Car collector, lawyer O'Quinn dies in car crash

Noted Texas attorney John O'Quinn, a car collector who at one time owned more than 600 vehicles, died after the SUV he was driving in Houston ran off the road and crashed into a tree. O'Quinn was 68.

Police are continuing to investigate the crash, which happened Thursday morning on wet roads. A passenger in the SUV, Johnny Cutliff, also died. Police said Cutliff was O'Quinn's personal assistant. and that O'Quinn and Cutliff were not wearing seatbelts.

O'Quinn's car collection is massive. It includes a 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost that was used in the movie Titanic, a 1937 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante and seven Duesenbergs. The collection also includes a rare, wood-bodied 1911 Benz 37/90HP Skiff.

In legal circles, O'Quinn's fame came from winning a $1 billion verdict in 2006 against the maker of the diet drug fen-phen; a $17.3 billion settlement for the State of Texas against tobacco companies, and $100 million from Dow Corning, the maker of silicone breast implants. O'Quinn's law firm has filed lawsuits against Ford Motor Co. related to rollovers of Ford Explorer SUVs.

Joe Bortz, noted Chicago-area car collector, said the loss of O'Quinn is a blow to the enthusiast community.

"I visited him several times in Houston. And I would say the importance of his collection could only be compared to the Harrah collection," Bortz said.

"O'Quinn had very good taste, and I would say O'Quinn's is the modern-day equivalent. I think it's a bit larger than Harrah's. But he was the driving force behind the collection."

So, what happens to the collection now?

“That's everybody's question," Bortz said. "If he had [hundreds of] cars, to have someone now in charge of those without the enthusiasm and drive he [O'Quinn] had to put the collection together, that would cause some or all of the cars to reenter the collector's domain. If there was an auction, that event would be more impressive than the Harrah auction when they disposed of his cars.

“O'Quinn was the kind of guy when at an auction, if the bidding on a car he wanted was going up $800,000, $850,000, $900,000, he'd just shout out “million and a half.”

“He was a lot of fun … an independent soul. His death will have its repercussions on the hobby for years to come.”

By Dale Jewett