In an affluent neighborhood of shoreline properties overlooking the Puget Sound is a large 5-acre estate belonging to Gordon Apker who, upon arriving, jokingly states, “Welcome to my chicken coop.”
Gordon purchased this beautiful property over 40 years ago. The former owner, the president of Alaska Steam Ship Company, constructed a building on the grounds to house his collection of exotic birds. When Gordon first saw the property, he immediately envisioned converting the “chicken coop” into an automotive space, and shortly after moving in, Gordon did just that and has since added space to the “chicken coop” for offices, a restoration shop, and multiple showroom areas.
His car collection is as varied as is impressive. You will find the 1930’s era represented by his Packard collection. His 1950’s Americana collection has Cadillac, MoPar and Chevrolet all on display. A 1955 Talbot Lago, a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud and a Hudson Italia (and Italian bodied Hudson) reflect his penchant for European prestige automobiles, however, most of his European cars are housed in Arizona and include a Ferrari, an Aston Martin, and Mercedes-Benz among others. He is even into the Barris style of custom with a 1954 Chevrolet Convertible that has been tastefully chopped and customized. He is also a real fan of the Bill Mitchell era of styling at General Motors and has a Buick Riviera and a Cadillac Eldorado from that genre.
To understand Gordon’s garage space, one must first understand Gordon the man. Back in his early 20’s, he was attending seminary school with the goal of becoming a Lutheran Minister. In order to support his family and school expenses, he worked as a mechanic at the local VELTEX gas station until the VELTEX Company fell upon hard times and closed all of their stations. Suddenly, Gordon was without a job and income, but it wasn’t long until he landed a job at a Shakey’s Pizza Parlor. Within two years, Gordon would own his first Shakey’s Pizza Parlor at the age of 23. Fifteen years later, he would be one of the owners of the Shakey’s Pizza Parlor parent company with 297 international locations, 250 franchised locations throughout the continental United States and 35 personally owned locations within the Pacific Northwest. Gordon has recreated a copy of the VELTEX gas station that he used to work at as a centerpiece display in his garage area.
“I built that station as a reminder of where I came from,” Gordon said. “In hindsight, it was a favor to get laid off. It made me look at new opportunities and I’m grateful for that.”
In Gordon’s administrative offices, a rototiller stands on prominent display incongruently with the rest of the décor.
“My Dad was a machinist by trade, but he went through lots of unemployment due to labor strikes and other reasons,” he explained. “He used to have a rototiller to make money to feed the family when work was lean.”
Touring the restoration area of his compound, he points to a small lathe against the wall.
“That lathe used to belong to my father. I think of him every time I see it. We use it here in the shop. I think he would like that,” he said.
Discussing Gordon’s favorite car, he points to a 1947 Oldsmobile coupe, a car that seems a little out of place residing in such a grand and valuable collection.
“I bought that 1947 Olds for $410. I went out on a limb to open my first Shakey’s Pizza Parlor and I threw everything at the business. I needed cheap and reliable transportation. That car never let me down. I’ll never sell that car,” Gordon said.
He has owned the Olds since 1967, selling it once but buying it back shortly thereafter for purely sentimental reasons. He then points to a beautiful 1955 Chrysler New Yorker St. Regis 2-door hardtop with a 331 Hemi engine.
“I had the identical car when I was eighteen years old. This was a limited production car, but they made 11,076 examples,” he said. “Just weeks after I got it I was hit head on by a drunk driver. The car was totaled. Thankfully I came out with my life since I had installed seat belts just days earlier and was wearing them when the accident happened. I saw this car for sale about 10 years ago and just had to have it.”
Gordon’s garage is filled with fascinating stories, one of which revolves around a bronze sculpture of a 1932 Ford Roadster High Boy that looks like the Doane Spencer car.
“I gave the previous owner a $10 bill and said that I wanted first shot at purchasing this car if it ever came up for sale,” he said. “He ended up selling it to Bruce Meyer. That one got away from me.”
A photo on the wall is of the next to last of the Old Yeller cars built by Max Balchoswsky of Hollywood Motors. Gordon used to own this car and explains that the rear end was from a Jaguar XK-E. Max had informed all of the Southern California junk yards to notify when a wrecked XK-E came in so he could graft the rear end of the body on to the race car.
Gordon is a genuine car guy and has a real passion for all forms of automotive expression. His varied and diverse collection reflects this wide range of automotive taste and appreciation. It’s touching that Gordon’s garage also serves many dimensions in his life. From purely a practical perspective, it serves as his administrative office for his business interests and a storage and restoration center for his current automotive projects. It is also a place where he contemplates and strategizes on his next automotive acquisition. Lastly, it is a place where Gordon reminds himself of where he came from and the hard but fortuitous road he took to get where he is today.
