MARSHALL, Texas — A Marshall man is preparing to auction off his multi-million dollar automobile collection.
Gene Ponder has been assembling his collection for more than 40 years, but his passion for cars began as a child.
"My mother kind of abandoned me when I was one and my grandparents had to raise me," Ponder said. "I don't think my grandfather ever made more than $35 a week so we never had an automobile."
That dream persisted into his teenage years.
"I was growing up, no matter how good of a football player or track star you were, the girls didn't want to [go] on a date," Ponder said. "So I said one day I was going to have some clothes and some cars."
Fast forward to today, Ponder now has a state of the art collection of approximately 130 automobiles and 30 motorcycles.
"Some people want to collect Rembrandts or Van Goghs," Ponder said. "To me these classic cars are works of art."
Out of his collection, Ponder considers his 1936 Bugatti his pride and joy.
"It's not one of the original three cars, this car was built in the 70s by a gentleman in Switzerland," Ponder said.
According to Ponder, he used a real 1936 Bugatti engine, disposed of the original body and custom made by Bugatti Atlantic.
"One of the original cars, Ralph Lauren paid over $40 million for one just like it," Ponder said.
After more than 40 years of enjoying the ride, Ponder says it's time to hit the brakes.
"I want to travel some now, settle down," Ponder said.
Ponder says even though the cars run well, the upkeep can be demanding, especially for the number of cars he owns.
In total, his car collection is worth nearly 25 million dollars.
The Gene Ponder Collection also has over 1,000 lots of automobilia ranging from mascots, neon signs, wall art, juke boxes, fuel pumps, authentic NASCAR trophies, and more.
For more information on the auction and tickets, click here.