Hop Along Cassidy was proud of his customized "Woody" station wagon, but he wasn't the only star with a special set of wheels. For old-time Hollywood stars, luxury cars were requisite toys. Rudolph Valentino had a custom-built Isotta Faschini, a French Avion Voison with wire wheels and a red leather interior. His massive garage also housed a 1926 Franklin coupe and a black 1925 Chevrolet that the star used for traveling incognito. There was also a 120 gallon gas tank to keep all these cars running and several uniformed chauffers to do the driving. Valentino was the first of a long lineage of stars to succumb to the seduction of four wheels (Jay Leno is a notable current enthusiast who follows in Valentino's mega-garage footsteps); the car was a rite of star passage that persists to this day.



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