This top-secret Victorian facility is hiding the world’s rarest cars
We get a rare peek behind the curtains at Auto Caché, one of Australia’s most exclusive high-end car storage facilities.
In a top-secret location in Victoria, some of Australia’s rarest, most expensive cars are hidden away from prying eyes, with 24-hour video monitoring and black fabric covers that disguise models worth millions.
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This is Auto Caché – a Victorian car storage facility housing all manner of vehicles for its well-heeled (and well-wheeled) clients, offering top-level security and ongoing maintenance for a monthly fee.
Given the value of the cars, the facility’s location is known only to customers. However, we can say that it’s within a five-kilometre-radius of Australia’s next-biggest city.
Drive was given a special tour of the new space and some of the cars inside. Within 30 seconds of being welcomed inside the facility we started spotting multi-million-dollar supercar silhouettes… but more on those later.
Owner-operators Damon Lawrence and Nathan Stirling opened the car storage facility in 2021, after identifying the demand for a full-service outfit catering to all kinds of weird and wonderful cars.
Picture this: you’ve done well for yourself in life, spent your time and money amassing a car collection to enjoy, but your busy schedule and inner-city home don’t cater to the rigours of caring for your automotive assets.
“We found a huge amount of support for a prestige car housing solution that specialises in luxury and exotic car security, particularly one that provides continued maintenance for the duration of a vehicle’s stay,” says Lawrence.
“Providing a space for clients to feel confident that their vehicles are safe, protected, and cared for is the driving force behind the creation of Auto Caché.”
Security is paramount, of course.
The space is backed by an array of high-tech, motion-sensing cameras that offer 24-hour monitoring, as well as physical blockades that make it impossible to drive any of the cars out the door without the right clearance.
Whether it’s protecting the $5000 project car of one owner or ensuring the $5 million Ferrari Enzo beside it stays untouched, neither Auto Caché nor its clients want to attract any prying attention.
Auto Caché has played home to everything from a Mercedes-Benz 300SL, Jaguar E-Type and Ferrari 308, to multi-million-dollar hypercars rarely seen in Australia such as the McLaren P1, Ferrari Enzo, and Porsche Carrera GT.
Even Swedish hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg trusted Auto Caché to keep the prototype Koenigsegg Jesko under wraps ahead of its Australian debut in 2022.
The large facility is purpose-built to house high-calibre cars. Every vehicle is supplied with a C-Tek trickle charger to ensure batteries are topped up, while the team will cater to any maintenance request an owner desires.
During our tour of the space, we were led through a brightly lit holding bay that acts as the go-between for clients picking up or dropping back their vehicles.
The bay can be opened at any time remotely for owners with specific needs, but most clients will come in and talk cars with Stirling in the facility’s lounge. It houses all kinds of automotive memorabilia and conversation starters, while there’s even a bar and coffee machine at the ready.
But few people are allowed beyond the holding bay to see where the cars are housed. In a dimly lit space designed to promote the facility’s secure nature, there are rows and rows of cars under bespoke cloth car covers.
Some silhouettes are immediately recognisable, such as that of the Mercedes-McLaren SLR and the bullet-like profile of a Lamborghini Gallardo.
Not even 10 metres into the space, we spotted some big-dollar exotica.
The guys recently installed two banks of vehicle lifts just to cope with the influx of clients wanting to store cars.
In Auto Caché’s current layout, the space has capacity for 90 vehicles. This might not ordinarily sound like a huge number of cars, but this is no ordinary parking garage.
Naturally, the cars used less often are stored on the top shelf, while the more frequently used vehicles are stored ready and waiting below.
Deeper inside, we came across a puzzling shape sitting in a corner. About half the size of other cars, but with a streamlined shape and a power plug coming out of the side.
Lawrence was unwilling to uncover the car – at the request of its owner – but subsequent investigation revealed it to be a Volkswagen XL1.
Auto Caché displayed the vehicle on behalf of its owner at Melbourne’s Motorclassica classic car show in 2022.
The seldom-known Volkswagen XL1 was designed to travel 100 kilometres on a single litre of fuel, and uses a tiny 800cc two-cylinder diesel engine in addition to a 5.5kWh battery.
It was also built using lightweight materials and features an aerodynamic shape for an ultra-low 0.186 drag coefficient.
The car was only available in Europe and was built in a strict 250-unit production run, which makes it all the more interesting that one has found its way to Australia.
There are other surprises within Auto Caché too, such as the Ferrari Enzo that was stored within the facility a few weeks prior to our visit.
It was there for a short period while Auto Caché presented the vehicle at the Ferrari Club of Victoria’s annual Concorso D’Eleganza.
Some Auto Caché residents are born a little closer to home, like the HSV Coupe GTO. Widely tipped to go up in value in years to come, the example stored in the facility shows a low odometer and is presented in beautiful, original condition.
While of collectors buy cars as an investment rather than to enjoy, others prefer to take their trophies out on the road.
The owners of cars like a Porsche GT4 RS and a bright-yellow Lamborghini Huracan STO take their daily drivers into Auto Caché, swap them with the fun weekenders, and then return them once they’ve got the thrill out of their system.
The facility’s pricing starts from $112 per week, but there are tiered packages that allow for enhanced access, more frequent car washes, and a concierge service.
Speaking to the fit-out and style of the facility, Lawrence says it was worth making the building look worthy of the cars within.
Lighting plays a big part of the space’s mysterious allure. The 24-hour access handover bay is brightly lit, but the storage compartment is darker to accentuate the genuine privacy of the space.
“We spent over 12 months searching for the right building in the first place. We wanted something more than just a factory with four walls. When we saw this place for the first time, we both knew exactly what we could turn it into.
“We believe having an aesthetic is important for any business, and every time someone walks through our door they’re wowed by the space we’ve created, as well as it being able to complement the cars we have on display.”
When asked about what the team will do when it eventually reaches capacity, they’re already well into the planning stage.
“Our future plans include expanding our current facility to hold over 120 cars, as well as creating smaller hubs throughout Melbourne. We also plan to partner with other like-minded businesses to bring our customers more than just a car storage service.”
Car storage facilities are no new concept. As Australia’s car collectors continue their garages and use up all available personal space, full-service car storage facilities are proving their worth.
But with a growing number of storage businesses popping up around Australia, Auto Caché’s proximity to high-density Melbourne will likely prove one of its greatest attributes.
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