A Very Nice Home For Very Nice Cars

Whitney Morgan’s first automobile, which he bought in college, was a 1967 Plymouth Valiant with Three On A Tree and 90,000 miles on the odometer. It cost $700. His latest, which he bought last fall, is a Porsche 911 GT3 RS with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and paddle shifters. The second fastest production car ever timed on Germany’s famed Nurburdring race track, it had 25 miles on the odometer. And it cost more than $700.

“Actually,” he clarifies, “the Porsche is my newest track car. My latest purchase was a 2026 Mercedes CLE 53 AMG convertible.” Which brings us to what brings Whitney to MicroFlex most days each week: “Two things, actually. First, our driveway was starting to look like a used car lot. And second, after I retired, my wife made it clear that I wasn’t entirely welcome to spend all day, every day, around the house.”

Suitable housing for his babies

“Before MicroFlex, there were really only two local options. The first is a Car Condo — which you have to buy — and those start at $400,000. The second is what you might call a car-storage warehouse, where all the automobiles are parked together in a large, single space. Over there, you have to leave your keys — and when someone wants to take-out a car parked behind yours, the attendants move it.” Needless to say, given the calibre of his collection — which includes an Audi RSQ8, a Mercedes AMG S63 Edition One and a Maserati MC20 — that wasn’t a particularly attractive option either.

Whitney’s happy place

“MicroFlex is so convenient for me. It’s 6 miles from my house. I have my own private space, I pay almost exactly what I’d be spending at the warehouse, and there’s no long-term commitment. I don’t ever have to wait to take-out my cars. I have my own bathroom and plenty of room for my desk, television, stereo and a couple of comfortable chairs.

“It’s my home away from home, my man cave — a great place to hang-out and baby my cars. From time to time, my buddies bring their cars over for a  visit. There are a couple other guys who keep cars here at MicroFlex, and a few others who are good company when you want to talk cars.” No surprise, Whitney’s active in the local collectors’ community. “I was a founding member of MOB INC” (Motorists Of Birmingham In Nice Cars), and a regular attendee of get-togethers for Magic City Octane and Cars & Coffee — as well as events like Leeds’s Motors On Main and World of Wheels.

Safe, secure and hassle-free

“I’m especially pleased with the security they’ve got in place here at MicroFlex. I’ve been in my unit for nearly a year, and I haven’t heard of anyone having any security problems. And then there’s [Property Manager] Austin [Woodley] and the other folks at Colliers — all of whom have been so responsive whenever I’ve had issues, which, by the way, has been very rare.

“When the weather gets nicer, we’re going to start having Friday afternoon cookouts. A couple of folks here have grills, and I’m really looking forward to that.”

It’s quite a change of pace for Whitney, who, for nearly 40 years, routinely worked 60- to 70-hour weeks — managing an investigation consultancy serving the trucking industry and attorneys handling truck-accident litigation. A much-in-demand expert witness, Whitney served both plaintiffs and defendants in thousands of cases. And while it was clearly a rewarding career, it was not one that lent itself to flashy displays of prosperity.

“Until I retired, I kinda kept my collection a secret. After all, it’s not a very good look for attorneys when the expert witness they’ve hired is driving around in a brand new Maserati. Which was just fine with me, because I’ve never craved attention. I love my cars, to be sure, but one thing I really enjoy about owning them is the joy they bring to so many other people. Whenever I attend a car show, I’m always happy to let folks hop in and sit behind the wheel of whatever I’ve brought with me. After all, what good is something as special and unique as a Porsche 911 GT3 RS if you can’t share it with others?”

All things considered, at MicroFlex, Whitney’s found the perfect place for sharing that joy.