Sometimes you never know what’s lurking behind a gate. A boon of being well-to-do is that one can afford to indulge one’s passions in ways mere financial mortals cannot. That’s part of why we enjoy writing about high-end real estate — every custom-built property tells a unique, occasionally offbeat story about the personalities and quirks of its owners. Cruise around Point Dume — perhaps Malibu’s most star-studded neighborhood — and you’re greeted by the outer defenses of large estates, extravagant properties shielded from the public behind towering walls and hedges. Behind some of these fortifications are lovely architectural compounds. Gerard Butler’s Point Dume estate, for example. Behind others are grand mansions, some contemporary and others traditional in style. And then there are the more — ahem — unique creations.
Just 400 feet from the Point Dume beach is a 1.06-acre property, the entire lot secured and invisible behind a large security gate. If y’all were just passing by, you might glance at the gate and imagine it is protecting just another celebrity mansion like all of the neighboring properties. But lurking behind all that steel and wood is a strangely squat 7,000-square-foot structure with an industrial-looking edifice. Peep a bit closer, and you’ll realize this structure is not a house at all — it’s actually a garage, albeit a very fancy, unique, mansion-sized one.
Although records are somewhat incomplete here, we do know that the property was sold in 2001 for $990,000 to a Steve Goldman and his wife Azita. Our Mr. Goldman is a low-profile engineer (by trade) who made his fortune in the electronics industry and was able to retire while still in his 40s.
Now in his early 60s, Mr. Goldman’s name probably does not ring a bell with most of y’all, but in the exotic car collecting community he has long been well-known — some might even say famous. And pictures of his cars and garage (“auto museum”, as he calls it) have been posted and revered on online car lover forums for upwards of a decade now.
In 2002, Mr. and Mrs. Goldman spent untold millions to custom-build the high-tech facility, which was constructed entirely from steel, aluminum, and glass. Indoors, the structure sports epoxy flooring, temperature control, humidity control, dust control, and anti-bacterial control. All of this was incorporated to keep his cars in pristine condition. According to Mr. Goldman himself, “[the facility is] essentially on par with a hospital operating room.”
Those are some pampered rides!
As was shown on a video feature for Robb Report, Mr. Goldman’s eye-popping 14-car collection includes six Ferraris, five Porsches, two McLarens, and one ultra-rare Pagani Zonda, of which there are believed to be only ten units — at most — in the entire United States. And none of these vehicles are the kind that y’all could just walk in and buy off the dealership showroom floors, kids. All of Mr. Goldman’s cars appear to be special edition or limited-production models, the type that you must pre-order well in advance or actually apply to purchase. Several of the vehicles are worth seven figures — easily — and the total value of the collection is probably $15 million. Or $20 million? Possibly even more? We wouldn’t doubt it.
Just as an FYI, we appreciate that Mr. Goldman does not discriminate based on color. In his collection we see white, we see black, we see silver. There are reds, blues, yellows, and even a daring shade of burgundy on that McLaren P1. Good heavens!
For many years, the Goldmans resided on Point Dume, though their main residence was actually not adjacent to their garage. Rather, it was down the hill and around the corner. Imagine that, kids. Our Mr. Goldman had to construct two separate multi-million-dollar mansions — one as a home for himself and his wife, the other as a harem (if you will) to house his 14 automotive lovelies.
Stop for a moment and imagine Mr. Goldman waking up in the wee hours of the morning. He stealthily creeps out of bed, exits his house via a discreet side door, hops the front gate. In the darkness, he silently he jogs around the corner and up the short hill, his sock-covered feet barely kissing the ground in his haste. Upon reaching the garage, he slips through the glass doors. Lying there in the darkness are his 14 sleeping beastly beauties, each one so cold and immobile yet possessed of so much awesome firepower. Just one push of a button, one turn of a key, and all of these ladies — so elegant and refined at home — could soon be screaming down PCH. Engines wailing, tires smoking, exploring every primal urge, devouring every innocent Honda and Suzuki in their path. Our Mr. Goldman caresses every rakish fender, gently fingers every crevice on their bodies until dawn begins to illuminate their sinewy sheetmetal.
Ecstasy!
Just kidding. We’re sure Mr. Goldman wouldn’t dream of doing such a silly thing. But he could, right? And that’s what makes this setup fabulous. A dream garage in every sense, if you will.
Anyway, the Goldmans relocated to a different house in Malibu a few years back and sold off their Point Dume residence. And for whatever reason, after more than 15 years of ownership, Mr. Goldman also grew tired of his harem. Or something. In March 2018, he put the property up for sale with an even-steven $10 million asking price. And while you might think that the amount of folks looking for a $10 million auto museum way out in desolate Malibu would be small indeed, think again. The property was in escrow within four months and sold, albeit for $7,325,000 — a significant 27% discount. Looks like the buyer and/or his agents were good negotiators.
Naturally Yolanda was curious as to the identity of the new owner(s), and what his/her/their intentions were for the property. Particularly since the listing mentioned that the “acoustically engineered” structure could be converted into a recording studio. Could the new owner be a famous musician?
Nope. Turns out the buyers are Todd & Karen Blue, a married couple from the U.S. state of Kentucky.
The Blues — who have four children — hail from Louisville, though for the last few years they have primarily resided in Houston, Texas. It is there, in Houston, where Mr. Blue’s business interests are headquartered. Our boy is an auto dealership magnate who owns at least ten facilities across the country, all of them selling luxury nameplates — Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, BMW, McLaren, Aston Martin and the like. In fact, Mr. Blue’s Lamborghini Houston dealership is the top-selling Lambo location in the entire country. Bravo!
Mr. Blue comes from a wealthy Louisville family who made their fortune in scrap metal, although the clan’s steel mill business was sold off some years ago. As a young man, Mr. Blue had lots of money but no gainful employment, and so he began indulging one of his passions: collecting exotic cars, some of which he was able to flip for lucrative amounts. His interest in cars led him to purchase his first dealership — Porsche of North Houston — in 2010. Fast forward eight years, and his IndiGO group is now comprised of a dozen luxury auto dealerships. All of them are located either in Louisville, Houston, or Rancho Mirage.
Though they don’t appear to have any business interests in the area — at least not yet — it seems as though Mr. and Mrs. Blue have decided to make Malibu their primary home base. Earlier this year, as y’all may recall, Yolanda discussed their recent purchase of an epic $16 million Malibu estate named La Vie En Rose. The ocean-view property is located only a few minutes’ drive away from their new Point Dume auto museum.
The couple also maintain multi-million-dollar residences in Houston and in Palm Desert, California, though neither are nearly as extravagant as the Malibu pad.
Although we have no inside intel on the matter, Yolanda rather suspects that the car-collecting Blues do not find the four-car garage on their estate commodious enough for their automotive needs. Thus the fancy, separate $7.3 million garage they have purchased will likely remain just that — a garage.
As mentioned, the property spans more than an acre and is mostly landscape-free in favor of an expansive paved driveway that wraps all around the structure and allows large semi-trucks and car carriers to directly access the facility. The glassy car entrance — garage door, if you will — is discreetly located at the rear of the facility. Tall hedges keep the place hidden from neighborly prying eyes and over-the-treetops views take in the Santa Monica mountain range.
In addition to the garage itself, which can hold 25+ exotic vehicles. there is also a small, loft-like living space above the garage. Though spartan, the quarters are livable enough and are comprised of a small kitchen with stainless steel appliances, one bedroom, and 2.5 bathrooms. These quarters are best suited to a live-in security guard or one lucky professional caretaker, Yolanda thinks. Not a bad job if you can get it, right?
As we’ve said, our educated guess is that Mr. and Mrs. Blue will keep the facility as-is. Soon, we imagine, the place will be home to an entirely different — but probably no less impressive — fleet of luxury rides. And maybe, just maybe, Mr. Blue will invite Yolanda over for a quick private tour. Wishful thinking? Come on, Mr. Blue, it wouldn’t hurt.
As for Mr. and Mrs. Goldman, they have now divested themselves entirely of their Point Dume real estate holdings. Their new contemporary Malibu residence is located not far from Point Dume — less than 10 minutes by car, it is — but it is much further away from the ocean, up above PCH in the foothills. It does, however, sport a magnificent ocean view.
Bizarrely, the Goldmans’ new estate happens to be located on the very same dead-end road where the Blues’ $16 million mansion is also located. But on second thought, that could be be coincidental. After all, Malibu is a fairly small city. And the wealthiest residents there tend to congregate together.
But here’s the $15 million (or $20 million or whatever) question: to where will Mr. Goldman’s exotic rides zoom off? The $7.325 million purchase price here did not include any of the fancy autos. And Mr. Goldman’s new house — at least in the aerial view — does not appear to have a garage capable of containing these gems. But then again, there’s always the possibility that the new place has a hidden underground lair.
Sometimes you never know what’s lurking behind a gate, right?
Listing agent: Chris Cortazzo, Coldwell Banker
Todd Blue’s agents: The Altman Brothers, Douglas Elliman