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Finish Line Auto Club debuts Costa Mesa location with historic 300SL gathering

Nearly 100 Gullwings mark Finish Line Auto Club’s Costa Mesa grand opening

By Bruce Brown Oct 16, 2025 10:40 AM

Mercedes 300SL Gullwings and Roadsters at the Finish Line Auto Club Costa Mesa grand opening. — Finish Line Auto Club

Finish Line Auto Club just threw one of the most impressive automotive opening parties of the year. The new Costa Mesa facility—spanning 100,000 square feet—made its debut with a crowd of rare Mercedes-Benz 300SLs that turned heads across the collector community. Nearly 100 Gullwings and Roadsters gathered on-site, creating the largest 300SL assembly ever seen in North America.

For the members who live and breathe car culture, this grand opening wasn’t just about showing off cars. It marked another major milestone in Finish Line Auto Club’s growing network of private, high-security auto campuses built by and for collectors.

Finish Line’s New Costa Mesa Clubhouse

The Costa Mesa campus sits on four acres overlooking John Wayne Airport and features 40 luxury garage condominiums. Members can unwind on a rooftop pavilion complete with an open-air bar, fire pits, and sweeping views of Orange County. A glass elevator connects the rooftop to a 6,500-square-foot clubhouse outfitted with a bar, lounge, wine cellar, and game area—turning this car club into something closer to a resort for enthusiasts.

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Founders Tony and Rick Principe designed the club as more than a secure storage solution. Each unit is built to be a personal retreat, blending architecture and customization for car owners who want their garages to feel like home. Every Finish Line location is gated and monitored around the clock with on-site staff and military-grade surveillance. The brand’s focus on hospitality and security has helped define the growing “auto country club” category.

Looking Ahead

The Costa Mesa launch is just one part of Finish Line’s expansion. A 31,500-square-foot location in Calabasas is nearly sold out, and a 200,000-square-foot campus is planned for Scottsdale in 2026. The Arizona project will include a 16,000-square-foot members’ club with a rooftop lounge, setting a new benchmark for high-end automotive spaces.

As co-founder Tony Principe puts it, the goal is simple: build places where collectors don’t just store cars—they live their passion together.

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce… Read Full Bio

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