Yahoo Autos Legendary Racing Team Owner Preston Henn Has Died
Preston Henn, owner of the Ferrari 275 GTB/C chassis No. 6885 that has been hailed by some as the most valuable car in the world, died of natural causes on Sunday at the age of 86. The North Carolina native made a vast fortune in Florida with the "Swap Shop" chain that married using drive-in movie theaters as flea markets during daylight hours.
Stoked by the percentages taken from each flea market vendor, the food and beverage sales made to buyers and sellers, and other entertainment offerings at each property since the first Swap Shop was opened in 1963, Henn amassed considerable wealth that was put towards a passion for motor racing and automobile collecting.
Henn's initial foray into offshore powerboat racing was quickly traded for four-wheel competition after he nearly drowned in a crash, and from his misfortune on the water, a decade-long adventure in sports car racing delivered immense glory and satisfaction for the millionaire.
As an avid purveyor of Ferrari and Porsche products, Henn spent most of his career in Italian or German machinery. His lone start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans came in a NART-entered Ferrari 512 BBLM, and his greatest success followed in 1983 his Henn's Swap Shop Racing team won IMSA's 24 Hours of Daytona with a Porsche 935, and again in 1985 with a Porsche 962.
Henn called time on his racing career in 1986, and in the ensuing decades, the Swap Shop's car collection grew to nine-figure heights. With Ferrari No. 6885 as the centerpiece, the 275 GTB/C's estimated value of $80-100 million drew heavy foot traffic to Henn's primary Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop location.
In recent years, Henn's steady efforts to grow the collection by purchasing almost every coveted supercar upon release led to some uncomfortable exchanges with Ferrari, who drew his ire after failing to make a LaFerrari Spyder available to the Swap Shop maven.
In his chronicles of the complaint of the issue with Ferrari for RoadandTrack.com, Henn took pride in recounting his dismissal of an invitation-a mea culpa from Ferrari–to visit Daytona late last year as an honored guest during the brand's Finali Mondiali event.
"I got some type of invitation … of course, obviously I didn't go to Daytona," Henn said. "Not really knowing [CEO Sergio] Marchionne but knowing how smart he is, he's got to try to figure out what made Ferrari as famous as they are because he is going down a different road. He's not doing the Formula 1 worth a shit. And he can't cut off his best customers. And he has done it. Not only, I figure, am I a good customer, forget that I'm a Ferrari customer, but I am the best customer any guy like him is going to have because I buy every top car."
With Henn's passing, the fate of his beloved car collection should keep investors and aficionados on high alert until a decision is made on whether the vehicles will remain in place or head to new homes.
Preston Henn, owner of the Ferrari 275 GTB/C chassis No. 6885 that has been hailed by some as the most valuable car in the world, died of natural causes on Sunday at the age of 86. The North Carolina native made a vast fortune in Florida with the "Swap Shop" chain that married using drive-in movie theaters as flea markets during daylight hours.
Stoked by the percentages taken from each flea market vendor, the food and beverage sales made to buyers and sellers, and other entertainment offerings at each property since the first Swap Shop was opened in 1963, Henn amassed considerable wealth that was put towards a passion for motor racing and automobile collecting.
Henn's initial foray into offshore powerboat racing was quickly traded for four-wheel competition after he nearly drowned in a crash, and from his misfortune on the water, a decade-long adventure in sports car racing delivered immense glory and satisfaction for the millionaire.
As an avid purveyor of Ferrari and Porsche products, Henn spent most of his career in Italian or German machinery. His lone start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans came in a NART-entered Ferrari 512 BBLM, and his greatest success followed in 1983 his Henn's Swap Shop Racing team won IMSA's 24 Hours of Daytona with a Porsche 935, and again in 1985 with a Porsche 962.
Henn called time on his racing career in 1986, and in the ensuing decades, the Swap Shop's car collection grew to nine-figure heights. With Ferrari No. 6885 as the centerpiece, the 275 GTB/C's estimated value of $80-100 million drew heavy foot traffic to Henn's primary Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop location.
In recent years, Henn's steady efforts to grow the collection by purchasing almost every coveted supercar upon release led to some uncomfortable exchanges with Ferrari, who drew his ire after failing to make a LaFerrari Spyder available to the Swap Shop maven.
In his chronicles of the complaint of the issue with Ferrari for RoadandTrack.com, Henn took pride in recounting his dismissal of an invitation-a mea culpa from Ferrari–to visit Daytona late last year as an honored guest during the brand's Finali Mondiali event.
"I got some type of invitation … of course, obviously I didn't go to Daytona," Henn said. "Not really knowing [CEO Sergio] Marchionne but knowing how smart he is, he's got to try to figure out what made Ferrari as famous as they are because he is going down a different road. He's not doing the Formula 1 worth a shit. And he can't cut off his best customers. And he has done it. Not only, I figure, am I a good customer, forget that I'm a Ferrari customer, but I am the best customer any guy like him is going to have because I buy every top car."
With Henn's passing, the fate of his beloved car collection should keep investors and aficionados on high alert until a decision is made on whether the vehicles will remain in place or head to new homes.
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