Since the beginning of time, or since the time of cavemen anyway, men have created areas of personal space; lairs that vary in size and stature from grand libraries in country houses to garages in wealthy enclaves or garden sheds in suburbia. Elvis Presley had his jungle room at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, where he might well have stored the pistol that he famously used to shoot his truculent Pantera when it refused to start. Ernest Hemingway liked to shut himself away in his cave where he wrote at his large table standing up, and Octane has witnessed many motoring-focused ‘man caves’ over the years, from mews houses in London to hangars in Arizona.

More recently, the masculine lair has been eschewed in favour of men being active in
the kitchen or nursery, a shift in attitude trumpeted as a great leap forward by some. But this has been turned on its head by the revelation that many Hollywood actors – who are very popular with the opposite sex – enjoy caves. George Clooney has his ‘man castle’, Johnny Depp has a wine-filled Parisian cave, and Brad Pitt uses his cave in Malibu to retreat from Angelina Jolie and her soccer team of children. Pitt’s cave is reputed to house flat-screen televisions, a state-of-the-art sound system, video games, motorcycles, and a ‘kegerator’ in which to chill beer kegs. Hasta la vista, soppy metro man!

While we wouldn’t wish to brand Simon Khachadourian as a caveman (he recently married his gorgeous young bride), he has created a masculine space of breathtaking intensity. Those of you who are aware of the rarefied world of objets de luxe will know of the Pullman Gallery on King Street in St James’s, London, where for many years Khachadourian has purveyed some of the most sought-after collectables, ranging from Lalique mascots to Art Deco bronzes, handcrafted models, Louis Vuitton trunks, crocodile-skin Hermes guncases, original posters, silver cocktail shakers and sterling silver Tiffany cigar boxes, to name a few.

Khachadourian’s store of artwork relates to all forms of powered transport, be it by land, sea or air, as well as related objects that ‘car guys’ with taste appreciate. His gallery in St James’s is filled to the gunwales with these wonderful items and, rather than store the rest in a closed facility, Simon has created the Pullman Studios close to Chelsea Bridge. Octane was invited to an early preview.

Although it’s only a ten-minute drive from smart Sloane Square, the directions send
you south to the less salubrious side of London, amid warehouses and tightly packed terraces, tucked behind one row of which is a discreet entrance to a business park – the sort of gritty location used in London-based gangster films. Under the beautifully constructed Victorian railway arches are rows of heavy steel doors that lead to all sorts of workshops, small business depots and goodness knows what else.

Carry on and you’ll find an innocuous but freshly painted pair of dark blue steel doors with no outward signage. The large security lock is open, so heave the hefty door back and… you are assailed with the most improbable sight. It takes a few seconds for your brain to comprehend what you’re actually seeing in this unlikely location.

You enter this soaring cavern, your feet stepping onto soft carpeting while your eyes take in the grand piano directly in front of you, flanked by a huge Japanese World War Two ship’s binoculars and a bronze sculpture of a horse and rider, with walls covered in rare vintage posters and towering pictures by Dexter Brown of naked women bathing and Marilyn Monroe lying provocatively on a sofa. With exposed wooden-beamed ceilings and raw brick walls, the cave extends out of sight and onto a second level, with every available space taken up by beautiful paintings, posters, sculptures… Brad, eat your heart out.

Khachadourian hoves into view amid the fug of a Cohiba as you flop into a designer leather armchair in stunned silence. Gallery assistant (and no cavewoman) Rachel proffers an espresso to slap you out of your stupor.

‘The Pullman Studios consist of about 6000 square feet which, amazingly, we have almost filled,’ Khachadourian says, breaking the amazed silence. ‘Many of the pieces are related to motoring and travel but I have found that collectors who appreciate motor cars also appreciate other artwork and objects.’

Pullman Studios is renowned for its lead in original posters and one wall is hung with a complete collection of vintage linen Monaco racing images by the likes of Geo Ham.

‘Nicolas Cage paid one-and-a-half million dollars for the number one Superman comic a while ago and, in the same way, original posters are like stamps: condition, beauty and rarity are all,’ explains Khachadourian. A question about reproductions of these great posters is met with a polite silence. Then: ‘We don’t do reproductions. But since you ask, they are smaller in size and can be bought very reasonably at most poster shops,’ comes the icy reply. Oops.

You cannot fail to be drawn to the 63-inch model of the Bugatti Type 41 Royale Coupé Napoleon, a 1:4-scale model by John Elwell. Crafted in aluminium over a separate chassis with cast wheels and anodised tyres, this one-off sculpture took 1000 hours (over eight months) to complete, with the elephant mascot on the bonnet machined from a solid billet. Suddenly £45,000 does not seem unreasonable.

Then you notice the beautiful and unique model of a Hawker Hurricane aircraft in full flight and the famous Baby Bootlegger powerboat (also by Elwell), as well as the incredibly intricate bronze of the Thomas Flyer by Stanley Wanlass. Upstairs there is a special section dedicated solely to the works of Dexter Brown, one of Britain’s leading automotive artists.

To fully describe all the treasures at the Pullman Studios would fill all 236 pages of this issue of Octane, but a special visit to the man cave to beat all others can be arranged by special appointment for serious collectors. Be warned, Sir will want everything.

To find out more, email  rachel@pullmangallery.com. Also see the websites www.pullmangallery.com and www.pullmaneditions.com