Yesterday morning, Houston lawyer and prolific car collector John O’Quinn was killed in a traffic accident. Reports indicate that O’Quinn, as well as his assistant, Johnny Lee Cutliff (also killed), were not wearing their seatbelts when their Chevrolet Suburban hit a tree.
A police report says that O’Quinn was driving the Suburban, which bounced over a median before impacting a tree on Houston’s Allen Parkway
O’Quinn, a plaintiff’s attorney who garnered fame – and fortune – in tobacco and breast implant cases in the early 1990s, was planning to open a massive car museum to show off his collection in downtown Houston. The vehicles he amassed are considered by many to be the preeminent private collection in the world.
A longtime staple at collector car auctions, O’Quinn was not known for being shy about spending his money on vintage automobiles. He was known to regularly purchase up to 20 vehicles at a single auction and was considered, by some collectors, to be a formidable bidding opponent. The collection, which is overseen by a full staff, includes such vehicles as Pope John Paul II’s 1975 Ford Escort (for which O’Quinn paid $690,000 at auction), several vehicles owned and used by British royalty, three Batmobiles and numerous other classics valued at around $1 billion.
