As an addition to perhaps the most spectacular collector car storage facility imaginable, Finish Line Auto Club recently announced the completion of two new standalone buildings at the company’s Costa Mesa location. Finish Line then organized a massive gathering of Mercedes-Benz 300 SL “Gullwings” to celebrate, as passenger jets took off and landed in the runway of Orange County’s John Wayne Airport that serves as backstop to the facility. Shortly after the opening, I visited to learn more about how collector car storage transformed into a burgeoning business that fosters a community of like-minded enthusiasts.
Rick and Tony Principe originally conceived of Finish Line as a simpler solution to the all-too-common challenge of where to keep amazing, and amazingly valuable, cars. They quickly realized that the original location, which opened northwest of Los Angeles in Westlake Village, wound up serving as a home base for a group of owners just as much as a place to keep the actual vehicles. The new location joins Westlake as well as another in Calabasas. But none can match the scene in Costa Mesa, where the buildings sits directly next door to the airport on a four-acre campus that houses 100,000 square feet of structures including a total of 40 luxury garage condominiums and a 6,000-square-foot clubhouse.
“I think we’ve evolved from the initial concept, which was to provide a safe and private facility where collectors could own a secure space to keep their cars,” co-founder Rick Principe told me. “We quickly found that owners also wanted to share their passion with others, so we started hosting member and non-member events to enhance that social element. It’s like a country club for car people, whether it’s drives and meets, collection management, hosting a party or having a car delivered, we want to be able to be a part of that, and make sure everything is done to a high, high level.”
The Costa Mesa facility took a year and a half to renovate originally, and is now sold out for both the first and second phases of construction. I toured through the modern lounge, as well as some private garages in various stages of customization, plus the new rooftop bar that overlooks the runway even more directly.
“I’m a very architectural, visual person,” Tony Principe said. “I saw this building and this location as a great opportunity to take advantage of the runway and the airport, and the energy that the airplanes have with the cars. So we wanted to make sure that we kept a nice open interior, and the gallery space had to be something unique and special because we felt like a lot of events would take place in here. There’s a 300-foot skylight that creates personality—sunny days, foggy days, the light that refracts down onto the cars is just spectacular.”
How Members Customize their Onsite Garage Condos
The two new buildings added nine more garages, which measure between 1,000 and 6,500 square feet. Finish Line committed early to owned spaces, not rentals, so members can tailor the interiors to whatever their hearts desire—from bathrooms and showers to even more private mezzanine lounges, enormous televisions, retro-style brick walls and even car lifts to fit more vehicles.
“Most owners have outstanding collections of some of the most sought-after vehicles in the world,” Rick explained, “So it’s just as important to them to provide their own design within their garages, especially to enhance the historical elements if they participated in racing, touring or celebrity ownership. The spaces are really like mini-museums that are a reflection of their owners’ personalities.”
“I had an idea that people would customize them,” Tony admitted, “But I never expected the level they’d take it. What I’ve witnessed is that collecting is not just about the vehicle, it’s all the things that come with it, the artwork and the memorabilia and the experiences and the photos of them on rallies or races, or their own history with the cars.”
The shared spaces equally encourage owners and guests to socialize. Members get 24/7 access with no charge to use the clubhouse, which also hosts birthday parties, corporate events and a speaker series that Principe organizes to bring racing drivers, car designers and other automotive personalities into the lounge. Private events typically draw 40 to 50 members, though most allow guests including the more typical cars and coffee-type gatherings that typically draw some of the greatest makes and models in the known universe.
“This is a very tight-knit community of like-minded enthusiasts and collectors,” Tony said. “Our job is really to create these really highly curated facilities and experiences for our members that they just can’t get anywhere else. I want them to feel comfortable when they come here that they’ve got a place where they feel safe and protected, where they can really can be themselves and enjoy themselves from the moment they walk through the gates.”
Finish Line’s vision for the collector car lifestyle proved eminently popular almost immediately. Garage condos cost anywhere from $1.3 to $3.8 million, and so far, about 70% of them have stayed under original ownership. For the 30% or so that do change hands, Principe claimed the sellers average about 24% return on their initial investment over approximately two years of ownership. Plenty also then buy back in, or simply move locations.
Expanding the Finish Line Vision to Arizona
Next, the Principes plan to double down—quite literally—with a 200,000-square-foot project in the planning stage for Scottsdale, Arizona. The new location will feature 140,000 square feet of car condos, plus a separate 60,000-square-foot garage strictly for car storage that will open up new tiers of ownership. The project is currently in the entitlements and permits phase to allow for full food and beverage service with a wait staff, coffee shop, appetizers and cocktails. If all goes according to plan, expect another grand opening in mid- to late-2027. Finish Line is currently taking reservations and will begin officially selling units once construction begins in the middle of next year.
As a further benefit, ownership comes with reciprocal rights to the other locations including Costa Mesa. In the modern era, the club also developed a dedicated smartphone app for members to communicate, plan events, coordinate logistics and find maintenance or detailing services. Which only further accentuates the goal of creating a one-stop location for everything imaginable in the ideal automotive lifestyle.
“We’re enthusiast and collectors ourselves,” Tony Principe said, “And we have garages at the different locations, too. So we really understand from a car collector and enthusiast’s perspective, not just from the real estate side. When you mesh those two things together, I think it really helps us create something unique.”