Who has the best car collection?...Jay Leno?

A very large and very private collection is owned by Ron Pratt of Phoenix or Scottsdale. He buys a bunch of cars at Barrett Jackson auto auction.

 

Ron Pratt has a very large and very private collection. He has purchased numerous (high end) cars from Barrett Jackson. Including some over $2 million.

 

I know that list of Jay's cars is short as i see no Challengers on there and know he has an original and a new one, UYou can see most of his collection on his website http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/ This list is on the site

At The Garage
Aircraft (4)
Antiques (13)
Bentley (8)
Bugatti (6)
Classics (23)
Corvette (18)
Custom Built (21)
Duesenberg (7)
Electric (11)
Fixed Engines (7)
Hot Rods (6)
Hybrids (4)
Motorcycles (42)
Muscle Cars (8)
Sports Cars (22)
Steam Cars (7)
Super Cars (23)
Trucks (5)

 

Well I think the question was BIGGEST. I'm not able to help with facts so you can win your bet, but I'm sure Jay Leno's is not the biggest. I watched one of those Sat or Sun car programs on Dish and one of the features was some guy who bought an old Walmart to house his collection. It was big. It was somewhere in the southeastern US. Then there was a guy up by Corneilus, OR that had 125 cars, but he passed a couple of years ago and I don't know if the collection is still together or not. Then I know about a collection in SW Oklahoma that is about the same size as Leno's. Then there are some oil rich arabs that just buy whatever cars they like. I'm sure some of them have amassed big car collections at our expense.

 

Best?

Don Garlits...

Sam

 

i know its not me!

 

Mark Moriarity..........The got it made collection is my kind of collection. Oh yeah and Mr. Guffey.

 

I'm going to have to go with John O'Quinn on this one. He had what I would consider to be the best car collection and one of the largest in the world. I have a friend who sold O'Quinn a car when he was still alive and he got to deliver it to his place. He said it took him six hours to see the place and O'Quinn had 2100 cars. All nice stuff, valuable stuff, and cars that were true works of art. He even had hot rods in his collection too.

 

its me!
oh wait a minute........1/24 scale dosent count!

 

Without a doubt!!!!

 

Dunno who has the best, that's totally subjective.As for Jay, you can often catch him at the AutoBooks store in Burbank on Saturday mornings. he brings one of his cars and hangs out just to talk to car guys. He once drove up in a million dollar Dusenberg!
As for biggest, there was a guy in Washington state that had something like 11,000.
They were housed in a gigantic old Catholic school building.Saw it in R&C tears ago.
Anybody remember this?

 

Forgot Dennis Varni, thanks for sharing Hemi32

 

Sultan of Brunei for exotic cars. Although I think he had to pear it down some when the oil industry fell.

 

Kurt McCormick has a fine collection. I think they featured him in one of the newer Hop Up's. Dennis Varni's looks pretty impresive. I'll have to check that out furthur. I like all the automobilia that goes with it!

 

The "Slappy White" collection...

Simards....its genuine hotrod.

R.L.'s for all time class.

 

Check out Reggie Jacksons

 

The Harold LeMay collection in Tacoma Wa is at least in the hunt I think the number it topped out at was around4.500 cars plus mototclcles scooters tractors etc. He died a number of years ago but It is still quite impressive. There are a few hundred on display at the Marymount Accademy in Tacoma Wa for a small fee, and his estate has an open house once a year in August with a bunch more to see. LOTS of 40's 50's &60' american,Muscle cars, Limo's from the 20's & 30's , a few rod's and customs ...

 

not the bigest but here in chi-town there was the rickobenis collection(they own some fast food stores) well they have a warehouse with about 50-80 cars and alot of other stuff. only opened to visiters one sat. a month. with all procedes going to charity

 

I second that.

 

I would vote for Bill Harrah's before he died. Every one was restored to drivable condition, though not to many were driven after they went into the showrooms. If you were restoring, or looking for some information about almost any car ever made, then you could call or write to the library at the museum, and they would send you the info requested.

In the eary 70's, I was able to work at the restoration shops, and had access to the library, during my summer break from school.

What other collection would let a kid work on their cars, or have full access to the shops and museum.

 

I must say a great (or Best) collection is one that is showed off (not private) and a collection in which the cars are actually driven not just drained of all their fluids then stuffed in a barn (or Museum) to sit and collect dust for the rest of their lives. That is why I think Jay's collection is the BEST because he keeps his cars running on the road using them and enjoying them the way they should be no matter how old or how expensive! Isn't that why their designed and built in the first place? To be Driven!!

 

The former Harold LeMay collection for sure. He had over 3,000 cars in his collection before he died!

 

San Sylmar is right up there for me, there's a few private collections I've been privy to. I guess, define "best". For me there has to be a high end Packard or 2, at least 1 Duesy, some historic racers, well I guess that would describe dozens of collections, huh?

Do we wanna break it down?

1. Most expensive

2. Highest volume

3. Most diverse (broad cross section of cars vs themes)

4. Best condition (including accuracy for research/restoration purposes)

5. Most used or driven (careful now, Leno's not alone here...)

Ok, carry on...

 

I've seen some huge Hot Wheel collections for the non driver category.

 

LeMay had quantity for sure but I'm not sure about the level of high end stuff. Historically, Harrah followed by Schlumpf - or even flip flopped. These days, I would lean towards Ralph Lauren (if only for the Trossi SSK & Atlantic), although Leno has him beat in the Duesenberg count. The O'Coin collection (which is being disbursed) has a lot of nice cars too.

 

I'll put a vote in for Jay's collection because they're drivers... But the Harrah's collection was sweet before the auction... And then who ever bought the Futureliner on Barret Jackson has a sweet collection.. just because they have a Futureliner.

And there's quite a few "collections" I wouldn't mind having that HAMBers have..

But if we're talkin' tractor collections.. The Walter and Bruce Keller collection has to be the coolest ever...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld_LUfxrfEw

 

cant supply the name but a guy around the indy area,somehow connected to a bank out here has a tremendous collection of indy cars and racing stuff........bet someone in here will know his name

 

I'd say Bruce Meyer for hot rods and Kurt McCormick for customs.

 

After looking at this I vote Schlumpf over Harrah as the all time. 3 Bugatti Royales wins over 1.

http://www.collection-schlumpf.com/en/schlumpf/773-picture_library/