This shoot started out in the most unassuming of ways. I was contacted by an auctioning company based out of California who had been hired to move some cars for an unnamed person’s estate. We traded emails back and forth while setting up the shoot later on in the week. I didn’t think too much of it until I received the shot list from the contact: “A 1927 Rolls, 1985 Aston Martin, ’57 Continental…what?!” It soon dawned upon me that this would be no average automotive shoot. The official shot list:
- 1963 Fiat 750 Abarth Berlina
- 1955 Ford Thunderbird
- 1965 Mercury Parklane
- 1985 Aston Martin Lagonda
- 1961 Nash Metropolitan
- 1909 Cartercar Model H Touring
- 1957 Lincoln Continental Mark II
- 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Towncar
- 1931 Ford Model A Victoria
- 1916 Oldsmobile Model 44 Roadster
- 1957 Ford Fairlane 500
Come the day of the shoot, I waited outside of a large, bland warehouse in a decidedly seedy area of town. I assumed that a small portion of this warehouse was where I would be shooting the few cars, and I was worried that the inside of the warehouse would be in disrepair and would make finding a suitable shooting location difficult. Once my contact arrived, I walked inside and quickly realized that I couldn’t have been more wrong. To my complete disbelief, the massive warehouse stretched on for what seemed like forever in each direction, with HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS of classic cars before me, all gleaming under the lights and sitting upon a spotless sealed white floor. Most likely deducing from the dumbfounded look on my face, my contact grabbed a golf cart and offered to take me on a tour.
I learned that this was the extensive collection of none other than John O’Quinn, a famous Houstonian, trial lawyer and billionaire who passed away two years ago in a car accident on Allen Parkway that is still shrouded in mystery. At it’s peak, his collection amassed over 650 cars worth a staggering $100 million. As we buzzed around as he casually pointed out cars that would easily be the centerpiece in any other collection. Twin orange GTO’s to my right, Marlene Dietrich’s custom Rolls Royce and Al Capone’s Armored Cadillac to my left, Steve McQueen’s Indian complete with side car straight ahead. It’s unfortunate that I didn’t have time to write all the names and cars down as we sped along, as the list was a star-studded one. As a small footnote, he had every model year Corvette, Camaro and Mustang ever made! “It’s a shame you couldn’t have seen it 9 months ago”, he said. “You’re only looking at about a third of what used to be here. All the Enzo’s, McLaren’s, F50’s, F40’s and Bugatti’s are all long gone.”. However, the centerpiece of the collection still remained. Painted a dull blueish-gray, wedged among two giant 1920’s coaches, stood a 1975 Ford Escort GL. This was the pride of Mr. O’Quinn’s collection, for which he paid $690,000. Why so much for such a lowly car? Only for the simple reason that it had belonged to none other than Pope John Paul II. It is pictured below in a terrible shot from my Blackberry.
After the tour, my own personal golf cart was bestowed upon me so that I could get from place to place without getting winded. We had a small area to shoot because the rest was crammed with cars, so we cleared out the area as best as possible and set up to shoot. My gear for the shoot was:
- D700
- 50mm 1.8
- 105mm. 2.8
- SB 600
- SB 900
- Cheap wireless triggers
- Light stands
- 20″ softbox
- Tripod
I setup the SB900 in the softbox and used that to light the dominant side of the car. It was placed camera right at an angle about 20 feet away at 1/2 power. The SB600 was used to light the nose or rear of the car, placed camera left about 20 feel away, bare, at 1/2 power. I found that the exposure that worked best for me was 1/20 sec, f5, ISO 640 – it achieved nice even lighting that hid the streaks from the overhead lighting pretty well and also made the treated concrete wall behind the cars look nice.
Slowly but surely we moved through the inventory. Surprisingly, most of the cars ran, albeit while slowly hemorrhaging transmission fluid and oil onto the pristine white floor. I wrote it off to their age – when I’m 80-something, I’ll probably have a few leaks too.
It was amazing to be able to interact with these cars, to see automotive history rolling right in front of your eyes. From the simple days when “cars” were nothing more than horse coaches with engines strapped onto them to the 1950’s, where cars were rolling sculptures, heavy with steel and bright reflective chrome. Sitting in them was great too, and gives you a huge appreciation for the modern studies in ergonomics! The easiest way to exit the 1909 Cartercar? Through the passenger side of course, unless you feel like contorting yourself like a pretzel around the spider’s web of metal framing for the roof and the steering wheel that presses against your thighs as you steer. All these old cars had personalities that were completely their own, which is something I love and feel that most modern cars today lack – a real soul.
While shooting, we discussed the collection, and what is going to become of it now that it is in the hands of the estate. I learned that Mr. O’Quinn had intended for these cars to be placed on permanent display for the city of Houston to enjoy upon his passing, and that up until his death, the plans for this museum were already in the works. Upon his passing however, there were disagreements between those in the estate, and it was decided that this collection would be sold to settle debts and other discrepancies left behind be Mr. O’Quinn. It was truly sad to hear that this collection, surely one of the finest and largest in the world, was being dismantled and sold off. A collection like this will probably never exist again, and it is a great disappointment that Houstonians will not be able to enjoy this collection for years to come.
This shoot was something that I will remember for a long, long time. I am very honored to have been able to see it, even at only 1/3 its original size, before it has been divided up between bidders all over the world. If I had never seen this collection in person, I would’ve never imagined that it even existed. The sheer size of this collection was something that I had trouble wrapping my head around. I lingered a bit before leaving, trying to take every last bit in.
Thanks to everyone who helped with this project! Below are photos and videos of the shoot. Thanks for checking back, and please go have a look at my new website, Theo-Graphics.com!
A few videos I took while tooling around in the golf cart.
*Videos Removed By Request*
1909 Cartercar Model H Touring – I’d never heard of this brand until now. It goes down as the oldest car I’ve ever driven! Well, driven as in steered while it was being pulled by a golf cart.
1985 Aston Martin Lagonda – What an ugly car! This think reminded me of a stealth fighter, as it reflected ALL the light I put on it which made it very hard to photograph. The interior was straight 80’s, with a dash layout like an old Macintosh computer and CRT (that’s right, CRT) displays. How, um, futuristic.
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 – Immaculate inside and out. Love the color scheme.
1957 Lincoln Continental Mark II – This car won awards at SEMA among many others. This thing was ridiculous in person. Bagged suspension, paint that was so glossy it looked like it was a foot deep. Such a beautiful car.
1961 Nash Metropolitan – Called it the “Creampuff”, haha. The doors felt like two sheets of steel welded together with nothing in between because, well, that’s pretty much what it was. Gotta love safety standards of the ’60’s.
1916 Oldsmobile Model 44 Roadster – Bill Harrah’s old car.
1931 Ford Model A Victoria – The paint scheme on this car was gorgeous. The photos do not do it justice.
1965 Mercury Park Lane – I loved this car. Something about that green interior!
1927 Rolls Royce Phantom I Towncar – Beautiful car. Very regal.
1955 Ford Thunderbird – Perfect example of a classic. Spotless inside and out.
Another bad cell phone shot of FDR’s 1941 Presidential Packard Limousine:
