In the middle of Omaha, in the middle of a side street, sits a garage. It looks like many other garages, but inside lies the some of the crown jewels of muscle cars.
“My first car was this 1970 Firebird 400,” says Peter Fink, owner of the cars. “I bought it in 1976 for $2,200. It’s the least expensive car here–it’s probably about $40,000. But it’s priceless in sentimental value.”
The teenaged Fink blew up, and consequently repaired, the engine, which lead to a lifetime in the auto industry.
“That got me into transmissions. If I didn’t have to replace the transmission, engine on this car, there probably would be no Certified Transmission today.”
That Firebird also got Fink into collecting, His current array includes 54 cars, and he plans to go to 100 vehicles.
Other cars that Fink says are favorites: “The two Superbirds are the ones that turn the most heads,” he says, referring to his 1970 Plymouth Hemi Superbird and his 1970 440 Six-Pack Superbird.
“As far as just a good all-around driving experience, The Ford GT 500. It’s still got a lot of head-turning, but for all around driving cars, those are most impressive.”
The Ford GT 500 he also claims to be his best investment, but others are certainly not stagnant. The collection includes an original “brochure car,” a Dodge XP Charger Hemi. It was never intended to be sold to the public.
Another number one, as in first off the assembly line, is the 1969 Chevelle from Nickey Chevy in Chicago, an auto dealer that is still in business today. That piece was bought from a private collector who happened to call him.
“I have private collectors that call me all the time,” Fink says. “If it’s a unique piece, I’m happy to come out and see them.”
“He’s like the Warren Buffet of cars,” says his friend Tim Harrison, the 40-year-old owner of Harrison Financial Services. Harrison himself doesn’t collect cars, but knows Fink through a forum group and has traveled with him to that Shangri-La of car collecting, the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction.
While Fink collects often, he never sells his vehicles…make that almost never.
“My best friend, Steve Farnsworth, saw this car when he was 16, and wanted it,” Fink says of a 1968 Camaro he sold in fall 2014. “Thirty years later, he still wanted it, so when he was 46, I allowed him to buy it from me. That’s the only one I’ve sold.”
Most of these cars are not driven, with good reason. Vehicles such as his 1989 Indy Pace Car. It’s an anniversary Trans Am version, and documented to have the lowest miles of any around.
Whether turning wrenches or turning heads, one thing is for certain. Fink’s collection is impressive.