Bill Warner needs no introduction. The founder of the Amelia Island Concours, Bill’s name is legend in the community, not only for his work with the Concours, but his work with various books and magazines through the years. You can hear more about his story, in his own words, on the Gran Touring Motorsports Break-Fix podcast below.
Check out the follow-along notes, transcript and more details for this episode at GTM
Having sold the Concours to Hagerty, and he’s quick to remind that to sell a nonprofit, one can’t just sell it – it has to go through certain formalities as the founder/owner can’t make any money. Or something to that effect. Regardless, the time was right to pass the torch on to a new handler, and Hagerty wanted the opportunity to sustain what he began. With all this new-found time on his hands, Bill decided it was time to sort out his own garage. He had a nice one at home and at the concours office, but selling meant moving the cars. He got lucky when a billionaire built a stunning garage on the border of Bill’s neighborhood. Complete with a helipad in the front and RV hookups inside, the billionaire was told by the FAA (after the garage was completed) that he wouldn’t be able to land or launch his helicopter from the location due to its proximity to a residential neighborhood. With that, the billionaire packed up and headed to new frontiers – and put the garage on the market. For a moment, it was scooped up by an exotic car dealership, who used it to sell Lamborghinis and Ferraris, but for whatever reason, the company put it back on the market and Bill was able to snap it up.
“I bought it for less than they did, and to build this place would have cost even more than that, I think,” said Bill.
Constructed of cinder block, the exterior is stylish, but not so much that it would attract a lot of attention. To a passerby, it simply looks like a big warehouse. Nicely too, because it’s right on the border of commercial and residential property, it’s nestled in with a myriad of trees and foliage, so it’s a bit tucked away, hidden and situated on a two-lane road that leads right into the heart of a residential neighborhood.
“It’s a really great location, I live about 10 minutes away, the police department is just around the corner, and it’s adjacent a lot of restaurants, so having visitors is easy,” he said.
Bill immediately moved his collection in, both from his private garage at home, which GSM covered many moons ago, and the concours office. The collection consists of racecars and classics, ranging from Camaros and Triumphs to Cadillacs and Buicks with a Ferrari Daytona and Cannonball Run participating Porche 911 thrown in for good measure.
“I bought the 911 new in the 1970s, ran it in the Cannonball,” he said. The places Bill has been, the stories he could tell – someone should make a movie of what’s going on in his mind. Our favorite story though is his using a Lincoln Town Car to run a race around the country. It was a rental with unlimited mileage. “The rental company eliminated the unlimited mileage benefit after we brought the Town Car back,” he said.
But back to the garage.
The massive doors accommodate an RV and roll up or down at the touch of a button, concealed into a box which is concealed in the ceiling. The flooring is comprised of ceramic or porcelain tiles (Bill isn’t sure which) and the walls consist of brick and blank with windows up high, allowing natural lighting in while keeping any prying eyes out. Fully gated, the building is hugely secure, but the more precautions the better.
“I don’t think I would have bought it if it weren’t for being so close to the house and the police,” said Bill. “But the gate, the garage doors, the alarm, the cameras, and those little windows definitely lend a high sense of security.”
As Bill is still only just moving in, a huge amount of boxes and framed art still await sorting, but he’s done a great job posting pictures and posters on the wall, each illustrating races and the concours. Meanwhile, he’s still got a lot of sorting to do.
“To help me keep from running out of wall space, I took some wire rack shelving, stood them on their sides in a box format held together with zip ties and created moveable towers I can hang stuff on,” he said.
A great solution to a common problem.
“They don’t hold a lot of weight, but small pictures or letters are no problem.”
In the back of the garage are offices, in which Bill continues to operate his empire. During our visit, he had dozens of friends and colleagues stop by, including two gents from Hagerty seeking advice on how to better the concours they just acquired. Bill lets an old friend keep his office there and another office is filled with photo equipment while a fairly sizeable storage room is filled floor-to-ceiling, left to right with albums containing seemingly billions of slide photos from Bill’s days photographing races and events around the world.
“I’m going through them all and digitizing them,” he said. “Eventually they’ll be given to a museum.”
Out back, a small courtyard overlooks a waterscape complete with ducks and fish. A great place to enjoy lunch, a table and set of chairs welcomes people to chill out and relax.
“I’m really enjoying the garage, I finally have a place for everything,” Bill said.
Giving Back
The Other Side of the Fence by Bill Warner
Proceeds from the sale of this book go 100% to SPINA BIFIDA research and treatment, a cause near and dear to Bill Warner.
Available on Spina Bifida Jacksonville – $100
