Ever walked into a room and felt like you accidentally stepped through a rip in the space-time continuum? That is the vibe inside the John Staluppi car collection. It’s not just a bunch of metal and rubber sitting in a warehouse. Honestly, it’s more of a love letter to a version of America that mostly exists in old movies and Springsteen songs now.
John Staluppi isn’t your average billionaire hobbyist. He’s a guy who started as a mechanic, built a massive empire of car dealerships, and then decided he wanted to own every beautiful thing he ever saw as a kid.
The collection is famously housed in the Cars of Dreams Museum in Palm Beach County, Florida. But here is the thing: if you try to show up on a Tuesday afternoon, you’re probably going to be staring at a locked door. It's a private museum. It mostly opens for charity events.
What is Actually Inside the Cars of Dreams?
The theme is pure nostalgia. We are talking a full-blown Coney Island aesthetic. There are hand-painted murals of the Parachute Jump, a Carvel ice cream shop, and even a Nathan’s Famous restaurant setup. It’s loud. It’s colorful. It’s very Brooklyn.
The Chrome and the Fins
Staluppi has a thing for the 1950s and 60s. Specifically, he has a thing for convertibles. If a car has a roof that doesn't come off, it's gotta be something pretty special to make the cut.
You'll see stuff like:
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- 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz: This is peak 50s luxury. Huge fins, more chrome than a kitchen appliance store, and that classic air suspension.
- 1953 Buick Skylark: Only 1,690 of these were ever made. It’s got those iconic wire wheels and a "Nailhead" V8.
- 1957 DeSoto Adventurer: Staluppi has owned several, including rare gold-and-white versions that look like they belong in a parade.
One of the most legendary parts of his collection—though he cycles through them—is his set of Chrysler 300 "Letter Series" cars. These were the muscle cars before muscle cars were a thing. He famously tried to collect every single letter from A to L. He’s missing the 1959 300E occasionally because, well, only 140 convertibles were ever built. Finding one is like finding a unicorn in a haystack.
The Weird Cycle of Selling Everything
Here is where it gets interesting. Most collectors treat their cars like family heirlooms. Staluppi treats them more like a very expensive, very beautiful rotating inventory.
He has a habit of selling his entire collection and then just... starting over.
In 2012, he put nearly 120 cars up for auction with RM Auctions. The whole lot sold for over $11.5 million. He sold everything down to the bare walls, including the carousel and the Lionel trains. Then, he spent the next few years buying a whole new fleet.
By 2018, he did it again. He brought 145 vehicles to Barrett-Jackson in Palm Beach. He sold them all at "No Reserve," which basically means the highest bid wins, no matter how low it is. That’s a massive gamble, but when you're John Staluppi, I guess the thrill is in the chase of the next car.
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The 2024 and 2026 Shift
As of the last couple of years, the collection has leaned more into Resto-Mods. These are classic bodies—think 1967 Corvettes or 1969 Camaros—but with modern engines, brakes, and AC. Basically, they look like 1965 but drive like 2025.
For example, he recently had a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette Custom Roadster that was pushing 600 horsepower with a supercharged LT1 engine. It’s the kind of car that purists hate but anyone who actually likes driving loves.
More Than Just Four Wheels
It’s not just cars. The "Cars of Dreams" museum is a hoarders' paradise—if that hoarder had a billion dollars and an interior designer.
- Memorabilia: Neon signs, vintage gas pumps, and those old-school bumper cars.
- The Carousel: He once owned a 32-foot portable "Country Fair" carousel.
- Charity: This is a big deal for him. He often auctions off cars where 100% of the hammer price goes to veterans or the American Heart Association. In 2018, he paid $1.4 million for the first 2018 Corvette Carbon 65 Edition just to donate the money to George W. Bush’s Military Service Initiative.
Why Does It Keep Changing?
People ask why he sells. Honestly? He’s a dealer at heart. He loves the "get."
He once said in an interview that he isn't that much about the history or the "matching numbers" obsession that some collectors have. He wants the car to "look nice and drive nice." If it doesn't make him feel something when he turns the key, it's gone.
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Finding the Collection Today
If you’re looking to see the John Staluppi car collection in 2026, your best bet isn't a museum ticket. It's an auction catalog.
While the museum in North Palm Beach still exists as a venue, the roster of cars is constantly in flux. He still attends the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auctions religiously. If you see a row of pristine, over-the-top 1950s convertibles with no reserve stickers, there’s a 90% chance they belonged to him.
Actionable Tips for Enthusiasts
If you want to track this collection or see it for yourself:
- Follow Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach: This is his home turf. Most of his major "liquidations" happen here in April.
- Look for Charity Galas: The museum is usually only open for high-end charity fundraisers. If you want to see the Coney Island murals, you might need to buy a ticket to a benefit dinner.
- Watch the "No Reserve" Listings: If you are a buyer, Staluppi cars are usually a safe bet because he is notoriously picky about maintenance. He has his own team of mechanics who do nothing but keep these things "concours" ready.
The collection isn't just a museum; it's a living, breathing entity that changes every time John sees something shiny at an auction. It’s chaotic, expensive, and quintessentially American.
To stay updated on the specific vehicles currently housed in the collection, monitor the official Cars of Dreams website or the upcoming dockets at major South Florida automotive auctions.