only because he’s America’s most famous builder and racer of fast street cars. He’s been documented in the pages of HOT ROD, Car Craft, Super Chevy, and other magazines setting records in his wildly motivated Chevy street cars for decades, and unlike many other racers in the field, Saboury has managed to hold on to most of them! He keeps his famous Chevys (as well as some not-so-famous ones) at his home in Manchester, Maryland, taking them out occasionally for ice cream and trips to the grocery store. See what Rod’s been up to here!
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