[ bird caws ] [ progressive rock music plays ] im jamie colby, and today i am off the beaten path i mean way off the path in the swampy lowlands of southCentral Florida. These dense marshes once harbored seminole indians and runaway slaves and, more recently, alligator poachers. Now theyre home to an oldtime florida family and a very strange inheritance. Howdy. Well, hi there. Hi. Im jamie. Nice to meet you. But whats a nice girl like you doing in the middle of nowhere in Central Florida . How do you know im a nice girl . [ laughing ] oh, i shouldnt say that. Im patty register, and my mom, marietta, passed away in 1996. She left me an inheritance with a lot of bite and with a lot of hoops to jump through. Yes, patty inherited alligators from her mother. But if only it were that simple. It rarely is with family businesses, and gatorama, the kind of oldfashioned roadside attraction you mightve run across in florida 50 years ago, is more complicated than most. Patty runs gatorama with her husband, allen. Patty and i, we met when we were 14 years old in junior high school. It was kind of funny because i told my best friend, i said, thats the girl that im gonna marry. Their son ben is gatoramas official crocodilian wrangler. Hi. Hows everybody doing today . So, wheres everybody from . Tennessee. Ill count slow for you. Ben cant resist bringing a reporter from new york into the show. Come on up here, crocodile. Come on. Hes got that evileye thing going. Come on. Come on, come on. Up, up, up, up. Yeah whoowhoo [ applause ] tourism is about half of gatoramas business. I could see a vest out of this. I think you need to get me one. [ chuckles ] the other half is farming gators for skins and meat. The value of the skin would probably be around 600, maybe 650. This pile alone could be worth more than 5,000. [ countryfolk music plays ] so, how do you hatch an enterprise like this . Therein lies the tale of a strange inheritance, one that involves native floridians both four and twolegged, starting with pattys dad, dave thielen. My dad was a person who was perfectly at home in the swamp. Mom was more of a city girl. [ poprock music plays ] way back in the prehistoric era, circa 1970, dave returned to Central Florida after retiring from the army. Hed served 20 years, including a tour as an infantry commander in vietnam. He and marietta, his wife of 18 years, buy a nice house in haines city. Dave tries a few different businesses selling worms, crop spraying. Nothing really clicks until he runs into an old swamp rat hed known as a kid cecil clemons. He was one of the best trappers ive ever run into. He had 15 wives. 15 . And i knew three of them. Cecil had bulldozed a patch of swampland, erected a cheesy tourist attraction, and named it gatorama. If the truth were known, gatorama was just a front. A front . For the gator business. A front because, in 1967, alligators are listed as an endangered species. Trapping or killing them becomes a federal crime. The hunters around here were happy to bring him little alligators for 3 and 4 apiece, and he was turning those right around and selling them on the black market for like 200, 300 apiece. By the mid 80s, cecil is getting on in years. He wants his old pal dave to take gatorama off his hands. Dave is intrigued, especially when he finds out that alligators are about to come off the endangered species list. Gator farming will be a legal business. He offers cecil 300,000 bucks for the whole operation. Old cecil snaps at the deal. Your wife mustve been thrilled when you told her you were gonna move here. Oh, she [ chuckles ] she fought me tooth and toenail. [ slow Country Music plays ] and maybe she was right. When i came here, i thought this was a farm. It was no farm at all. The incubator was a little old box right back there. In the house . In the house. [ insects chirping ] there was roaches, rats, and even snakes running around in this building. Marietta wants nothing to do with it. Shed rather live someplace with sidewalks. She wouldnt come down there. First of all, she was afraid. And second of all, it was sort of beneath her dignity. [ laughs ] it took about six months for her to make the adjustment and move down here. And what did he tell her . Come on, marietta. Were going. [ chuckles ] the couple hope their three kids will get involved. My mom and dad always had the feeling that, if you werent here on the farm, you werent working. My idea all along was that i could build something that i could pass down to my family. That was always in the back of your mind . Always in the back of my mind. Oh, its in the back of his mind, all right way back there. When it finally gets to the front of daves mind, this strange inheritance muddies the water. I think, in that process, it opened up a lot of resentments. Thats next. And later. What are you saying . Wheres my mama . Hes saying, mama. Wheres my mama . But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. How many teeth does the typical alligator go through in a lifetime . 20 to 30, 200 to 300, or 2,000 to 3,000 . The answer in a moment. You do all this research on a perfect car, then smash it into a tree. Your Insurance Company raises your rates. Maybe you shouldve done more research on them. For drivers with accident forgiveness, Liberty Mutual wont raise your rates due to your first accident. Liberty mutual insurance. Potsc in unison drive russ, leland, gary yes. Gary i have a ford f150. Michael ive always been a ford guy. Potsch then i have a real treat for you today. Michael awesome. Potsch im going to show you a next generation pickup. Michael lets do this. Potsch this new truck now has a cornerstep built right into the bumper. Gary super cool. Potsch the bed is made of highstrength steel, which is less susceptible to punctures than aluminum. 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It was apparent after just a little bit of time that there was some money to be made here. After her initial reluctance, daves wife, marietta, jumps in and brings with her a good head for business. She keeps the books and runs the tourist operation. Oh, i couldnt have done it without her, couldnt have done it without her. Together, they transform gatorama from a rundown eyesore into, well, an attractive attraction. [ birds singing ] by 1990, gatorama is making a profit, but its a grueling life for a couple approaching their 60s, living far from friends and family. Did she ever describe to you what she felt like living here, doing this . Being here on the register seven days a week, and she would hardly ever leave. Did she feel trapped . No one trapped her. She allowed herself to be trapped here. Dave needs some help, so he approaches his daughter patty and her husband, allen. Pattys the only one of his kids interested in running the business. The idea was that we were gonna come work for a year, they would pick up and move back to haines city, and we would operate the business. The couple are ready for a change. Pattys running a daycare business in haines city, and allens a sonar operator on a nuclear sub. The last two years i was in the navy, i only saw my family for 60 days. When i left haines city, the look on bens face just tore me apart. So patty and i made the decision that i would go ahead and get out the navy. We would come down and go to work for her mom and dad. Did it end up being what you thought it would be . No, it was totally different, out of our comfort zone. We were trying to get our feet wet and figure out exactly where our part was gonna be within the family structure, the business structure. And as allen discovers, wrangling these 600pound, 10foot carnivores is not without its hazards. What happened to your finger . Crocodile bit it off. A crocodile bit it off . Is that just a day at the office . That day, it was. [ both laugh ] working with pattys dad, allen learns the ins and outs of the gator business and to keep his fingers away from their mouths. We spend all of our time trying to make sure our alligators are happy, theyre fed well, they have healthy skins. And remember daves first incubator, a wooden crate in the living room . By 1994, soninlaw allen has helped build a new one. It can handle up to 3,000 eggs at a time. [ baby alligator clucking ] so, jamie, you are in luck. We have some baby alligators that are hatching out. Theyve got to be cute. They are. Want to put these on. I feel like a surgeon. Just the Slightest Movement will cause them to move. Oh, oh, oh here comes one yep. Hes born its his birthday. Hey, you. Can we name this one jamie . Absolutely. What are you saying . Wheres my mama . Hes saying, mama. Wheres my mama . By the mid 90s, patty and allen are putting in long hours, seven days a week, to make gatorama a success. They assume that pattys parents will eventually retire, leaving them to take over. But there are no concrete plans. [ dramatic music plays ] then, in august 1996, after a year of battling cancer, pattys mom, marietta, dies at the age of 64. She even worked the last day that she was alive. When they buried her, they buried half of me right in the same grave with her. In his grief, dave walks away from gatorama, leaving daytoday management to allen and patty. And heres where the inheritance part of this strange inheritance gets really complicated. Mariettas 50 of gatorama passes to a trust, which dave controls. Upon his death, their three children will each inherit an equal share. [ Country Music plays ] the arrangement leaves patty and allen in limbo. Theyre running the business, but have no say in what happens to it. Im trying to figure out a gentle way to say that it might be sold out from underneath us. Allen and i knew that we had to do something to ensure that we would be able to carry on. Dad gets that, but he wonders if the fairest thing might be to sell gatorama to the highest bidder and set money aside for all three siblings equally, not make an inside deal with patty. My father was so concerned about being fair to my brother and my sister, even though they had not contributed to the farm very much. Was that a tough one for you . I really pondered over it and struggled with it. Dave decides hell come up with what he thinks is a fair price for his empire no special deal and make an offer to patty and allen. What did dad tell you he wanted to buy it . He wanted a Million Dollars. Whered he come up with a Million Dollars . It was just something he pulled just out of the sky. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. How fast can alligators run on land about the speed of an olympic sprinter, a riding lawn mower, or a kid on a tricycle . The answer in a moment. 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[ countryfolk music plays ] i see you have friends. Yep, we have the alligators are over here to your right. And on the left over here is the only breeding colony of american crocodiles in the entire country. Good business . Everybody that wants a crocodile, they come to us, whether its disney or busch gardens. After patty registers mother dies in 1996, she and her husband, allen, take the leading role in running gatorama, a Central Florida tourist attraction and alligator farm owned by pattys family. Allen and i had already spent 10 years here, and we were getting to the age that it would be very difficult to start another career. But at the time, patty shares only a half interest in gatorama with her brother and sister a strange inheritance from their mother. Their father, dave thielen, owns the other half and still controls the business. Allen and i knew that we had to do something to ensure that we would be able to carry on this business and farm. Patty and allen feel the best solution is for them to buy the business from pattys father and siblings lock, stock, and gators. But at what price . Whatever they do will affect the finances and feelings of the entire family. As i talk to families in the inheritances, i realize some things go really, really well and sometimes not so well. What was the case with this inheritance . I think, in that process, it opened up a lot of resentments. Its the kind of conflict that happens often in familyowned businesses. Could pattys siblings get more money for their inheritance if gatorama were simply sold to an outside buyer . And where would that leave patty and allen, who have been running the place . Patty and i were concerned that, upon her fathers passing, that it was gonna be sold out from underneath us. We felt like we needed to protect ourselves, and so we negotiated with her father for years and. And we didnt want to pay any more than it was worth. What did dad tell you he wanted to buy it . He wanted a Million Dollars. Whered he come up with a Million Dollars . It was just something he pulled just out of the sky. Right. Its a tugofwar. Patty and allens years of sweat equity at gatorama are at risk. We had a lot of difficulty coming to an agreement, and finally his attorney suggested that we hire a appraiser to come out and appraise the business. So will an impartial opinion soothe hurt feelings and make everyone believe theyre getting a fair shake . What do you hope happens to this place . Well, i hope that it can continue on in the family. Things became more difficult in our family relationships. Of course, sometimes you just dont know how to let go. This gator, does it know i went to university of miami . Its looking at me. Yeah, i think he likes you. Thats next. My experience with usaa has been excellent. They always refer to me as master sergeant. They really appreciate the military family, and it really shows. 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[ theme music plays ] now back to strange inheritance. In Central Florida, patty and allen register continue to work long hours at gatorama while they wait for a professional appraisal of pattys familys strange inheritance. They hope the dollar figure will be low enough that they can afford to buy out the rest of the family and high enough so theres no blood in the water. The answer comes in. 600,000. Its a number they can work with. Pattys father, dave thielen, makes the deal. It was relief because we felt that now we had a future and that we didnt have to worry that, upon my fathers passing, we might have to hit the road. We do have a loan at the bank. And then we also have a mortgage with david. Hes carrying the note. But according to patty, not everyone is happy. My sister thought that she wouldnt get a fair portion of the proceeds from my mom and dads estate. But the bottom line is, is that we paid the appraised value for part of it, and we inherited part of it. [ upbeat music plays ] patty and allen own gatorama and every beast on the lot. I doubt old cecil clemons, who started it back in the 50s, would recognize the place today. Allens renovated the incubator and installed solar heating. Patty has added a hatching festival and keeps ben busy doing two gator shows a day. Ooh in a good year, they sell more than 10,000 pounds of prime gator meat. And strangely enough, alligator farming has been good for the gators still in the wild. The alligators have done extremely well. The populations have been steady or have increased. Its all part of the Management Program sustainable use. You know, like any other farmer, were not gonna destroy the environment, because thats our livelihood. [ midtempo music plays ] with any luck, their son ben will be the next generation to see gatorama as his strange and slightly scary inheritance. Its already paying him dividends. He found his wife here. I just got married four months ago. My wife actually walked through the doors of the gift shop. Thats how you met . Thats how we met. Bens wife, christina, now works with him. She loves it out here. She wouldnt want to do anything else. And before i leave, ben and christina have one last treat in store for me. So, me and my wife are gonna show you how to sit on an alligator. You like this . Ive been wanting to do it since i was two years old. Okay, were gonna cover his eyes. And youre just gonna come right where that leaf is with this leg. Step over. Go ahead and put your knees in the dirt, and then youre gonna put your hands right here on the tape right there oh. [ laughter ] ben. Okay, this is not in my contract. Its looking at me. Yeah, i think he likes you. Yeah, right. You might say this is the type of guy who, once you get your hands on him, you dont want to let go. You know, were getting along. Never look at. Otherwise, you might end up like allen, literally giving him the finger. So, after all their hard work and stress, patty and allen have found their place in the sun even if it is inhabited by thousands of maneating reptiles. Allen told me that, when ben was just 16, he was working with a 6footer when it clamped down on his arm. Ben stayed calm. He did the right thing. He got that gator down on the ground, and he kept it there until others could pry the critters jaws open. He had two rows of teeth marks on his arm, but luckily he still had his arm. Allen says thats the moment he knew his boy was cut out for this kind of work. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember, you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. [ rock music plays ] a worldrecord car collection. He just kept going. He never stopped. I believe his goal was to have one of every car ever made. A maverick driven to leave a mark. He went to a wreckingyard auction, bought the whole wrecking yard. His family promises to carry out his grand plan. I think there was a feeling of dread, relief, excitement, and enthusiasm. I love it. Feel the hair blowing, the top down. But can they fulfill the patriarchs dying wish . None of us wanted to be the ones who said we split all the stuff up. You dont want that car oil on your hands. [ woman vocalizing, theme music plays ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] [ countryrock music plays ] im jamie colby, and today im driving outside tacoma, washington, on my way to meet the heirs of a man who started with nothing, built an empire, left his heirs enormous wealth, but also an overwhelming task. Im doug lemay. My father, harold lemay, passed away in 2000 at the age of 81 and left us with a worldrecord collection that has become a fulltime job. Doug has invited me to the family house, where his father lived for more than two decades and where he now lives and works. Hey, doug. Hi, jamie. Glad you could come. Im so happy to be here, but i cant figure one thing out. Whats that . Is this a house or a garage . Well, its a 5bedroom house with a 300car garage. 300 cars . Yeah. Good thing i have the whole day today. [ midtempo music plays ] as doug shows me around, its easy to see this isnt just a home, but a reflection of his fathers passion for the automobile. I mean, doug, i got to be honest. Ive been to car shows that havent had this many cars. Dad did it for a long time. Everywhere you look, theres a collector car. Whats your dream ride . A 1930 cadillac 452 convertible . A 1922 austrodaimler . 1961 metropolitan . Its probably here somewhere. There are even rooms completely filled with the same model or manufacturer. These are all packards . This whole row is packards, yes. Oh, my god. Theres so many of them. Am i allowed to touch . Yeah, have a seat if youd like. Oh, my gosh. You dont have to ask me twice. Oh, my goodness. Look at the steering wheel. I think it has my name written all over. So many do. [ jazz music plays ] harold lemays fascination with cars started even before he could reach the pedals. Nancy lemay is harolds widow. His mother said, from the time he was born, he loved the car. He loved anything with wheels. Harold is born in 1919 to marie lemay, a single mother struggling to make a living and care for three young children. When harold is just three, marie feels she has no choice but to place harold in the custody of friends who can better take care of him. When the couple comes to pick up harold, theyre driving a 1914 baby grand chevy. Harold was a little apprehensive. He had not met these people before. Hes only three. And hes only three. And as he described, this portly man behind the wheel said, harold, you need to sit on my lap, and you can drive the car home. Little harold puts his hands on the wheel of that chevy and is instantly calm, sealing a lifelong love affair with the automobile. After driving a truck in world war ii, harold returns home and builds up a garbage and scrapcollecting business. It may not be glamorous, but trash proves very profitable. How successful was his business . Very successful. Lemay enterprises eventually grows to become the 10th largest private trashremoval company in america, with annual revenues topping 100 million. In 1963, harold marries nancy. A few years later, he has another lifechanging moment. A friend of his was in the model t club. He thought that that would be just the thing for him to get into. [ uptempo music plays ] once he joins the club, a light bulb goes off harold wants to start collecting classic cars. He begins with american models, mostly chevys and fords, everyday cars and trucks. How did he find these cars . Well, he would find most of them himself. By the 1970s, harolds hobby really revs up, and, as his grandson eric says, so does his wish list and search grid. It didnt matter where in the country the car was. Hed say, you want to go for a drive . And the next thing you know, youre crossing from oregon into california. As his passion grows, harold starts buying nearly any car he comes across. Grandpa never called himself a car collector. He was a car saver. He saved cars. Harold couldnt stand to see a car crushed. Would just break harolds heart. He went to a wreckingyard auction in idaho, bought the whole wrecking yard. [ bluegrass music plays ] by the mid 1990s, harolds collection of cars totals into the thousands. He just kept going. He never stopped. And you never said to him, honey, enough already we could use that money for a vacation . No, but whenever we did go on vacation, there was always a car somewhere in the route. As harolds fleet expands, he runs out of room in his 300car garage, so he snatches up over 50 properties to stockpile his collection. Hed buy houses so that he could use the garage, you know, and then hed rent the house and not the garage. He even buys this 87acre former Catholic Boarding School called marymount. Well circle back here later. How many conversations did you have with harold about what should happen to the collection when he passed . He never though about passing at all. This was not on his agenda. But the question is on his heirs agenda. Theyre thinking about the huge challenge rumbling toward them once harolds gone. Youve got to decide, at some point while youre alive, what are you gonna do with the stuff, and thats a very confrontational thing. And you know its kind of a burden on everybody else, and you got to have a plan. Up next, harold makes that plan plus the one car he really wants but never gets. And now our strange inheritance quiz question. What was the First Official white house car . Was it an 1899 packard for mckinley, a 1909 white steamer for taft, a 1919 piercearrow for wilson, or a 1929 cadillac for hoover . The answer when we return. Today, were out here with some big news about type 2 diabetes. You have type 2 diabetes, right . Yes. So let me ask you this. How does diabetes affect your heart . It doesnt, does it . Actually, it does. Type 2 diabetes can make you twice as likely to die from a cardiovascular event, like a heart attack or stroke. And with Heart Disease, your risk is even higher. You didnt know that. No. Yeah. But, wait, theres good news for adults who have type 2 diabetes and Heart Disease. Jardiance is the only type 2 diabetes pill with a lifesaving cardiovascular benefit. Jardiance is proven to both significantly reduce the chance of dying from a cardiovascular event in adults who have type 2 diabetes and Heart Disease and lower your a1c. 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Ask your doctor about jardiance. And get to the heart of what matters. [ intense music playing ] ] its here, but its going by fast. The opportunity of the year is back the mercedesbenz summer event. Get to your dealer today for incredible onceaseason offers, and start firing up those grilles. Lease the e300 for 569 a month at your local mercedesbenz dealer. Mercedesbenz. The best or nothing. That Airline Credit card yout . Have. It could be better. Its time to shake things up. With the capital one venture card, you get double miles on everything you buy, not just airline purchases. Seriously, think of all the things you buy. Great. Is this why you asked me to coffee . Well yeah. But also to catchup. Whats in your wallet . So, what was the First Official white house car . Its b, the 1909 white steamer. That year, Congress Passed legislation on behalf of William Howard taft for official white house automobiles. [ rockabilly music plays ] for nearly four decades, businessman harold lemay amasses a collection of classic cars in tacoma, washington, that includes at least 3,000 vehicles. Even he doesnt know the exact number. But there is one car he misses out on, says his wife nancy. He always wished hed gotten a tucker. Preston tucker was an american inventor and entrepreneur who designed the tucker sedan in 1948, conceived as the car of the future. It was so ahead of its time. Its so sleek. It has awesome lines. But sales were doomed after tucker was investigated for stock fraud, and only 51 cars were made before his Chicago Company folded. With or without a tucker, lemays vintage car collection is named Worlds Largest in the 1998 guinness book of world records. It includes true classics such as a 1910 roadster, 1930 duesenberg, and 1936 auburn. Harold, now in his late 70s, starts to worry about what will become of his beloved autos when hes gone. Charlie maxwell was friends with harold for over 30 years. What did harold want to happen with the collection . Well, he really wanted to see his collection preserved. He felt really, really bad when we would go to car auctions and he would see somebodys life collection being dispersed to the four corners of the world. Easy for harold to feel that way. It isnt he, but his heirs, including son doug and grandson eric, who will have the enormous burden of housing and maintaining all these cars. Did he think about what he had amassed and what his family would face as he got older . Yeah, he had made the decision him and my grandmother that they were going to create a museum. Thats right a museum just for harolds cars. The family starts by requesting land from the city of tacoma, but before officials will award the property, they ask harold for an initial donation of at least 300 cars to get the project going. 10 of the collection. Was that hard for him . I think it almost killed him. [ guffaws ] he had this document that he had to put his signature on, saying that he wasnt going to own this stuff at some point. And i can remember his hands shaking, and he kind of took a deep breath, and he signed it, and he handed me the piece of paper, and then he stormed off back towards home. [ dramatic music plays ] on november 4, 2000, after a massive heart attack, harold dies at the age of 81. His heirs inherit his grand car collection and even grander dream of a museum to house it. I think there was a feeling of dread, relief, excitement, and enthusiasm. Two questions arise. How many cars are there, and what are they worth . The family calls in larry batton, owner of the Auto Appraisal Group in charlottesville, virginia. It was a massive operation. The cars were located in 53 different locations. His filing system was a 32gallon green trash bag cause he never had any intention of selling or marketing a vehicle. We worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Over the sixmonth appraisal, the team uncovers countless classic cars only harold knew he had. We would open a door that hadnt been opened in decades. It would be full of cars that had been their for years, covered with cottonwood flower like snow on the inside of a building. And there were bumblebee fords and convertibles, piercearrows, and cars that were so unique. In all, larry and his team locate, number, and value 2,973 cars, not including the countless rusted, halfwrecked hulks. I believe his goal was to have one of every car ever made. Larrys not allowed to say what the whole collection is worth, but independent estimates peg it at 100 million at the time of harolds death. [ suspenseful music plays ] with the inventory complete, the family tries to realize harolds dream of a car museum, but starts hitting some roadblocks. Creating a museum, its like watching sausage get made. [ chuckles ] its really ugly and hard. And theyre not the only ones with car trouble. Oh, come on. Get me a car that works. Thats next. Heres another quiz question. Which classic American Sports car came first . Is it the chevy corvette, ford thunderbird, or Dodge Charger . The answer when we return. [ bird caws ] potsch you each drive a ford pickup, right . in unison russ, leland, gary yes. Gary i have a ford f150. Michael ive always been a ford guy. Potsch then i have a real treat for you today. Michael awesome. Potsch im going to show you a next generation pickup. Michael lets do this. Potsch this new truck now has a cornerstep built right into the bumper. Gary super cool. Potsch the bed is made of highstrength steel, which is less susceptible to punctures than aluminum. Jim aluminum is great for a lot of things, but maybe not the bed of a truck. Potsch and best of all, this new truck is actually gary all laughing oh my. Potsch the current chevy silverado. Gary im speechless. Gary this puts my ford truck to shame. James ill tell you, i might be a chevy guy now. laughing i am totally blind. And non24 can make me show up too early. Or too late. Or make me feel like im not really there. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442342424. [ bird caws ] so, which classic American Sports car came first . Its a, the chevy corvette. From its introduction in 1953, chevy has produced over 1. 5 million off them. [ uptempo music plays ] in the early 2000s, harold lemays family is struggling to honor his dying wish the creation of a museum where his entire 3,000plus car collection can be on public display. One that will be featured the black beauty that sparked harolds classic car obsession henry fords model t. I meet with harolds grandson eric and his friend mike for a driving lesson. Step one handcrank the car to start it. I dont know. What do you think . I think youre up for it. You do . All right. Lets see if you can do it. Give it a good crank. Oh not quite. [ grunts ] aah ouch. [ laughs ] wait. Is this a trick . [ grunts ] oh, come on. Get me a car that works. [ engine starts ] there it is hey all right. There you go. Right on. The model t is considered the first affordable automobile, but its not particularly easy to drive. It has three pedals, but the brake is on the right. Whats it doing there . You did clear the streets today . [ chuckles ] and the sidewalks. As we scoot around, its easy to see why harold fell in love with this classic. I love it. Feel the hair blowing, the top down. Theres a big tree. Theres a tree back there. Big tree. Brake, brake, brake, brake. Okay, brake. Ooh thats forward. Wait. Brake, brake. Oh, yeah. That thing on the right. Throttle up. Yep. [ engine turns off ] oh, my god. [ applause ] perfect. Not a scratch. But a collision is in store for the lemay family as it tries to get its museum into drive. It needed a building, it needed fundraising all the next steps. The family donates 600 cars to the project and 15 million, too, but its not enough. So they hire a fundraiser who tells them they have to court corporate sponsors for more big bucks. That will mean, the lemays are told, they will have to sacrifice their control and vision of the museum. The family agrees, but soon find themselves just 2 on a board of around 30. On the one hand, you want to see the legacy and the stories of those cars preserved. On the other hand, you really cant control once its in a museums hand. Exactly. The museum adds cars from other collections to attract national attention. Then fundraising runs tight. The board tells the family they dont have the budget to preserve all of harolds cars, and many of the ones he donated they say are redundant. They decide on a step that harold lemay wouldve never ever considered sell some of his cars. If you couldve controlled that situation, would you have asked them to sell other cars . I dont sell many cars. In fact, harold had only sold three collector cars in his lifetime. Family members are dismayed. None of us wanted to be the ones who said we split all the stuff up. You dont want that car oil on your hands. If you really didnt want them, whyd you ask for them . Because it made me feel like thats why the reason they wanted them was to sell them. The museum auctions off 145 of harolds donated autos. Their estimated value well into the millions. His 1940 packard convertible victoria sells for 113k, while his 1936 rollsroyce goes for more than 65 grand. The funds do their part to help the museum keep going, but when the sleeklooking building finally opens in 2012, its names been changed from the harold e. Lemay museum to lemayamericas car museum. That reflects the museums shift in focus from just harold lemay to cars from other donors, as well. Thats discouraging to harolds heirs because his wish was for a museum devoted just to his worldrecord collection. But the family believes theres still a chance to keep his vision alive. Eric, what is this place . Would you believe a second museum just minutes down the road from the first . Thats next. You totaled your brand new car. Nobodys hurt, but there will still be pain. It comes when your Insurance Company says theyll only pay threequarters of what it takes to replace it. What are you supposed to do . Drive threequarters of a car . Now if you had Liberty Mutual new car replacement™, youd get your whole car back. I guess they dont want you driving around on three wheels. Smart. With Liberty Mutual new car replacement™, well replace the full value of your car. Liberty stands with you™. Liberty mutual insurance. So new touch screens. And biometrics. In 574 branches. All done by. Yesterday. Banks arent just undergoing a face lift. Theyre undergoing a transformation. A data fueled, security driven shift in applications and customer experience. Which is why comcast business delivers Consistent Network Performance and speed across all your locations. Hello, mr. Deets. Every Branch Running like headquarters. Thats how you outmaneuver. Now back to strange inheritance. Harold lemays family continues to face the dilemma of how to honor his legacy. A chunk of harolds huge car collection has been sold off, and a museum in tacoma, washington, originally meant to be solely devoted to harold, now has a different mission. [ midtempo music plays ] then a solution the family decides to refit that School Property that harold purchased in the mid 1990s. Eric, what is this place . This is the other part of the equation that was our Family Learning how to save the Worlds Largest car collection. This is marymount. Its an event center, a museum, and your museum . Yeah. Why two . We wanted another museum that was more about the lemay family and our tastes in collecting. We may be only six miles apart, but were very different culturally from each other. The lemay family considers marymount the downtoearth little brother of the sleek, modern tacoma museum. Its the dirty fingernails version that celebrates harolds cars and nobody elses. [ rockabilly music plays ] the museum depends on the hard work of harold loyalists. Everyone here, from the tour guides to car repairmen, is a volunteer. So, not to take off on a car color, but are you in the black or in the red . At some point and its not that far away this will be a selfsustaining business. It looks really like its gonna be healthy for a long, long time. [ folk music plays ] before i leave, theres one last car eric tells me i need to see. Its a 1948 tucker. Tucker . Wait a minute. Harold wanted a tucker. I thought he never got a tucker . He did not buy this. My grandmother bought it after he died. Really . Yes, we knew that he wanted one, and so group of our family went to an auction, and grandma bought the tucker that he couldnt have before he passed away. Unbelievable. So he left, but you knew it was that important to have. We knew it was that important. What would harold say . Hed love it. I think, if grandpa were to look at how hard weve tried to do what he was hoping wed do, i think hed be really proud of it. And it took a whole community, it took a lot of volunteers, it took a family that never got off track with each other. Thats his legacy basically. [ midtempo music plays ] one last harold lemay story. Back in the 80s, at a garbage convention in chicago, he caught wind of a car for sale a 1914 baby grand chevy, the same model he first tooled around in as a threeyearold that day he said goodbye to his mom. Well, harold bought it on the spot, and he loaded it into the back of this fancy garbage truck that he purchased at that trade show. He and nancy hauled that old chevy all the way back here to tacoma. And there it sits to this day. He never let it go. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember, you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. He makes bigscreen magic. He was indeed a genius. He had the eye. But his heart belongs to this tiny stage. Theyre spectacular, down to the finest detail. This was the place where he poured all of his love. [ woman vocalizing ] so how did these guys inherit his lifes work . I was a senior in high school, and i was looking for a job that i wouldnt hate. You feel like you might be sitting on a gold mine . Must their show go on . It would be. Over. It would be gone. Everything would be dismantled and somewhere in a dumpster. Or will the fat lady sing . [ operatic singing ] [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ]