New Owner?

[hurstg01]

Hi All

I did a search but nothing came up - Does anyone know what F1 Preston Henn owns? He is in this months ClassicCars magazine (scan to be here later) in the Ferrari World Finals section. As well as owning an FXX, Enzo, Carrera GT, Ford Gt and others, he is quoted as owning an F1.....

[hurstg01]

Here you go -



Anyone have any ideas? Seems he resides in Florida, if thats any help, and is something to do with Swap Shop (no not Noel Edmonds, you UK lot!! ) which is some sort of flea market/circus/drive-in movie thing.

Seems like he's a wild old man too -

"Swap Shop owner detained after confrontation

Broward Sheriff's deputies used a Taser to subdue one of the county's political and economic power brokers Friday after he barricaded himself in his office then rushed at them "in a threatening manner," a sheriff's spokesman said.

Even after a jolt of 50,000 volts, Preston Henn, 74, continued to struggle as he was led out of the Swap Shop and forced into a squad car. Inside, he kicked out the car's backseat window after screaming for his sons to help him.

Henn's son, Byron, said his father's behavior might have been caused by changing prescription medication. He did not say what the medication was for.

Deputies went to the Swap Shop twice on Friday to try to settle a conflict between Henn and one of his vendors. At one point, Henn had to be handcuffed because he began acting "irrationally," said sheriff's spokesman Hugh Graf. When he appeared to calm down 45 minutes later, deputies removed the handcuffs. Henn surprised them by racing to a golf cart, driving to his office, and barricading himself inside.

Henn, who owns the Swap Shop, was taken to Plantation General Hospital under the state's Baker Act following the bizarre confrontation with deputies. The Baker Act requires him to be hospitalized involuntarily for 72 hours for psychiatric treatment.

"I can't talk about his medical condition, but there's something seriously wrong, obviously," said his lawyer, William Scherer. "This is not normal behavior for Preston Henn."

Graf said he does not expect Henn to face criminal charges.

Henn's influence stretches from South Florida to Tallahassee, and the Republican has cultivated friendships on both sides of the aisle. A longtime ally of Democrat Lori Parrish, the former County Commissioner who is now Broward's property appraiser, and Republican Tom Feeney, speaker of the state House of Representatives, Henn is known for his colorful style, Stetson hat and amusing television and radio commercials.

He's a member of the State Fair Board and the county's Tourism Development Council, and he promotes the Swap Shop as the second most popular tourist attraction in the state (behind Disney World), with a drive-in movie theater, a circus that angers animal rights activists, and acres of merchandise for sale daily.

Originally from North Carolina, Henn came to South Florida in the 1960s and built up the Swap Shop from the drive-in theater that still sits on the property, his lawyer said.

"Swap shops and flea markets were great things to do with your drive-in movie theater when you're not showing movies," Scherer said.

Joel Leibovitch, a vendor with seven kiosks at the Swap Shop, said troubles began Friday morning when Henn showed up without warning to evict him.

Leibovich said Henn and several employees ransacked the kiosks, bagging up chicken, ice cream and sodas and tossing them in the parking lot. Deputies responded after receiving more than a dozen phone calls about the disturbance, according to Graf.

During the earlier altercation, Leibovitch said Henn shoved him and screamed at him.

Things settled down, deputies left and Leibovitch went to the hospital then called his lawyer. When he returned later Friday afternoon, his belongings had been returned to his kiosks in piles on the floor.

Deputies returned to deal with the issue, leading to the confrontation with Henn.

For nearly 20 minutes while he was in his office, Henn could be heard ordering his security staff around by radio. He wanted to talk to his son, and he wanted to know if he'd left his cell phone and radio on the golf cart.

At one point he became frustrated and screamed: "Does anyone hear this radio?"

Moments later, Henn rushed out of his office door, Graf said. He was shocked with a Taser and again handcuffed. As deputies lead him down the stairs to the squad car, Henn again became agitated.

As he struggled with deputies he screamed to another son, "Get me out of here, Jeff."

"I can't help you now," Jeff Henn responded."

blimey

[mini magic]

The Swap shop is a really cool place. Its a flea market with million dollar cars scattered around it

Maybe its time for me to visit Florida again this summer...