MILT'S AMERICAN MUSCLE RANCH

Some years ago, a famous advertising campaign proclaimed, "It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken." Milton Robson knows how true that is; for years as a young man he sold chicken out of the back of his truck. Ultimately, these humble beginnings grew into a Georgia-based food service empire that made him a multi-millionaire. As he became more successful, Robson started assembling one of the finest muscle-car collections in the world and eventually built his true dream garage on a 460 acre ranch in Gainesville, a small city fifty miles northeast of Atlanta.

It was a sunny afternoon when we wheeled onto his property via the back gate, a stone arch flanked by a pair of brass, larger-than-life "Coleman lanterns." After a short drive through low-rolling countryside, we arrived at the garage. The man himself was waiting there on the front porch and greeted us with a fine-and-dandy "hello", delivered in his trademark Georgia drawl. The porch stretches across the front of the building and sports an inviting selection of rustic rocking chairs. A friendly sign states, "Welcome to the Ranch".

The exterior of the huge building in no way reflects the glamorous scene that awaits the visitor inside -- a car lover’s heaven. The first thing we encountered was a handsome foyer filled with western artifacts, framed photographs and art, car models, awards from numerous auto shows and assorted memorabilia. Robson’s office is on the left, a comfortable room that reflects the easy going lifestyle of the successful man who works there.