Vroom Vroom

On the block: John M. O'Quinn Foundation to liquidate legendary car collection

Just one of O'Quinn's Duesenbergs
O'Quinn's 1926 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Pall Mall tourer
A Bubbletop from the John O'Quinn Collection, on display at a Corvair Houstonshow last June
In September 2006, O'Quinn bought several cars, including the Batmobile used inthe filming of "Batman Forever" for $335,000.

Classic car enthusiasts worldwide have been hearing rumors and innuendo.

Auction houses are on notice.

And now CultureMap sources have confirmed that the John M. O'Quinn Foundation has quietly decided to liquidate the late attorney and philanthropist's legendary car collection. The maintenance staff has been reduced to a skeleton crew, and according to reports some vehicles have already been sold.

The collection sometimes stretched to over 900 cars and was valued by some observers at over $100 million. It included many Duesenbergs, the 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost featured in the film Titanic, John F. Kennedy's 1962 Lincoln Continental Bubble Top limo and a 1937 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante. He also owned the Batmobile used in the filming of Batman Forever, a 1941 Packard limousine used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a 1938 Talbot-Lago, a 1938 Town Car used by Pope Pius XII and a 1975 Ford Escort GL once owned by Pope John Paul II.

AutoWeek has reported that RM Auctions has secured over 200 of the O'Quinn cars for auction, with the possibility of more later in the year.

"Fifty-five cars from the collection will be sold at the RM auction on March 13 at Amelia Island, Fla. Another 150 O’Quinn cars will cross the block March 26-28 at the RM event in Fort Lauderdale, the auction house said. Proceeds will go to the O’Quinn estate. Many of the cars will be sold at no reserve, RM president Ian Kelleher said."

Representatives of the John M. O'Quinn Foundation did not return calls for comment.

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merry xmas h-town!

Ho-Ho-Houston lands on list of best cities to celebrate Christmas

Photo courtesy of Houston Zoo

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Houston has slipped five spots on Santa's nice list of the best cities for celebrating Christmas in 2024.

The very merry Bayou City has fallen into the No. 41 spot on WalletHub's list, which annually ranks the 100 most populous U.S. cities across five key dimensions: Traditions and fun, observance, generosity, shopping opportunities, plus travel and meal costs.

Houston previously ranked as the No. 36 best U.S. city for celebrating Christmas in WalletHub's 2023 report.

Here's how the city performed across the study's five main categories:

No. 22 – Traditions and fun rank
No. 22 – Shopping rank
No. 24 – Costs rank
No. 77 – Generosity rank
No. 90 – Observance rank

Houston at least gets to cheer on as the fourth highest-ranked Texas city in 2024 thanks to its hoard of holiday happenings, including numerous light displays throughout town. From local restaurants and bars putting their all into creating festive feasts and delightful cocktail experiences, there is plenty to get Houstonians in the holiday spirit this year.

Smaller Central Texas towns like Smithville have also transformed into fun, festive escapes for city dwellers this time of year.

Houston households also have bigger holiday budgets in 2024 than they did the year before. According to a separate WalletHub study, the average Houston household is expected to spend about $1,334 on Christmas gifts this year, versus $1,296 in 2023.

"With inflation making Christmas celebrations, gifts, food and travel more expensive, certain cities are much better for your wallet than others during the holiday," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "In addition to being affordable, the best cities have a large number of people celebrating, plenty of places for Christians to worship, populations who give generously to charity, and plenty of fun activities to enjoy with family and friends."

In a separate report by home services provider Thumbtack, Houston was named the No. 4 most festive U.S. city in 2024.

Elsewhere in Texas, other festive cities that earned spots in the top 50 include Austin (No. 23), San Antonio (No. 30), and Dallas (No. 31).

The top 10 best places to experience Christmas in 2024 are:

No. 1 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 2 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
No. 3 – Seattle, Washington
No. 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 5 – Orlando, Florida
No. 6 – San Francisco, California
No. 7 – St. Louis, Missouri
No. 8 – Miami, Florida
No. 9 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 10 – New York, New York

holidays christmas wallethub lists

Vroom Vroom

On the block: John M. O'Quinn Foundation to liquidate legendary car collection

merry xmas h-town!

Ho-Ho-Houston lands on list of best cities to celebrate Christmas

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