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Learning manual transmission is nerve-wracking. Learning it the day before driving your first car across the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance podium at age 11? That's how classic car dealer Colleen Sheehan started.

Her first car was a 1930 BMW—nicknamed "Sputter"—that her father took as commission when a collection buyer said, "I don't care about that car." Colleen got it at age 8. At 11, she earned 3rd in class at Pebble Beach.

Sputter is extraordinary: wooden frame, cable brakes, 35 mph top speed. "If you hit a possum, the whole thing shatters...and the possum walks away cussing." Possibly the oldest BMW in America. She owns 2 of the estimated 4-5 in the US.

That passion led to Next Generation Classics, her California dealership specializing in Enzo-era Ferraris and exotic cars. While her twin brother chose computers, Colleen chose restoration, sales, and the collector car world. She names all her cars: Lancia Delta Integrale rally car "Guido," Tahoe "Betsy," second BMW "Putter."

Her dream car? Ferrari Competition Daytona 365GTB4c —only 15 ever made.

Philosophy? "I'd rather drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow."

Sputter sits in her garage, never to be sold.

Listen to Colleen's favorite episode, Dora's Datsun here - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2316026/episodes/14948807-from-datsun-to-range-rover-what-dora-s-first-car-taught-her-about-success

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