The Top Car Collectors in the World

As a classic car salesman, Bruce Amster constantly works with avid car collectors who have a penchant for rare and unique automobiles. To fulfill his job, Bruce Amster travels all over the world to find specific car models to add to his clients’ private car collections.

There are few who can afford this expensive hobby of collecting vehicles. Jay Leno, comedian and talk show host, is one of them. In his show Jay Leno’s Garage, he displays some of the world’s oldest and rarest vehicles - which are all part of his private car collection. Leno has collected approximately 200 vehicles, which have an estimated value of around $350 million.

Another avid car collector is Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan. As part of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, he can afford to collect Mercedes S-Class vehicles in all the colors of the rainbow - thus, his nickname “the Rainbow Sheikh.” He also has a collection of Mercedes monster trucks, stored in an ancient Pyramid-turned-garage.

The Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah not only resides in the world’s biggest palace, but also has the largest car collection in the world. His collection consists of more than 7,000 vehicles, including 574 Mercedes-Benz, 452 Ferraris, and several hundred more vehicles from luxury car makers.

Car Shows Featuring Classic Automobiles

Classic car restorer and salesman Bruce Amster often travels to different places in search of classic vehicles on behalf of his clients. During his travels, he also makes it a point to attend automotive shows. Among the shows Bruce Amster visits are the Retromobile Auto Show and Pebble Beach Concours d' Elegance - car exhibits featuring classic automobiles.

The Retromobile Auto Show is a major international classic car show held in Paris. Featuring 550 exhibitors and over 500 cars, the event also gathers restorers, spare part vendors, and car sellers. As such, the event is an important opportunity for classic car enthusiasts to network. The next Retromobile Auto Show will be held on February 8-12, 2017, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.

The Pebble Beach Concours d' Elegance started in 1950. What was once a small social gathering is now a major event involving the world’s top classic car collectors. Apart from being a car show, the Concours is also a competition for the most historically accurate automobile restorations. The 2017 Concours show takes place on August 20, 2017, at The Lodge at Pebble Beach.

The Difference between Rehabilitating and Restoring an Old Home

 


Long-time car professional Bruce Amster helps clients connect with classic and rare car sellers around the world. In addition to his passion for restoring and finding new cars, Bruce Amster enjoys restoring and remodeling old buildings and homes. He has won several awards from the National Historic Society of Massachusetts and was featured in New York Magazine.

Restoring an old home involves returning a structure to a specific time period or date. Most of the time, restorations focus on a time that was significant for the structure. They involve removing all items and materials that were introduced after said date. In many cases, restorations still maintain modern systems such as plumbing and lighting. However, strict restorations remove these items if they did not exist during the chosen time period. The primary purpose of a restoration is to preserve the period significance that a building has.

Meanwhile, rehabilitation focuses on repairing and retaining certain historical aspects of a structure while also preparing it for contemporary living. This may involve adding plumbing or lighting systems, updating the kitchen appliances, or using more modern materials to mimic a house’s former architectural structures. Rehabilitation helps preserve the history of a building without meeting museum-like standards. When properties are severely deteriorated, rehabilitation may provide more freedom during the recovery process than restorations do.