I just found this forum through a link on bimmerforums and i have spent the last 2 hours reading through it and searching for any info i could find on the car i saw. I have always loved mclarens and they definetly take the top spot on my favorite car list. Anyways, a few months ago sometime in late nov early dec of 2003 i was at home when my friend called me and told me about what he thought was a mclaren being unloaded from a truck. I hauled ass down there from my house in south san jose and when i arrived i saw the truck and three guys outside a building talking but didnt see a mclaren. As i rolled by slowly i saw what looked like a z8, 360 and f50. A few weeks later two of my friends and i were in los gatos and i decided we should roll by the building to see if it was open. Luckily for us the large roll up door was open. We walked up and parked in the entrance was a brabus sl55 being washed by a kid who seemed to be in his late teens early twenties. He said we could go in and look around and as soon as we stepped inside we were in heaven. On the right we saw a z8, f50, f40, some sort of a porsche under a cover, some sort of aston martin. On the left side was a f355, 360, murcielago, 456, Dino, testarossa and a few cars under covers that we couldnt really pick out. In the back of the building was a red mclaren f1. I walked around it and drooled for awhile. I tried finding a chassis number on it but i couldnt see one out in the open anywhere. We thanked the guy who let us in and left, he said to come back anytime. It is rare i see this place open (maybe once since then) and the place was very odd, it wasnt a shop or anything, just had lots of lifts with cars ontop and under all covered and kept nice. Not sure if it is someones personal collection or what. Just wanted to share my long story and hopefully someone can shed some light on all this.

I found a post I believe could now be yours on a BMW forum recently - I can't recall exactly which forum though - and passed it along to a friend who lives in the area and has been searching for this F1.

Maybe you recognize this:

"there's a red one (mclaren) along with a long list of other insane cars on University Ave in Los Gatos, its a unmarked building with a aluminum roll up door right off of blossom hill. If you go by and the door is open they will let you go in and walk around, most insane place i have ever been to in my life."

He's been scoping out that area on occasion ever since, but hasn't had the same luck that you and the person who wrote what I quoted (if that wasn't you) had.

The McLaren F1 is chassis #028. It belongs to Clifford Meltzer who makes his home in the Los Gatos area.

Here's one good photo of the car from an Imagestation album - click the photo to see the rest:

http://a2.cpimg.com/image/B0/2E/31594672-560f-02800190-.jpg (http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=4288528767)

I'd assume the other cars you saw in that garage also belong to Meltzer, and that might just be where he stores them. If you ever happen to go back, be sure to take a camera if they'll let you. Also, the plaque with the chassis number is located on the tunnel to the right of the driver's seat, just ahead of the shifter and it also houses the ignition key hole.

http://a2.cpimg.com/image/B4/60/26596532-48fb-02800198-.jpg

Thanks for coming to share your experience and enjoy your stay. There's a lot of good info on the F1 that has been amassed here by some incredibly knowledgeable people and some very lucky ones too.

>8^)
ER

yea, that was me who posted that. I wish i could meet this clifford meltzer guy. Next time i drive by the shop and i see it open i will definetly stop by again. The kid who was working there had no problem with my two friends and i going in and checking out the cars, he even uncovered a few for us. we thanked him many times and he said to come back whenever we want and to bring girls next time, haha. The place is on univeristy and blossom hill and its the second door from the corner. Its a unmarked building with just a single roll up door, a black door next to it and a window thats blacked out. ill check back on this thread to see if you guys get anymore info on it.

I forgot that I have some other info on Mr. Meltzer - I don't believe I've posted it here though:

Former President and CEO of Digital Fountain and also former Cisco senior vice president for IOS.

http://www.digitalfountain.com/

He was previously listed on the Board of Directors for Digital Fountain - here was his bio:

Cliff is a seven-year veteran of Cisco Systems where he held numerous senior executive positions. Prior to Cisco, Cliff spent 16 years at IBM, the last 10 at the company's prestigious IBM Watson research center doing research and product development on high performance networking products. Cliff's unique blend of research and Internet product development experience are invaluable to the strong science component and extensive Internet product capabilities that Digital Fountain has to offer. Cliff holds both a BA in Mathematics and an MS in Computer Science from the University of Rochester.

= = = = =

Apparently, among his collection he owns the big four Ferraris - 288 GTO, F40, F50, and that Enzo. He also recently purchased that red McLaren F1 out of a Japanese collection and has successfully imported it under the DOT's Show&Display provisions. I read somewhere that he's in his early 50s, so I think that could be him leaning against the wall in that last photo of the Imagestation album that has the caption "Thanks Cliff". That's just a guess though.

>8^)
ER

thanks for the info m34ever ,

and please make some pics when you get there once again!!!

there are not many grand prix red ones out there

^_^

thanks for the info. At the building he did have the GTO, f40 and f50 along with others. The murcielago in the building was black, not yellow so maybe the one in those pictures isnt his. I didnt see the yellow enzo there but im sure he keeps some cars at his house. One thing i did notice was that the mclaren badge on the back of the car on the left side was faded away but in those pictures it looks new. Also it had a liscence plate on it although i dont remember what it was and in those pics their isnt one. Of course he could have just taken the plate off and replaced the badge.

he only has a 3 car garage at his home. i know he has an m5 and a db7. i assume those would be 2 he would keep at his home

he came to check out the s7 when it was first delivered to Los Gatos. one of the salesmen said "that guy is loaded" so he must have some serious cash.

im keeping my eyes peeled

An article on Digital Fountain (http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20011211S0065)

I think Cliff's last name is Meltzer, not "Metzler".

Greg A

I think Cliff's last name is Meltzer, not "Metzler".

I think you're right. ;)

Oops... :grinno: :screwy: :loser:

>8^)
ER

M34ever, you are one lucky man.

M34ever, you are one lucky man.
haha, thanks. I see 360 modenas, porsche turbos, sl55's and like so often i dont even turn my head anymore. diabloroadster2 do you work at ferrari or just visit often? i stop by once or twice a month and check out what they have. That saleen s7 was amazing. I watched the red enzo get put onto a flatbed and drive off to its new owners house up in blackhawk. you see a lot of amazing things in los gatos.

haha, thanks. I see 360 modenas, porsche turbos, sl55's and like so often i dont even turn my head anymore. diabloroadster2 do you work at ferrari or just visit often? i stop by once or twice a month and check out what they have. That saleen s7 was amazing. I watched the red enzo get put onto a flatbed and drive off to its new owners house up in blackhawk. you see a lot of amazing things in los gatos.

i just visit often.. 2 or 3 times a week. im the unofficial photogrpaher for them i guess. the S7 pictures on their website were taken by me.

ive actually met Cliff before.. but at that point, he didnt have the mclaren. he had actually just purchased it.

Are you the guy I had a quick word with when I went to drive the Vanquish last Friday? The one who was giving the manager there a couple of photographs? If so, hello from Bahrain!

tvrfreak, you haven't had your brains blown out by some terrorist yet??;):P if not, watch out for the man who opines on anything ;););)

wow. that was amazingly racist

diabloroadster2 i think i have seen you there a few times before. I sometimes see the same guy there takin pics so im guessing its you. Here is a pic i took last year of the murcielago they had there. I love this pic but the car wasnt clean, their is some water spots on it but it still looks good.

http://www.dtmpower.net/ppost2/data/500/709p1240060-med.jpg

wow. that was amazingly racist

I don't mean to be a nit picker, but I think his statement would be considered a "stereotype". But yeah, I understand what you mean.

racism for what? it was a joke because all i hear is the threat of a terrorist attack in bahrein...

You're basically implying that everyone in Bahrain is a terrorist.

And you're right, i was a stereotypical statement, not racist. It was still un-necessary though.

hehe it was a joke, because in my mind everybody overreacts on everything that has anything to do with terrorist attacks, especially when they shouldn't. FYI, i, and the whole of america, just found out that people are not doing anything when there's a real threat, thanks to an FBI translator.

and i do not think that the whole of bahrein is terrorism, i do think that 10 people in 10 million people can spoil the fun.

Martian- Ever been near a car when it blew up unexpectedly and then have AKs going off around you? Didn't think so. With blinders like yours, I'm sure more of those "10 people" will bring their friends, brothers, sisters and any 14 year old with an IED strapped to them. An acquaintance of mine was a major player in the F1 in Bahrain. I can assure you his take on things terroristic is quite different from yours. Overreact? Naw, plausible suspicion, common sense, if walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, ...

who is martian? referring to me? please spell my name correctly, and i want to hear nothing about hussam hilal abdu in this matter... And I was referring to you, you always bring the S&D thing in connection with terrorist, i was hoping on a reaction from you, it just shows that my post was normal and just a joke, i do expected your reaction, but i don't know what other people were thinking of me

ow and btw, is martian my name spelled in the arabic way :P :loser: :loser: :rofl: :devil:

Okay, now we're goin way off topic, though my post aided in doing so. Anywho, some of us found maarten's statement uncalled for. Let's leave it at that. Though, now i predict that there will be several responses and this post i made will only create more argument, then the thread will die for a little while, then someone will find it after a couple of months and post a response, followed by another response, by which time we won't care about this thread..................... you get the picture :D

OK ARGUEMENT OVER ====================

Back to the original topic.

Do you remember the plates on the car?

no, unfortunatley. I drove by a few days ago but the door was shut. Ill keep trying though.

thanks

no, unfortunatley. I drove by a few days ago but the door was shut. Ill keep trying though.

ive been driving past that building for years.. and ive never seen that door open. i had always just assumed that it belonged to the repair shop on the other side of the building

edit: ... until today. i drove past and the door was open. i stopped by and talked to the detailer. i didnt have my camera with me... but im going back next week and will take plenty ;)

did you see the mclaren?

when are you goin back? id like to go also if you have a set time, id love to go walk around inside again.

i saw it under a cover. all the cars were covered so i dont know fully what was in there. i did see:
yellow enzo
red f50
red f40
red 288gto
silver phantom
plus the mclaren

m34ever.. i dont have a set time. the detailer that i talked to (about 5'10", shaved head) said that he is there every week, and said i should come back. there was a big gathering close by, and a lot of people had asked if they could go in, and he sounded kinda pissed, so i didnt push it too hard, specially since i didnt have my camera with me.

sounds like the same guy i talked to. The yellow enzo and silver phantom werent there when i was there. When i went i walked up kinda peeking in as he was washing a sl55 brabus and a homeless looking guy was talking to him. Once the guy left he said we could go in, so he doesnt want everyone just walking in.

my friend drove by this morning on his way to school and said the door was open and the nose of the enzo was sticking out.

i went past yesterday... and there were a lot of people standing around. i didnt want to intrude into the gathering, but i saw the mclaren uncovered, in the garage.

turns out the detailer that works there is the one that used to work at ferrari of los gatos. he left a few years ago because he hurt his back somehow. now he does detailing for clients, and the kid that i met is his son

Cool - thanks for the persistence on this. Hopefully one of you ends up being able to take some nice photos of the cars for us. I can't imagine seeing all those cars in one spot. You wouldn't know where to point your camera first. :D

>8^)
ER

i just made the connection that this sunday is easter.. so ill go by on friday or saturday and see if i can get in. id rather wait shorter than longer (as im sure you guys would too)

diablo, since you said you visit often and know some of the ferrari guys you wouldnt happen to know if they have a detailing jobs open would you? Im trying to find a new job because im getting tired of my current one and nothing would be better then that.

no, i dont think they have any openings. they are pretty picky about who they hire too.

you need years of experience, and you have to be 25 years old. (they have had younger people crash cars before).

the new GM is pretty hardcore/ass-holeish. its possible that the service garage would hire people on their own, but i assume they would have the same requirements.

looks like i have no chance then:) thanks for the info...ill continue tryin to get into that garage

i was driving home from school today and i had to take the long way because my tire blew out this morning so im was rolling on a donut, so no freeway for me. I saw the shop was open so i stopped by. 3 guys were inside talking about a car i couldnt see and if it was street legal and stuff. I saw the mclaren there and it was all taped up like it was just shipped or something, the yellow murcie from those pics at the track posted earlier was also there. The silver rolls isnt a phantom but a older one, also saw a older alfa romeo that wasnt there before. I noticed some dealer plates hanging from the wall so maybe this guy sells cars also? I didnt go in because i didnt want to intrude on the 3 guys talking. Also across the street by the gas station at the body shop was a e36 m3 racer, that was niiiiiice.

The Alfa belongs to someone else.

The McLaren gets taped up for detailing so the wax residue does not get into the cracks.

The plates on the wall are Italian plates. They came with the 288 GTO.

Here's the cars in the collection:

1 McLaren F1 #28 (red)
Mario Andretti was somehow involved with this car-there's a plaque saying Cars by Andretti on the back. I have a pic somewhere, if I find it I will post it. The car is in good shape, runs well, and looks pretty good. The interior is cream.

1 old Rolls Royce Phantom (silver)
1 Aston Vanquish (blue)
1 Aston DB7 (black)

2 Murcielagos (yellow and orange)
3 Gallardos (black, yellow, maroon)
2 Bentley Continental GTs (black and red, with only black delivered so far)
1 BMW Z8 (silver)
1 Porsche GT2 (silver)

1 Ferrari 355 (black)
1 Ferrari 512m (black, special edition)
1 Ferrari 550 Maranello (maroon)
1 Ferrari 288 GTO (red)
1 Ferrari F40 (red)
1 Ferrari F50 (red)
1 Enzo (yello)

A couple others I can't remember--I haven't been there in a while.

Im sure the plates were dealer plates, their were 3 of them on a post. ive seen all of the cars listed expcept the orange murci, the gallardos, the bentleys and the enzo. Do you know the people there?

I know the owner, but not too well.

if you talk to him again soon maybe you could try to set up a meet of some sort where a few of us could go check out the cars?

Apart from the McLaren, you can see the same cars at Bentley of Silicon Valley, which is about 3 blocks away. I don't know when I will see him next.

Those are nice cars. Whats the security like at that place?

Those are nice cars. Whats the security like at that place?

nothing that is viewable from the outside. it just looks like an old service garage. i dont know about the inside though

mr_M,
you got any plans ;-p

Maybe... Why do you have anything in mind?


There's really no security at that place huh? Except for the dude that washes the cars... Is there a big driveway?

Actually there is. I get the feeling you are going to find out the hard way.

Can someone post the exact location of this place. Maybe the address, or directions on how to get there. Someone said it is near Silicon Valley Auto Group. That would be a good starting point for directions if you can't find the exact address.

Thanks.

Yahoo Maps:

University Ave & Blossom Hill (http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=grAO0.p_0TrllRI2L1d7JGV6s5LN7.6LzBj eyAfcclEUUbF2tWu5fw--&csz=Los+Gatos%2C+CA&country=us&new=1&name=&qty=)

Get to that intersection and follow the directions based on landmarks listed on page 1.

>8^)
ER

Thanks Peloton. I don't go to the bay area too often, but next time I'm in San Jose, I'll try to stop by this place.

Yahoo Maps:

University Ave & Blossom Hill (http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=grAO0.p_0TrllRI2L1d7JGV6s5LN7.6LzBj eyAfcclEUUbF2tWu5fw--&csz=Los+Gatos%2C+CA&country=us&new=1&name=&qty=)

Get to that intersection and follow the directions based on landmarks listed on page 1.

>8^)
ER

its actually right where that star is ;)

the adress on the building is 657, but if you look that up online, it shows that its further up the road.

some sad news, im affraid. i stopped by the garage today (because it was open) and asked if would be allowed to take photos. he said no. apparently they dont want photos of the cars/location to be floating around. the cops now patrol it on a regluar basis, and they are installing cameras.

i asked if he knew which number the mclaren was.. and he said #27 (which is what i believe you had assumed already)

inventory includes:

355 - blue
355 - black
575 - maroon
288gto - red
f40 - red
f50 - red
enzo - yellow
murcielago - yellow
gallardo - orange
mclaren - red
db7 vantage (couldnt see color)
vanquish - dark blue
an old AlfoRomero (i dont know my old cars so well)
Mercedes sl - grey(tunned by brabus)
old RR phantom - silver (license plate: GREYPPN)
z8 - grey

Well that's disappointing news, but not really all that surprising. I don't know of many people that would allow random strangers to come in and photograph their cars in a private storage area, unless they have set it up as some sort of museum. The info shared in this thread may have even sparked some of the increased security that you identified. I'd imagine the owner would prefer that his secure location remained that way and I can't blame him.

The car should actually be #028, not #027. Maybe he misspoke, or he could possibly be giving out bogus info intentionally.

"V.I.N numbers 019, 026 and 027 were replaced by 01R, 02R and 03R."

#028 was a '95 F1 road car painted Grand Prix Red.

You could always try to find out when the car might be out and about in an effort to photograph it in a public place. The owner might intend to display his collection and some point, and I'm sure the detailer would know that schedule. It seems a shame for such a great collection to be locked up out of site like that.

Anyway - thanks for the continued effort and reporting.

>8^)
ER

yeah.. its possible that he ment #28

he didnt know what the number was for, so i wouldnt be surprised if he pay close enough attention to actually remember

Hello,

thank you very much Diabloroadster2 !
And the plate ?

Ciao
Phil

What up guys,

I just got back earlier today from visiting my bro in San Jose. I told him about this place and he said he was pretty sure he knew where it was, so we decided to go check it out. I was really hoping that the garage would be open when we got there, since I live about 2 hours away and don't come to the bay area very often, but it was not. My bro brought along his camera phone and we were hoping to sneak in a few pictures but we didn't get the chance. I did take a shot of the outside incase anyone wants to know what it looks like. It's not a great picture but it's something.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/151977Meltzer_s.jpg

Maybe someone else who has seen it can verify if this is the right place.

Thanks.

yeah, thats the place

Damn, it sucks to know that I was that close to a McLaren F1, and didn't even get a chance to see it. Not to mention all those other great cars.

How far away is it from the Ferrari/Bentley dealer?

I assume you mean Silicon Valley Auto Group. It's literally just down that street.

Here's a link to a map that shows the Route:

http://maps.yahoo.com/dd_result?ed=1S5muuV.wimpGcGkAyka7W0vuWKamTaI82tdw 1qYzhOW2rxFAlACAsZpDuskWZBWowSIy3hO0OrqEY0fQpDGKF7 MkuyLXwU-&csz=Los+Gatos%2C+CA+95032&country=us&tcsz=Los+Gatos%2C+CA+95032&tcountry=us

"A" is Silicon Valley, and "B" is Meltzer's storage. :iceslolan

I assume you mean Silicon Valley Auto Group. It's literally just down that street.

Here's a link to a map that shows the Route:

http://maps.yahoo.com/dd_result?ed=1S5muuV.wimpGcGkAyka7W0vuWKamTaI82tdw 1qYzhOW2rxFAlACAsZpDuskWZBWowSIy3hO0OrqEY0fQpDGKF7 MkuyLXwU-&csz=Los+Gatos%2C+CA+95032&country=us&tcsz=Los+Gatos%2C+CA+95032&tcountry=us

"A" is Silicon Valley, and "B" is Meltzer's storage. :iceslolan

Right, they changed it. :thumbsup:

If I go down the street from the Silicon Valley Auto Group, opposite of the towncenter, towards the freeway...what was the freeway # again? I'm just wondering, no use in really asking since I don't live in the Bay Area any more.

its highway 17