A decade ago, self-proclaimed car fanatic Chris Rodgers had an idea to build a gleaming garage filled with row upon row of luxury vehicles.
The property developer's dream is now taking shape on the Sunshine Coast with the construction of a multi-storey vehicle puzzle stacker, believed to be the first of its kind in Australia.
The stacker will be five storeys high and all of the cars will change positions in a mechanised system as a vehicle is moved in or out.
Rodgers said it would hold 31 cars and was going to be pretty exciting. You're dialling in and your car physically puzzles down to the bottom where it comes out, he said.
When people use them, cars will move on a weekly basis.
When you come in and sit down in the viewing platform, cars will be in different spots all the time. It is part of a $7.5 million, 11-unit commercial development in Aura Business Park, which will focus on top end auto businesses.
Rodgers, a director at Yindi Holdings, said that the luxury car garage was being marketed towards downsizers who had run out of room for their toys, or they're kind of in a tin shed somewhere and it's not really the best environment to store them in. Rodgers said the idea was inspired by a visit to the United States.
He said that's the type of development that we want to build Australia after seeing a similar concept in Houston about 10, 12 years ago.
There were at least 200, maybe 150 cars in there, so it was quite substantial. Rodgers and his business partners decided to start with a modest approach.
He said that if we build one here first and we just do it a little bit boutique, that will test the waters.
We'd like to expand it into other states and other areas as well.
This is a test model. Roadrunner Car Club president Graeme Block could see the usefulness of such a development, with his members struggling to find space for their collection.
He said people who buy factories to store them are an expensive exercise.
If someone is providing the kind of storage that is ultra secure, so valuable cars are protected, there would be a market for it. He said people had collections of cars that the general public never saw.
You'd be surprised at the number of cars you never see, Mr Block said.
The facility would include meeting rooms for local car club members to use.
He said that it is sharing those interests in regards to whether it's a high-end exotic car or an antique car, muscle car.
There's a large community of car lovers on the coast and this is just going to be a little support for that whole group. The development is due to open early next year.