Who would’ve thought that the best feature of a 137-acre estate in Southern California would be a 24,000 sq. ft. building with a bunch of preserved animals in it? Oh, and it can also house dozens of preserved cars, too.
Nestled in the foothills of Orange County, California, is the Lyon Estate, a property built by the late Major General William Lyon in 1986. Lyon was a former U.S. Air Force Reserve Commander turned real estate mogul. According to the Wall Street Journalwhich just released a feature story on this property, Lyon died in 2020 at the age of 97, followed by his wife, Willa Dean Lyon, in 2024. Hence, the reason for the sale.
“With my parents not there, it’s not the same place,” said son Bill Lyon to the WSJ.
That place, Bill’s childhood home, is impressive for several reasons. Located in the ultra-private, ultra-gated community of Coto de Caza, the main eight-bedroom residence is 21,000 square feet of stately Georgian architecture. The property also has three separate guest homes, a helipad, a tennis court, a brick-clad wine cellar, a playhouse, a resort-style pool with a standalone poolhouse, and equine facilities that include a 10-stall barn and riding arena. In addition to the intricately manicured lawns and gardens, the real estate listing notes that the estate is also surrounded by 41 acres of orange orchards.
However, what caught our eye, of course, is the absolutely palatial automotive storage and curation area. It’s really far too nice to call “a garage.”
Go figure that the Los Angeles-raised Lyon grew up a car nut. Bill said the defining “car guy” moment was when his father saw actress Norma Shearer exiting a red Cadillac on Sunset Boulevard. Being in the presence of a Hollywood star is one thing, but the addition of the Cadi was enough to get the pistons going in the then nine-year-old’s brain.
“There was something about the girl and the car and the whole scene that solidified his love of prewar American classic cars,” said Bill.
And so, on the estate is a 23,679 sq. ft. car museum, which the WSJ called the resistance part. However, there is no mention of the vehicles being included in the property’s sale. At its peak, Lyon’s car collection reached 100 vehicles, but not all were kept onsite. The museum can comfortably accommodate 70 vehicles, but about 80 were staged at one point.
The overage, according to Bill, was displayed in another museum at the John Wayne Airport. *cough* That would be the Lyon Air Museum, which was founded by his father. With such a vast collection, did his father have a favorite? Absolutely. A 1929 Duesenberg Model J was the elder Lyon’s golden child, a surprise 60th birthday gift from his wife.
Not stopping with a mere personal, albeit massive, display case, the late major general also added a private fuel station, an auto shop, a car wash, and hired a full-time mechanic. Not just for show, all the vehicles are operational and taken for a spin a couple of times a year “to keep the seals and gaskets going,” said Bill.
Automakers rent out private homes for vehicle showcase events all the time. Why not the Lyon Estate? The car museum even includes a recessed turntable for those sheet-pull unveils. The taxidermy presence might turn heads just as much as any vehicle, though. Said to all be from a family hunting trip in the ’80s, the numerous game pieces from the Tanzania outing share the stage with the shimmering sheet metal.
In general, the Coto de Caza estate is expansive but not necessarily closed off. A 64-acre section of the property is actually already pre-approved for further development. If the new owners choose to do so, as many as 25 new homes could be built there to create a new gated neighborhood. You gotta make back that $125 million asking price, right?
If sold for anywhere near that, the Lyon Estate would set a real estate record for Orange County. The current title holder is a Newport Coast mansion that sold for $61 million in 2020. Pfft, peanuts.
Seen any other epic car-dork estates? Send them our way at [email protected]
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