12 | AUGUST 17 • 2023 

CAR CULTURE

Celebrating

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER

L

auren Mendelson of Huntington 
Woods has loved cars since she was a 
child. Today, she collects and drives 
a curated fleet of custom sports cars she’s 
excited to share with a community of 
like-minded enthusiasts. 
“People call me all the time to exhibit — 
a lot of times I end up with two or three 
things in one day,
” she says. “It’s blossomed 
into a way of life for me.
” 
She and her husband, David, an orthope-
dic surgeon, have been invited to unveilings 
of new cars at factories near and far. The 
Congregation Shaarey Zedek members 

also rehabbed a 15,000-square-foot garage 
in Royal Oak to store and showcase their 
vehicles, adding an event space where they 
show car movies and host food and music. 
“David and I became a team. If either 
one of us sees something we like, we some-
how just end up getting it. We’ve got a lot 
of cool stuff in our garage, and a lot of cool 
stuff coming down the road. It’s turned into 
an amazing experience,
” she says. 
Mendelson is the only woman on the 
board of the Detroit Athletic Club’s Car 
Club and a board member of the Ferrari 
Club of America’s Michigan Chapter. Shes 

also a member of Henry Ford’s Drivers 
Club and is a liaison to the Concours d’El-
egance of America. She has won best of 
show at Detroit Concours, a yearly show-
case of classic automobiles, has driven at 
famous racetracks around the globe and 
has eaten in the Ferrari factory in Italy. 
“
Although I do love speed and high-per-
formance, and I especially love super cars, 
it’s more of an art collection,
” she says. 
“We like the curves, the beautiful lines, 
the beautiful materials, more than just the 
number or horsepower.
” 
Her passion for cars started decades 

Owners love their 
vehicles and the 
communities they 
inspire.

KAREN SCHWARTZ
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Lauren Mendelson 
and her Ford GT

12 | AUGUST 17 • 2023 

