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176 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 7 Jackson, who earned his fame with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees, filled his ultimate man cave in Seaside with collectibles and memora- bilia, including championship trophies and a signed NFL helmet from Green Bay legend Bart Starr. game to play in the Negro Leagues. Cars became Reggie's obsession. He bought his first at age 14, paying $15 for a '51 Chevy. "Two-door, 6-cylinder, ran like a top," he recalls. "No license, but I drove it up and down the block." Back then, he says, "Guys wanted to get their wheels, their 'mah-cheen.'" Jackson drove a "hoopty," a clunker. He didn't care. He had his ride… and a plan. "I knew cars would be part of my life forever," he says. Later, he paid $150 for a 1951 Ford Custom with a Cadillac engine and hub caps. "That was stylin'," he says. Then he bought a '55 Chevy for $500. Today, he buys and sells vintage cars and owns one of the most coveted collections in the world. "It's romantic, finding out about the cars," he says. "I enjoy selling to indi- viduals, building relationships." With breakfast devoured, Jackson is anxious to head to his nearby sanc- tuary, a two-room, indoor facility large enough to be divided into streets. There's 1957 Chevy Dr., Muscle Car Boulevard, Pontiac Circle and other alleyways labeled by signs.