There are car collections. And then there are CAR COLLECTIONS.

A Palmerton native has amassed one such compilation for the ages.

In short, to see Mike Moyer’s Dodge Viper collection is to believe it.

Moyer boasts the second largest viper collection currently in the United States, with a total of 61 of his awe-inspiring treasures.

What’s more, he plans to showcase them to the public as part of an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at 325 Fire House Road, Towamensing Township, at no cost to the public.

Visitors are asked to park at the Trachsville Fire Company, said Moyer, who estimates anywhere from 300 to 400 visitors could attend.

“So many people over the years have asked me to see my cars,” Moyer said. “And I’m like ‘why don’t we open it up for everyone to see them’.”

Moyer said there will be a table for visitors to sign in, at which time he’d like his guests to pick their most-liked Viper.

“I’m dying to know which one is their favorite,” he said. “We’re excited to see what people pick.”

Starting out

Collections are nothing new for Moyer, who back in the late 1980s opened his sports card memorabilia shop, Who’s on First.

An avid fan of Disney World, he eventually began to collect Disney memorabilia, for which he has an extensive collection.

But, it wasn’t until 1997 when Moyer started to accumulate his jaw-dropping Viper collection, currently housed inside his two big pole buildings.

Moyer, who now lives in Harleysville, explained how his affinity for Vipers began, noting that 1992 was the first year when the Generation One Vipers were first made. They’ve since made 286, of which Moyer has three.

“My dad, Renald Moyer, was always a Chrysler guy, so growing up, I loved Chrysler,” Moyer said.

“In 1989, they introduced the Viper at the Chicago Motor Show as a prototype, and then they released it in 1992, and I fell in love with it.”

His collection slowly began to take shape.

“In 1997, I had purchased a 93 Red Viper,” he said. “As the years went by, I’d buy one, buy another one; it just morphed into this, and sort of took on a life of its own.”

Moyer explained that he previously had his collection sprinkled throughout the Valley, before he decided to look for land and eventually settle on housing his prized possessions in Towamensing Township.

He said he has at least one Viper each year from 1992 through 2017, and added that of his entire collection, about 10 are one of ones.

“I have very specific tastes,” he said. “A have a lot of rare, rare ones.”

Moyer said the only other person who has a larger collection of Vipers in the country is a woman from Texas, who has around 75 of them.

“We’re trying to catch up,” he said. “We’re always looking.”

Growing collection

Moyer, who has a total of 45 self-storage businesses throughout the Lehigh Valley (27), Poconos (nine), and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area (nine), said he doesn’t take his good fortunes for granted.

“As my company grew and my success grew, I had the means,” he said. “I worked really hard over the years, and our self-storage businesses did really well.”

Moyer was quick to heap praise on his asset managers Michael Kuchavik, and Zach Kromer, for watching over and managing the collection.

“I am so blessed and fortunate to have the means to do this,” he said. “And I just love having them.”

As for the open house, Moyer explained his primary motivation for hosting it.

“I am just so blessed and so fortunate to have what I have,” he said. “I want to have people see these and enjoy.”