Running Out of Space – STREET COVER

How many times have you been asked to move your project car, weekender, exotic or just collectable car out of the way? The Valet Car Storage is the place for you. Here in Melbourne, finding a safe and secure place to leave your pride and joy can sometimes be difficult. From inner city areas with no garages, street parking only or just plain driveway with nothing to offer security or protection, you may need the extra piece of mind.

Craig Phinn, Owner of The Valet Car Storage, has created that piece of mind. Having locations around Victoria, all secured and undercover, with 4 post car hoists and a bar area, its more than just car storage. In 2018, Craig, when needing to store a car whilst he was living abroad, was disappointed by what was locally available. Cars covered in dust, no chargers on batteries to prevent them from dying, cars crammed in far too close were among the main issues. “Im sure they would have been fine, but the environment felt sad, the cars would have been sad!”

With all this information and looking around, it was pure luck that the small factory right next to his business Cochranes Gym and Gym equipment was suddenly available. After taking ownership of the factory, Craig could now start his new business venture, The Valet. With the ability to store 18 cars, the factory filled up quite quickly. It became apparent that those who needed storage, The Valet was the place to go.

Moving into current times, The Valet has grown rather large, having multiple sites around the Melbourne Bayside Area, is now storing and caring for over 300 cars, including buses, trucks, bikes, boats and more. After asking Craig what made him different to the competition, the answer was simple, “If you love it, We love it”. This attitude shows with the care taken, custom silk covers on all the cars, battery conditioners trickle charging the vehicle, drip tray under hoists to prevent fluid leaks on your car below. Its all very well thought out.

With storing so many cars, there would be some hidden gems. Thankfully, Craig gave us a sneak peak. There are a lot that caught my eye, one being a 1928 Mercedes SSK. How often have you seen one driving around the streets or at a car show? Probably never. This immaculate roadster is powered by a 7L supercharged I6, shortened wheel base from the Mercedes Benz Model S. Absolute stunner. From the 7L Mercedes we move to the 6.2L W1 utes from Holden, 50% of the production is in storage at The Valet!! An impressive figure. These aren’t your thing? No worries, how about a Diablo Roadster? 458 Ferrari, 488 GTB, 911 GT3 RS, Huracan, NSX?

Moving forward a few years from 1928, we have a 1956 $3.5m Porsche 356 speedster that is factory fresh, a 1950 Ferrari 195 sport, a car that has won the Mille Miglia, Rome 3 Hour Night Race and Giro delle Calabria. The 195 sport feature a “Big Block” 2.4l V12. With only having 4 world wide, this may be one of the rarest prancing horses about (Also most expensive car in storage at The Valet). Big names have also had cars stored at The Valet, Elton John’s Ferrari Testarossa, Marilyn Monroe’s Cadillac, Craigs Bathurst 12 Hour R32 we featured here, just to name a few.

Having proven that The Valet has set the mark for car storage, its a wonder what you will see and find lurking around your back yard. Word of mouth spreads, more and more cars are being stored with The Valet, Craig realising the the only way to keep moving forward is to move up! Having Australia’s first standalone 4 post, 3 car hoist, I can tell you, after working under hoists all day, this is really impressive. With plans to have more set up, this will only increase the storage capacity.