From mink to Ferrari to sipping champagne: This is Detroit
'Women have gasoline in their veins.'
Men and women in mink coats stood all around me.
While I usually take pictures of everything, I failed to pull out my phone to chronicle the experience. I found myself staring in awe. A gorgeous woman in floor-length mink asked me to snap a photo of her and another gorgeous woman in floor-length mink. I did. Behind them stood a man in floor-length mink and, I think, his mother in floor-length mink.
Mink coats often pair with diamonds and flutes filled with chilled champagne.
Welcome to the Detroit Auto Show.
Walking past gleaming displays featuring Cadillac, Lincoln, Jeep, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Kia, Fiat— and Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Aston Martin — I couldn’t believe the money in The Gallery.
Not just the tens of millions of dollars worth of sleek and fast and beautiful vehicles. I mean the people who love them.
Sara Romaya, 20, a physical therapist technician from West Bloomfield, Mich., smiled as she watched her boyfriend eye the inventory. He already owns a McLaren, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Porsche Turbo S and Ford Raptor R.
“Speed and power,” said Jordan Dehko, 24, of West Bloomfield. “Speed is addicting.”
Dehko, who owns a company designed to assist accident victims in Southeast Michigan (1-800-PAIN-800), told me, “Being here is not about seeing the vehicles but about the people you meet that own these luxury vehicles. You have to have personality behind the wheel.”
Zsa Zsa Hubbard, “39 and fine,” is a media personality from Detroit, who would be found sharing stories in the Ferrari zone. “Our city has opened so many doors for the world,” she told me, just before a giant hug. “This shows how far we have come from the Model T. Our city is all about innovation.”
Big money, expensive taste
Duane Hill, a sales associate from the Suburban Collection in Troy, Mich., watched streams of people take pictures of exotics in the room. Clients who own a Lamborghini or Bentley may change it out every six months to keep things exciting, he said. “We work with doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs.”
Standing quietly in front of a gorgeous Dodge Viper, Rose Brandow, 54, of Royal Oak, Mich., smiled. She was head of quality at the Conner Avenue Assembly in Detroit (2015-2017) that assembled the Viper.
“We built three a day. We called it ‘the toy factory,’” she said.
The Viper she was eyeing may cost $200,000 or so, said Brandow, director of global quality for Stellantis. She looked around the room and said, “Women have gasoline in their veins. I was born in Detroit. It’s why I went to school to be an engineer.”
‘Fell in love’
Ren Stone, 38, of Royal Oak is a manager of advanced design at Stellantis — and he was listening to the buzz all around the exotic car displays. "I grew up in Miami, Florida, where we were surrounded by these flashy cars, the Ferrari and Lamborghini and Porsche. But there’s something about the Viper that just stood out. People just kind of fell in love with it.”
Built from 1992 to 2017, the average price of a used Dodge Viper today is $89,961.
“One of the greatest V10-powered beasts ever to run on four wheels,” wrote Joe Tralongo of the 2017 Dodge Viper SRT supercar for Kelley Blue Book. “The manual-transmission-only Viper is a true driver’s car, maybe the last of a dying breed.”
‘Bond girl' in pearls
As I walked through displays, I could hear people talking about a “fierce” woman who collects exotics: Lauren “the car boss” Mendelson of Huntington Woods, Mich.
“My father was in auto parts. He taught me to drive at 12 years old,” Mendelson said, as people lined up to talk with her about design, speed and metal. “Either you’re a car person or not.”
Having a dad that teaches girls to change tires is key to life, she said. Seven of the cars on display came from Mendelson’s collection of more than two dozen.
One Father’s Day, she parked a Lotus in her driveway and hung a card from the rearview mirror to surprise her husband Dr. David Mendelson, an orthopedic surgeon.
In recent months, Ford Motor Co. selected Lauren Mendelson as one of a limited number of buyers allowed to purchase a special edition Ford GTD that starts at $325,000. She’s working on specs now, she said.
Daniel Teoh, 37, a software engineer from Oakland Township, Mich., stopped to tell Mendelson that he proposed to his wife Kimberly with a 1965 Mustang GT in 2020. He put the Mustang key in the ring box.
Just then, Sam Klemet, incoming executive director of the car show that dates back to 1907, walked by, greeting collectors and visitors.
Maserati, Shelby Super Stake F-150
Corey Waller, 41, of West Bloomfield, Mich., attracted a crowd everywhere he went. People in different parts of the room asked each other: Is he a musician? An artist?
Waller pointed to a 2022 Maserati MC20 purchased for $260,000. “That’s my baby, right here.”
Waller, an entrepreneur who owns everything from real estate to hair salons as chairman of the board of NDO Holdings, Inc., won three football championships at Harvard University from 2002-2004. He played inside slot receiver and returned punts and kicks. His sweater and diamond ring marked “H” drew compliments.
“I’m from Louisville, Kentucky, but my wife brought me to this beautiful place,” Waller said. “Cars bring like minds together — meticulous, detailed, high sensory. When I’m with people like me, I feel at home.”
Having earned a bachelor’s degree at Harvard and then a post-graduate degree at Cornell University, Waller is focusing now on raising mental health awareness through 1ofoneracing. His business partners displayed their 2022 Shelby Super Snake F-150 and 2024 Corvette Z06 at the auto show, too.
Note: The Detroit Auto Show runs Sunday, Jan. 19, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday, Jan. 20, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Ticket details here.
PS
Shoutout to Auto Hauler Exchange for providing slippers to women desperate to kick off their high heels after a long night at the charity preview party (below).
