SOURCE: Sotheby’s
Far from cluttered storage spaces, these garages offer impressive designs fit for prestige vehicles, writes Natasha Levy
Automotive collectors the world over gather for Monterey Car Week (August 9-18), the annual event in California offering a thrilling program of showcases, races, unveilings and of course the RM Sotheby’s auction, a time-honored event that draws discerning individuals looking to acquire vintage gems or contemporary classics. But with a coveted car collection comes one vital question: where is the best place to keep it?
Collectors need homes with superior storage for their motors, where the garage isn’t just a garage—but a sophisticated, state-of-the-art space that’s as considered as the rest of the property. Thankfully the market isn’t short on options, as recent years have seen collectors increasingly commission specialist designers to trick-out their garages with everything from showroom-style lighting to clever ventilation systems and rotating display platforms.
Take, for instance, a hilltop estate in Virginia, fronted by a parking court clad entirely in European cobblestones. On either side of this sweeping arrival space lies double-height, climate-controlled garages, which can comfortably accommodate four cars each. Meanwhile, one classical-style property in Houston, Texas, has an impressively spacious garage with room for 50 vehicles, as well as a mezzanine-level seating area to survey them from.
High-rise living can cater to collectors too. Consider the Porsche Design Tower, built in 2017 by the high-performance car brand as part of its efforts to create a wraparound luxury lifestyle. The 132-residence building, which rises up over the sands of Miami’s Sunny Isles Beach, contains enviable features from deluxe appliances to expansive balconies complete with outdoor kitchens for whipping up alfresco meals overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There is, of course, also a special feature for car enthusiasts: an elevator that is able to directly transfer vehicles to “sky garages” attached to each home.
Residents drive up at ground level, where their car is secured in place by a network of plates and moved through an illuminated glass antechamber to the elevator at the building’s core, where it is propelled upwards. Once it has arrived at its designated location, the plates smoothly reposition the car into the two-vehicle garage itself.
For architect Sieger Suarez, whose eponymous firm worked on the building alongside developer Gil Dezer and Porsche’s in-house design team, the elevator is not just a matter of ease and convenience, but a chance to more holistically create “a home in the sky.”
The interior of the sky garages can be customized to residents’ tastes—some have already opted to install gallery-esque spotlights and soundproofing measures—but all of them are fronted by full-height glazed panels, allowing direct views in from the apartment. “The windows for display were an option for those who value their vehicles more than for transportation, but as works of art,” says Suarez. A good car is, after all, something of a masterpiece.
SOURCE: Sotheby’s