--- title: "Mystery Man Saves Multimillion-Dollar Car Collection From Wildfires by Parking in McDonald’s Lot" date: "2025-01-13" modified: "2025-01-13" authors: - name: "Byron Hurd" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/byron-hurd" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/mystery-man-saves-multi-million-dollar-car-collection-from-wildfires-by-parking-in-public-lot" categories: - "Culture" - "News" --- # Mystery Man Saves Multimillion-Dollar Car Collection From Wildfires by Parking in McDonald’s Lot ![mercedes gullwing in parking lot]() *\mizzyinmotion\* An unidentified car enthusiast stashed a collection of high-dollar machinery in a shopping center parking lot to protect them as wildfires tore through populated areas in Los Angeles last week. The classics and modern exotics appeared [on TikTok]() sitting outside a grocery store, CVS, and a McDonald’s in Calabasas, California on Thursday as evacuation orders began to spread ahead of [the multiple advancing conflagrations](). And even with this video of the temporarily homeless collection making its rounds online—which the original poster claims had already been moved when they shared the footage—no serious leads about the owner's identity have surfaced, or details about how they managed to shuttle the cars to safety. https://www.tiktok.com/@mizzyinmotion/video/7457966647761095982 There are [bigger celebrity hoards in Southern California](), but any collection that includes a vintage [Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing]() is nothing to sneeze at. And it's certainly not what you'd expect to see parked next to a shopping center after sundown, nice neighborhood or not. Apart from the Gullwing, the other highlights of this stash include a Ferrari F430 and a Mercedes 190SL Convertible. It's unclear whether some of the more modern cars parked next to the collection belong to the owner or simply to curious onlookers. ![]() *mizzyinmotion (TikTok)* We'll give the owner credit for some quick thinking here. The parking lot provides a safe cushion from flammable structures (though not from trees, as we can see from the clip) and offers a degree of security just by virtue of it being so public. Anybody entering or leaving that lot probably passes in front of a half dozen traffic or security cameras. ![]() *mizzyinmotion (TikTok)* ![]() On balance, parking a valuable car collection in public may seem just as risky as leaving it in the path of an advancing fire, but this move tells us that above all, the owner would like to see these cars survive. And there's something admirable about that, even if the owner's motivations were entirely selfish—or perhaps the product of feeling suddenly and acutely under-insured. Sure, they could end up stolen or even stripped for parts, but in either state, they're still out there to be enjoyed. While the Gullwing may seem dear enough to command a full restoration even after a consuming blaze, [there are some things even money can't fix](). *Got a tip? Send it in: tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories. He brings a light, punchy style to all of his content, believing that there's plenty out there to be laughed at—himself included. Born and raised in Maryland but now based just a stone's throw from Detroit, Byron is an auto enthusiast and generalist who enjoys building and tinkering with things of all kinds, from cars, computers and digital cityscapes, to the new garage that will soon house his fleet (a CT4-V Blackwing, a JK Wrangler and an NA Miata). Inspired by an early love of rollercoasters, Byron quickly caught the high-performance driving itch. He's been tracking and auto-crossing his cars since 2007. In his downtime, Byron enjoys reading, playing city builders, and studying the history of the Motor City. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()