Cool Collections – Taking a Peek Inside Dream Garages and Stellar Shops
Car guys are collectors by nature. Many of us were indoctrinated young, accumulating vast assortments of toy cars, Hot Wheels, and model kits during our formative years. Four-wheeled creations lined our shelves and filled our toyboxes and bedrooms.
When gearheads graduate to full-size vehicles, our collecting habits shift and frequently expand. We collect parts that we know we’ll need for a project, and usually acquire more as the project progresses. Sometimes we even buy parts for a “someday” project – one we hope we’ll find in the future. We amass tools to help build those projects, as well, along with car-related books, magazines, brochures, signs, trinkets, and other ephemera that motivates, inspires, or relates to our favorite rides.
Many of us can claim to be casual collectors, with two or three cool cars and some fun vintage parts hanging on the garage wall. Other hot rodders and gearheads take that knack for collecting to the next level. We’re talking not only expansive car collections, but also the dedicated garages and dream shops that help support them. Many of these Garage Mahals combine workspace, room for memorabilia, art, and other collectibles, plus a great environment for storage and entertaining. Like so many aspects of hot rodding, it seems like there’s no limit for some of these collections and related spaces.
The Goodguys team is fortunate to know some members and dedicated enthusiasts with fantastic collections, so we thought it would be cool to take a closer look inside a few of them. We found a wonderful quartet of man caves and garages to get things started this month, with hopes of bringing you even more Cool Collections in the future. If you know of any great gearhead garages you think we should see, be sure to drop us a line at [email protected]. In the meantime, take a look at some of these hobby shops and drool – we’re showcasing one a day this entire week!
