During an RM Auctions sale at the 2011 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy, THOMAS MAO, founder of the watch-collector community ThePuristS.com, raised his paddle and placed the winning bid for the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero, a one-of-a-kind concept car that he had coveted since childhood. The car is now on long-term loan to the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

“I’m attracted to cars that are exceptional in their design and in their performance. I’d find it difficult to drive an ugly car, no matter how hi…