Owning a 12,000 sq ft garage may seem excessive, particularly in space-starved Brooklyn, but for classic car collector Lenny Shiller and his 58 vehicles, it’s a necessity.

‘Most people… they can’t believe I actually have that many cars in this particular area,’ he says.

Lifelong Brooklyn resident Shiller lives in the borough’s Gowanus neighbourhood, and his automobile temple is – in the words of filmmaker Peter Crosby – ‘part working garage, part museum’.

Adds Shiller: ‘My goal when I decided to do this was to have most of my collection under one roof.’

Mission accomplished.

In addition to his 58 cars – which include rare Hudsons, Packards and Nashes – the garage holds countless bikes, motorcycles and boxes upon boxes of spare parts.

Ironically, Shiller says he’s not a particular fan of driving but instead enjoys fixing and maintaining the collection. ‘I consider myself the caretaker of these vehicles,’ he says.