The Luxurious World of Supercar Storage: Underfloor Heating, Custom Lighting, and Exquisite $385,000 TVs
The garage of the super-rich car enthusiast is more than just a parking space It's a sanctuary, boasting underfloor heating, custom lighting, and astonishing $385,000 TVs, where drivers can not only store their cars but truly connect with them
Gil Dezer's four-floor penthouse at the top of his 60-story residential tower in Miami provides a stunning vantage point. However, the billionaire property developer is more interested in admiring 11 of his favorite cars through the large internal windows. "From my living room, I can see two cars, and from my kitchen, I can see two more cars. I can also see seven from my man cave," explained the 48-year-old Dezer during a video call with CNN. Describing rather than showing his apartment, he likened his love for his cars to that of an art collector displaying a Da Vinci on the wall rather than stashing it in storage.
Dezer revealed that his personal Mona Lisa is actually one of his three ultra-luxury supercars: a McLaren Speedtail, a Porsche 918, and a Bugatti Chiron, all valued at over a million dollars each. This is the reason why, when he instructed the construction of the tower, he collaborated on designing a central elevator that transports vehicles up to private, glass-enclosed sky garages.
The 8899 Beverly apartment complex in West Hollywood boasts "showroom quality" parking facilities.
8899 Beverly
The traditional garage, once just a utilitarian lock-up and suburban dream, has become a cherished space for super-rich car enthusiasts. Now transformed into a gallery space, these areas are designed for drivers to not only store their cars but also commune with them and like-minded friends. Graham Harris, a founding partner at SHH Architecture and Interior Design in London, describes them as spaces focused on drama, theater, backdrops, and the right kind of lighting, rather than just being a concrete bunker as in the past.
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According to Harris, who has also worked on a $158 million refurbishment of a mansion on Londons Belgrave Square, the trend for expanding garages is not only to accommodate a growing car collection (he recently constructed a 26-car basement garage under a new home in west London), but also to create additional living space.
Personal, glass-walled "sky garages," which can show off car collections, are in demand amongst the super rich.
Bentley Residences
At Bentley Residences, we bring together the garage and the classic American basement den to create super-luxe "man caves." These customized spaces may feature state-of-the-art car racing simulators with wraparound screens and virtual reality headsets, along with impressive bars, full-length bowling alleys, golf simulators, and oversized screens for sports viewing.
Many clients are requesting the Samsung Wall, a customized LED display that can be tailored to any size, with a starting price of £300,000 ($385,000). "It creates an amazing backdrop for any desired scene in your garage," stated Harris.
There is also a shift in materials. Concrete floors are outdated; Harris now opts for hand-poured resin that can be customized in any color and provides protection for car tires while repelling dirt and oil. Additionally, lighting can be strategically installed into the floors to showcase cars, giving the illusion that they are almost floating.
Turntables in personal garages at the Bentley Residences facilitate the easy movement of super cars.
Bentley Residences offers a state-of-the-art system with turntables in the floor and advanced hydraulic racking systems, allowing for efficient stacking, movement, and display of cars. This makes it easier for in-house valets, mechanics, or drivers to ensure that a preferred vehicle is readily available at any time.
Harris sent me a photo of a 16-car garage he built in Europe, complete with a large window that can be frosted at the touch of a button, a resin floor, and a central turntable with a high-gloss black ceiling reflecting the cars below. On the other side of the glass, the client's study stands slightly raised above the garage, with crown-cut walnut walls featuring hexagonal leather panels and hand-gilded moldings. Take a peek into the $50M penthouse that will top the Waldorf Astoria Miami.
It's a far cry from the practical garages that Michael, a former bus driver from Tel Aviv who immigrated to the US at 21, used to store his cars when he first began building the family's real estate business. The main concern for Michael was just making sure he had enough space for all of them.
A clients study stands slightly raised above their garage, with crown-cut walnut walls with hexagonal leather panels and hand-gilded moldings.
Adam Woodward
Dezer Jr stated that his father had 85 cars and purchased an old car dealership to store them when he was in fifth grade. The family later acquired a vacant shopping mall in Orlando, where Michael now houses over 1,800 cars valued at around $200 million in the Orlando Auto Museum, part of Dezerland Park, a theme park.
In contrast, Gil Dezer has chosen to keep his own collection of 32 cars divided between his Hamptons home and Miami penthouse. He likes to have them accessible for viewing and driving at all times, creating a sort of autopia for himself and his fellow residents.
His $480 million building, the Porsche Design Tower, completed in 2017, was one of the pioneering branded residential developments. The tower's central car lift, patented as the "Dezervator," proved to be a major draw for those seeking privacy and security. When Lionel Messi joined David Beckham's Inter Miami soccer team, he made the tower his home, although he later relocated to a house "in the middle of nowhere" due to thousands of fans gathering outside the building.
The new Bentley Residences in Miami will feature four car elevators and space for three or four cars for each of the 216 apartments.
Bentley Residences
The Dezers are poised to commence construction on the 62-floor Bentley Residences in Miami. The building will incorporate design elements inspired by the luxury car brand, and will feature four Dezervators, as well as parking space for three to four cars per apartment. Each of the 216 apartments will also boast balcony swimming pools and will be priced between $5.5 million and $35 million.
"Bentley aims for (the development) to seamlessly extend the automobile experience," stated Dezer. "We are developing a system where the music playing in your car will seamlessly transition when you enter your apartment."
It would be unreasonable to purchase an apartment in the Porsche or Bentley tower without owning a car. However, must one desire to stare at their cars all day in order to live there? According to Dezer, approximately 5% of residents have covered the windows with drywall, creating a barrier to the view of the garage. Dezer shared a personal anecdote, expressing frustration when his sister had done the same in her apartment, causing him to feel ready to "kill her."
