GARAGES TO PONDER

The Spirit of Ecstasy, a silver likeness of a beautiful woman in fluttering robes, is one of the most well-known motor car mascots in the world. Often called The Flying Lady, this ornament has adorned the radiator of every Rolls-Royce since 1911. A nearly life-sized statue of The Spirit of Ecstasy stands in a place of prominence in Texas businessman Gene Ponder’s main garage, flanked by a beautiful 1931 Roll-Royce Phantom One, one of over 70 vintage vehicles in his extensive collection. The feeling of freedom captured by this statue may be the best illustration of what these automobiles represent to this collector of extraordinary cars.

Gene readily admits he has an affliction; he is suffering from the collector’s mentality, an all-consuming need to acquire, accumulate, assemble, and restore, traits that non-collectors often find difficult to understand . Over the years he has amassed what is arguably the largest private collection of rare cars, motorcycles, and automotive memorabilia in the South, housed in three custom-designed garages behind his magnificent home. With a specialization in European sports cars, his collection of vintage vehicles includes MGs, Ferraris, Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes, Alfa Romeos, Rolls-Royces, Arnolts, and Bentleys. He also owns a number of one-of-a-kind vehicles that showcase the pinnacle of automotive craftsmanship. As his wife Patsy says, “Gene is more than a car collector—this is his all-consuming passion.”

As the founder and chairman of Republic Industries, the fifth largest kitchen cabinet manufacturer in North America, Gene applies the same tenacity and dedication to running his company as he does to augmenting his collection.