Don Baskin Car Collection Inside the 1,000 Car Empire

The Don Baskin car collection is one of the largest private automotive collections in the United States. It is massive. It is largely aloof to the masses. And it continues to grow.

Headquartered in Covington and Memphis, Tennessee, Don Baskin has been able to establish an empire of horsepower in decades. Something that began when he was 15 became an obsession in life. To-day that passion occupies over 400,000 square feet of storage area.

With around 1,000 vehicles and 922 officially insured, the Don Baskin car collection is not just big. It is a legend to a muscle car fan.

How Don Baskin Started Collecting Cars

There must be a beginning to every great collection. In the case of Don Baskin, this commenced when he was only 15 years of age.

Most teenagers were either school or sport oriented, but he was car oriented. He loved performance. He loved speed. And he loved American muscle.

The passionate love of that early life had never died. On the contrary, it became more powerful over time. Each year, he designated additional vehicles. He did not collect randomly. He was concentrating on high performance machines. He was biased towards American brands that were powerful and present.

Now at 68 years old, he is still adding to the Don Baskin car collection. The collection has almost reached 1,000 vehicles partly because that lifelong commitment is one of the reasons.

The Massive Size and Storage Facilities

The Don Baskin car collection is not stored in a single small warehouse. It is transmitted in several buildings within Memphis, Tennessee.

The collection is a total of over 400,000 square feet. A single facility is approximately over 270,000 SFT. It is bigger than numerous shopping centers. Rows and rows of cars are carefully stored inside these buildings. The portfolio consists of about 1,000 vehicles. Of that number 922 are officially insured.

It is one of the largest private collections of cars in the United States just by size. It is not a public museum. It is not a dealership. It is a personal empire, which is formed in decades. To make the mystery even more mysterious and intriguing, the fact that most of it is still concealed, is also a secret.

A Deep Love for American Muscle

The heart of the Don Baskin car collection is American muscle.

There are a high number of brands such as Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Pontiac and Buick. These are names that are legends of the American auto industry. They represent power, style and performance.

The line is a powerful expression of that tradition. It is not only about the possession of cars. It is concerned with the need to preserve a certain period and culture of performance.

Muscle cars are characterized by huge engines and violent style. They are constructed to take over the street and the drag strip. That spirit runs through the entire Don Baskin car collection.

The pattern is evident in case you take a stroll through his facilities. It is an assortment that was gathered by a horsepower lover.

25 Hellcats and 10 Buick Grand Nationals

Two numbers stand out immediately when discussing the Don Baskin car collection.

Twenty five Hellcats.

Ten Buick Grand Nationals.

Most collectors are impressed with the possession of a single Hellcat. The possession of 25 demonstrates a serious attitude to the contemporary American muscle. Dodge Hellcat is famous because of excessive strength and performance of the supercharger. It is the contemporary development of muscle car formula.

Next there are the 10 Buick Grand Nationals. This group of cars is the icons of the 1980s performance. They were legends overnight with their dark styling and turbocharged engines. They are extremely sought after to-day.

It is impressive to see 10 of them in one personal collection.

These highlights show that the Don Baskin car collection blends different generations of muscle. It encompasses the contemporary monsters and the traditional monsters.

Read More: Jerry Seinfeld Car Collection and His Love for Classic Cars

Drag Racing Cars and Performance Focus

The list does not end with street cars.

Don Baskin is very much interested in drag racing. The vehicles he owns are a manifestation of that passion. The Don Baskin car collection includes various drag racing cars built for straight line speed.

Car drag racing are special purpose machines. They are not about comfort. They are about acceleration. They are concerned with seconds taken off a run.

Including these professional cars, Baskin demonstrates that he cares more than just his looks. He appreciates performance and competition.

The collection has a special advantage through this racing influence. It is not only a fixed exhibition of classic cars. It is a glorification of speed and might.

One of the Largest Private Collections in the US

The size is apparent when you put almost 1,000 cars and more than 400,000 square feet of storage space together.

The Don Baskin car collection ranks among the largest private holdings in the country. The number of people possessing collections of this size is limited.

It has an extensive portfolio of Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Pontiac, and Buick. The variety of American muscle is marvelous. The product line covers a long history of automobiles: classic Chevrolets, and Hellcats of all kinds.

It even more makes it interesting because it is not generally accessible to the masses. Not even many may know that such enormous collection can be found in Memphis area.

The exclusivity that comes with it contributes to its myth. It is almost like a secret of American muscle.

The Future of the Don Baskin Car Collection

Don Baskin is 68, suggesting that he might sell the collection.

There is no big task to manage almost 1,000 vehicles. The scale is enormous. It takes serious commitments in terms of maintenance, insurance and storage.

There have been indications that he has considered selling the Don Baskin car collection due to his age and the immense size of the holdings.

Should this ever occur, it would be a significant occurrence in the motor industry. The sale of such a large collection could redefine the market of muscle car. There would be meeting glances by collectors all over the country.

To date, the collection still exists. It is a lifelong success because of a passion during the teen years and the decades of hard work.

Final Thought

The Don Baskin car collection is more than a group of vehicles. It is a life long passion story.

Since his first collection at the age of 15 years up to the creation of almost 1,000 cars, Don Baskin has made a name out of a name in Memphis, Tennessee. The collection features 25 Hellcats, 10 Buick Grand Nationals and a variety of drag racing cars all of which are a tribute to the best ever of American muscle.

It is among the largest private car collections in the United States that is housed over 400,000 square feet. It is not well known and much of it is concealed, which makes it only the more mysterious.

Whether it stays together or is eventually sold, the Don Baskin car collection will always stand as a powerful example of what happens when passion meets persistence.

FAQs

How many cars are in the Don Baskin car collection?
The Don Baskin car collection includes approximately 1,000 vehicles, with 922 officially insured.

Where is the Don Baskin car collection located?
The collection is based in Covington and Memphis, Tennessee, and is stored across multiple large facilities.

How big is the storage space for the collection?
The cars are housed in buildings totaling over 400,000 square feet, including one facility that measures about 270,000 square feet.

What types of cars does Don Baskin collect?
The Don Baskin car collection heavily features American muscle cars from brands like Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Pontiac, and Buick. It also includes drag racing cars.

How many Hellcats does Don Baskin own?
He owns 25 Hellcats, making them one of the standout highlights of the collection.

How many Buick Grand Nationals are in the collection?
The collection includes 10 Buick Grand Nationals, which are highly respected performance cars from the 1980s.

Is Don Baskin planning to sell his car collection?
There have been indications that due to his age and the size of the collection, he has considered selling it, though it remains intact for now.