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"ACE" ROSNER ~ CIA SPY/CAR COLLECTOR 94 Passes.

  • silverghost
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13 Dec 2011 03:36 #21620 by silverghost
I sadly just found out today from one of my late father Arthur's auto collector friends that "Ace" Rosner former War Hero, CIA Cold War Spy, Race Car Driver, and long-time car collector has sadly passed away just over a month ago at age 94 .
My late Father , also almost the same age as "Ace" at the time of my Father's passing,~~~ knew "Ace" very well for at least six decades.
"Ace" lived a very interesting & colorful life .
He lost his arm during WW II but this did not slow him down one bit.
After the War he joined what was to later become the CIA where he became a real authentic "James Bond" style US SPY in Europe during the peak of cold war tensions with the Soveit Union.
During this time period he started collecting some of the greatest cars he could find at that time in Europe.
"ACE" had a lifelong love affair with great automobiles that lasted ALL of his very long & very colorful & interesting life.
He would often call my Father to invite us both down to his area to view, and actually drive, his fantastic car collection consisting of 65-75 autos at one time at it's peak.
"Ace" once stated that he estimates he had owned about 250 collector autos throughout his long life.
He always later regretted selling any of his prized autos.
He told us he never sold them because he ever needed the money~~~
He sold them simply because he had run out of storage space in his parking garage for new collector cars that he just had to have; and add to his collection.
"I always had to make tough choices as to which cars to keep;and whch cars to sell ."
"I have made many mistakes by selling cars I wish now I had not sold ~~~And I had kept."

He started to slowly slim down the auto collection about ten years ago.
He told us that he was doing so because "He would not live forever ~~~and had no family to really leave the car colletion to."
In later decades since the 60s the collection was housed in section of a parking garage of a high rise apartment building that he had owned.

He spent many a day working & polishing his collector cars in that parking garage.
Just keeping the car batteries charged & fluids changed, took up much of his time later in his life.

"Ace" was always very willing to share his auto collection with various car collector groups , or fellow friends, & car collectors.
He never married but had a wealth of friends from all over the world.
He was lifelong friends with Kings & Queens as well as many well-known US political leaders.

Like my Father he was very active in life in his later age of 90+ still driving all his cars, as did my Father, until shortly before his passing of heart failure at age 94.

We last visited with "Ace" at one of the winter "CLASSICS" auctions at an Atlantic City NJ casino a few years ago.
He had consigned a few of his great autos to this auction event.
I will always regret not buying his white Derby Rolls~Royce Phantom I skiff at this auction.
It was said to have been Henry Royce's personal trials & test-bed Phantom I auto from his vacation home in the French Riviera.
It sold for only a low shocking $76. K + buyers premium to Mark Smith as I remember?

He treated my Father, & I, to dinner & great conversation at one of the casinos where we both were staying for the winter "Classic" auction event.

I shall miss my father's old friend "Ace" Rosner.
Someone should write a book , or make a movie, about this great old fellow's interesting life.
"Ace" Rosner was a true one-of -a- kind American Patriot.

Did anyone else on this ACD forum know "Ace" , or ever see his great auto collection in person ?

Any story about "ACE" , his life, or his fantastic car collecton, & car collector passon is greatly welcomed on this thread.

Google "Ace Rosner" for more information about his colorful, interesting, & very long life.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. BRAD HUNTER Huntingdon Valley Pa/Ocean City NJ 215 947 4676 Engineer & RE Developer Brass & Classic Auto, Antique Boat, Mechanical Automatic Music Machine, & Jukebox Collector

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