On Sunday, August 15, the world’s most beautiful and valuable collector cars will roll onto the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach, California, for the world’s most prestigious automotive exhibition: the 70th Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Herewith, Luxury Defined offers its own concours of deluxe homes with sleek, high-tech amenities to slake the four-wheel fever. Among the collection is a waterfront estate on Florida’s Gulf Coast with a 40-car garage and a parking concours for many, many more; a Brutalist villa in Switzerland resembling a Bond villain’s lair with its subterranean, multi-vehicle garage; and a Modernist high-rise building in Bangkok, where one can drive a supercar into a glass elevator and park it in the living room. For the ultimate collector, there’s a contemporary dream estate in Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine region with an auto museum for 140 vintage motors! It could double as an event space with artworks and chandeliers, two bars, a catering kitchen, guest suites, and a wine vault—ideal for a tune-up or a toast.
The Ultimate Collector’s Estate in West Linn, Oregon
When does a dream become real? This trophy estate in Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine region is a masterpiece in the making. The owners commissioned Las Vegas-based Richard Luke Architects to design the ultimate showcase for their collection of 140 limited-edition automobiles, including a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom. Encompassing 31 private acres, the property offers 22 acres of prime, Willamette Valley AVA pinot noir terroir, and 2,700 feet of frontage along the Willamette River. A helipad, boat dock, sandy beach, formal gardens, and a pool terrace are envisioned. The main house will offer more than 50,000 square feet of contemporary living and entertaining space. The centerpiece is the climate-controlled auto museum: a car collector’s dream with modular, portable vehicle lifts; a workshop; and three 10-foot, 2-inch clearance doors onto paved driveways flanking the estate. It’s suitable for a multi-use event space, with vast gallery walls to display large artworks, and ideal for grand-scale entertaining with a catering kitchen, media lounge, two bars, offices, guest suites, and a spectacular three-story, floor-to-ceiling wine vault (for up to 10,000 bottles) and a tasting room. Its fluid, contemporary lines and walls of glass emphasize the owners’ feng shui design philosophy, bringing in the light, and the 270-degree river and valley views. The main level of the home, accessed via elevator, is dedicated to a grand ballroom that mirrors the footprint and symmetry of the auto showroom below. It’s also an utterly luxurious home, with an upper-floor principal suite, 10 additional en suite bedrooms, formal and casual living areas, and amenities worthy of a five-star resort.
The property is set for completion within 18 months from the point of purchase. The acreage may be purchased with entitlements and design. See the video below for a full 3D visualization of the architecture and surrounding landscape.
The Waterfront Estate in West Linn, Oregon from Christie’s Real Estate on Vimeo.
Modernist Villa in Gordola, Ticino, Switzerland
This glamorous Modernist villa overlooks Lake Maggiore in the hillside village of Gordola, near Locarno. Yet despite its picture-postcard setting, this home is the automotive lifestyle writ large. Its custom-designed garage complex is worthy of a Formula 1 team, and its three bedrooms, five bathrooms, open lounge, and mountain-view terrace can pamper their off-hours. The wide-bayed garage has a vast floor for 25-car storage and display, renovation, repair, and prototyping—with a luxurious bath and shower room just off the floor. There is a wash bay for pampering the vehicle, too. Rounding out the amenities are a design studio and offices, storage rooms for parts and supplies, and even a gym and sauna. A forecourt offers six additional parking spaces.
Gulf-Front Estate in Spring Hill, Florida
This 23-acre coastal estate in Spring Hill, Florida, offers unparalleled privacy and panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico. A private driveway leads to a 30,000-square-foot paved motor court with a helipad. Residents and guests can also arrive by sea: the estate has 1,100 feet of waterfront with a dock, concrete boat ramp, and boathouse. The 40-car garage has 12 doors, with enough clearance space for an RV and a Robinson helicopter. Encompassing 8,950 square feet with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, the main residence is ideal as a private family home or a luxurious coastal retreat. There are breathtaking ocean views throughout the grandly appointed living areas, which include a billiards room, library, theater, humidor, and wine cellar. The west-facing terrace extends the entire length of the home and includes an outdoor kitchen. The grounds include two regulation tennis courts with stadium lighting, a separate guest house, and a bridge leading to a private island with floating dock and firepit.
Residence at Circle Sukhumvit 11 in Bangkok, Thailand
This brand-new freehold condominium is the last unit available in Circle 11, a luxury high-rise in the upscale Bangkok district of Wattana. The three-bedroom, three-bathroom residence offers 2,162 square feet of air-conditioned living space with beautiful wood floors and top-of-the-line fixtures and finishes. All bedrooms have jaw-dropping views of the cityscape and luxuriously appointed bathrooms. The contemporary chef’s kitchen opens to an open-plan formal dining and living area with floor-to-ceiling windows and a city-view terrace. The centerpiece of the home is the “sky garage,” a glass-enclosed car elevator rising from the building’s parking garage to the living room. The building is surrounded by five-star hotels, upscale restaurants, and two of the city’s finest shopping malls, Emquartier and Terminal 21. The BTS Skytrain Stations of Asoke and Nana are a short walk.
Covey Trails Airpark Estate in Richmond, Texas
This private, gated estate is in the Covey Trails aviation community in Richmond Texas, just outside Houston. Its custom-built aircraft hangar has 5,000 square feet of storage space, doubling as a multi-vehicle garage with a 600-square-foot self-contained guest/staff apartment. The Ranch-style main residence offers 3,900 square feet of luxurious accommodation. There are three bedrooms, three full and one half bathrooms. The main suite is a private retreat with a two-sided fireplace and deluxe bathroom opening to an outdoor shower. The heart of the home is an open-concept family kitchen/dining area with a fireplace. The amenities include a temperature-controlled wine room, movie theater, and library. An outdoor entertaining area with a fireplace, a guest house, and 1.7 acres of landscaped gardens with a pond are further highlights.
Jory Vineyard Estate in Sherwood, Oregon
This dramatic, 24-acre vineyard estate in Sherwood, Oregon, takes its name from its Jory soil, at 550 feet above sea level and ideal for pinot noir vines. The great house, inspired by the Tuscan Modern villas of Southern California, looks out onto Mount Hood (and conceals a cavernous underground garage). With six bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and three half-bathrooms, Jory Vineyard Estate was built for the good life. An open floor plan provides Tuscan-style arches, iron railings and balconies above radiant-heated Brazilian black walnut floors for the formal dining room, family room (with full-service bar), and office. The spectacular great room’s 10-foot-tall LaCantina accordion doors open to the 5,000-square-foot covered patio—an indoor-outdoor living and entertaining space surrounding an infinity pool with a waterfall, slide, and grotto. The owner’s suite shares its double-sided fireplace with the en suite bath, with soaking tub and a rainforest shower. The suite’s designer walk-in closet includes a washer and dryer. The chef’s-grade main kitchen provides custom cabinetry, two Wolf ovens, a six-burner Wolf cooktop/grill, Sub-Zero fridge and two dishwashers—served by a caterer’s prep kitchen with two more wall ovens, two refrigerators, and another Wolf range. A staircase just off the kitchen leads to the underground garage, built to spotlight a 10-car collection. The lower level also includes a mechanical room and wine cellar. Two additional ground-level garages each have parking for four cars and an RV.
Car Lover’s Compound in Mount Vernon, Washington
This car collector’s haven is situated on nearly three wooded acres in Mount Vernon, Washington, halfway between Seattle and Vancouver. Automated security gates open to a sweeping driveway to a parking court and into a double-height 12-car garage with hydraulic lifts and a built-in workstation. The Mediterranean-style main residence extends to 7,000 feet, all on one level for convenient access to the indoor-outdoor living spaces, which include a summer kitchen. Indoors, the resort amenities continue with a beautiful atrium featuring a grotto-style heated pool, a sports bar and lounge with billiards area, a temperature-controlled wine cellar, and a library. The main kitchen has a breakfast bar and opens to a formal dining room. Farther along is an elegant great room with a monumental fireplace and French doors opening to the gardens and miles of unspoiled terrain.
The Baldridge House in Fort Worth, Texas
One of Texas’s prized architectural treasures, the Baldridge House was designed in the early 1900s by the prestigious architectural firm Sanguinet and Staats and established as a landmark in 1978. This historic Fort Worth home and its 1.5-acre grounds retains all of its Old World splendor with the addition of 21st-century creature comforts. The grand foyer is an architectural feat with marble floors, wainscoting, coffered ceilings, elliptical arches, and a sweeping staircase. Other highlights include a stately principal suite, temperature-controlled wine cellar, and fully equipped gym. The impeccable landscaped outdoor spaces include an oversized pool, outdoor kitchen, and guest house with a poolside bar and steam room. Two garages are an auto enthusiast’s dream with 11 parking spaces, a car lift, workshop, and wash bay.