About 24 years ago, I met my future husband and automotive enthusiast repair shop owner and started helping him in his auto business. Cars and the auto industry were fairly new to me and never thought I nor any other female would be interested in such a field, but felt I needed to be prepared for the Bold New World ahead of me! (Besides, it was going to be my business too one day). So I took a leap of faith and began to see the automobile and the auto industry as more than just some dirty garage for fixing cars. I learned the basics of the business early on and later expanded my knowledge of the mechanics of the automobile, and most recently the design and aftermarket items that make our vehicle personal and stylish. It didn’t take long to realize that my new found interest in cars has been a long passion for many people including many stars and designers. One in particular got my attention Ralph Lauren. Most of us know Ralph Lauren as the designer who defined the all-American look through his clothing line and then extended this to home fashion. These two attributes I know well because I am a fan of both. But in looking at his most recent collection of vintage European cars it makes me realize just how elegant classic automobiles are and have been in history. Ralph Lauren had a designer build a garage to house his collection of some of the most valuable cars in the world. Now, you can see by the picture that his cars are displayed and stored in what should be called a museum or vault rather than a garage. You can talk all you want about his classic clothing or perfect all-American country houses, but it is Ralph Lauren’s collection of the most valuable cars in the world, his passion for detail, and his love of driving the “automobile” that adds that touch of elegance to the world of cars.
So why does the fashion designer collect the world's rarest automobiles as opposed to, say, fine art? When Vanity Fair asked, Lauren's answer was simple. "You can't drive a painting"
