SEATTLE -- From World War II memorabilia to championship-winning race cars, one Seattle collection is large enough to fill a small museum.
After nearly five decades of collecting things that fascinate him, the man behind it all is ready to show it off for KING 5 viewers. The private collection is so large, owner Bill Cotter, now rents a Ballard warehouse to keep everything under one roof.
"Ultimately, it worked out that I could get all the cars I wanted," Cotter said.
Cotter says he is fortunate enough to be living out his boyhood dream in style.
"You can't really collect cars when you're underemployed and living at home," said Cotter. "So I bought inexpensive cars, $200 cars, and fixed them up and sold them."
Bill's $200 start is now considered chump change. There are million-dollar price tags in his collection, but what's more valuable is the historical significance.
"I do feel that all the cars have a place in history. It's significant and it will always be with the car," said Cotter. "I'm just a temporary holder."
Cotter's 1955 Ford Thunderbird -- now at 18,000 miles -- raced in the 1950s and 1960s. The T-bird was on that famous Daytona Beach in 1957. Other car-lover highlights include a 1969 Corvette, a Porsche which was given as a gift to Mario Andretti and a 1965 Shelby Cobra.
One of the most interesting vehicles, however, is also one of the slowest. A small World War II era tank which Cotter says, "drives like a champ."
Most of the collection, including the tank, was purchased on EBay.
