When dreaming of your perfect car collection, you probably aren’t considering the logistics of storing and maintaining it. Otherwise, that dream might turn into a nightmare. Well, this week our “Over the Edge” guy Greg Carloss shows us one solution that’s tailor-made for car enthusiasts’ dreams!
GREG CARLOSS: Collector cars are just like baseball cards or stamps. Maintaining mint condition is imperative to their value. But unlike cards or stamps, cars take up a lot of space. Luckily, there are places like this.
Car storage is not a new industry, but it has boomed recently in step with the collector car market. And while sales are cooling, the cars still need somewhere to stay.
CHUCK HEINLE: The car storage industry itself is growing, because people want more and more cars. You back up 15, you know, 25 years ago, a normal household had two cars. Now a normal household has three or four cars.
GREG CARLOSS: Chuck Heinle owns Collectors Car Corral, just down the road from our MotorWeek headquarters in Owings Mills, Maryland.
CHUCK HEINLE: Collectors Car Corral is a world-class, state-of-the-art, climate-controlled, highly-secure storage facility. We store roughly right under 200 cars.
Our clientele is someone that has three or four cars and has a two-car garage. We do have some car collectors as well here, so we have multiple guys that have maybe, five or 10 cars, but a large amount of our clientele is someone who has a handful of cars and just not enough space at their house.
CHARLES VISCONAGE: I have two here and I kind of rotate. I usually have one at home. Right now, I have my ‘57 Thunderbird. I typically bring whatever car I have at home. Leave it here. I drive one of the other cars, enjoy it for a while. What I really like about the Collectors Car Corral is it’s clean. It’s extremely clean.
GREG CARLOSS: Clients can opt for the annual membership or go month-to-month with car space prices ranging from $350 to just under $500.
CHUCK HEINLE: We are open from 8am to 6pm, seven days a week and the clients can also get their cars 24 hours a day if they want to.
We’re just, we’re car people; we live and breathe cars. When a car person comes in, another car enthusiast comes in, they look at us, they know that we know what we’re doing, and they trust us with their cars. So, they feel good about leaving their vehicle with us.
GREG CARLOSS: The circle of trust starts at check-in where General Manager, Jonathan Lake meticulously documents each car. Then, there’s the actual storage.
CHUCK HEINLE: We never park the car with just one person; it’s always a two-person parking. We call it the parking team. And we have hand signals that we’ll actually park the car safe and sound.
GREG CARLOSS: Inside, it’s a museum. But outside, Collectors Car Corral is purposefully inconspicuous and closed to the public. Once the client hands their keys over, they go directly into a key vault that only select staffers can access with their fingerprint. And it’s all monitored 24/7.
CHUCK HEINLE: Well, we have over, as you can see, 50 interior and exterior cameras all with motion sensors, as well as they’re tied into our security system and live monitor.
GREG CARLOSS: Most car storage facilities offer complimentary snacks and beverages while you wait for your car. But Collectors Car Corral takes that perk to the next level.
CHUCK HEINLE: We wanted to bring the car community, not just to pick up their cars and stuff, so we want to have events like F1 viewing parties, Super Bowl parties. So, it’s not just about storing your car. We consider it a social car enthusiast event lounge as well.
Gentlemen, how are you? How you doing?
PATRON: Good, good. Doing well.
CHUCK HEINLE: Good seeing ya’. How you been?
CHARLES VISCONAGE: I really like the lounge. Sometimes I just like to come here and, you know, have a soda. And invariably there’ll be a couple other guys or car guys here and we’ll just chat.
GREG CARLOSS: Despite the pristine facilities and all the six-figure cars, Collectors Car Corral reminds me of a Main Street barbershop. Clients don’t want to get in and get out. They want to get in and hang out. And that goes for Chuck too.
CHUCK HEINLE: Every day I walk in here and I still smile. It’s just, the best office to walk into. Myself and Johnathan, it’s just… every time we walk in here, I mean, this place is incredible. We love it.
