In 2002, Alex Manos had achieved his dream. The L.A.-based Wilhelmina model was gleefully driving his slab-sided 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible home after a yearlong restoration. “In my eyes, if you lived in America and you’re successful, you had a convertible,” Manos says. Suddenly, a chauffeur-driven Escalade pulled alongside him on Sunset. “The guy in back wound down his window and said, ‘How much is it?’ And I said 55,” Manos says. “And he said, ‘Not what year is it. How much do you want for it?’ And I said, ‘$55,000.’ He said, ‘Pull over.’ ”

Beverly Hills Car Club founder Alex Manos fixing his 1962 Lincoln Continental Sedan, circa 2000.

Courtesy of Alex Manos/BHCC

They did the deal in front of the Chateau Marmont, and the buyer — an owner of the Sahara casino in Vegas — took delivery the next day. After a few more side deals flipping cars he’d longed to own, including Willie Nelson’s Mercedes-Benz 230 SL convertible, Manos was hooked. “I quit everything else and went in full time,” he says.

Two decades later, he’s following the same template. He buys the cars he loves and sells them to Hollywood’s elite. His aspirationally named Beverly Hills Car Club (which is actually in East L.A.) is stocked with 650 vintage cars. “We sell a lot of Porsche 911s, Mercedes SLs, Jaguar E-Types, Ferrari 308s, Corvettes, 1960s Mustangs and Thunderbirds,” he says, ticking off a checklist heavy on readily recognizable icons, mainly convertibles, of course.

While these vehicles are Manos’ bread and butter — “We always have five or six in stock,” he says — his A-list clients have more outré taste.

He sold Justin Bieber a 1936 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Sedanca Deville, a gangster-looking four-door. “He was shooting a music video down the street, and he poked his head in and just fell in love. He was like, ‘I’ve got to have it. Do you take credit cards?’ ” (They settled on a wire transfer.)

Jason Momoa bought a 1929 Rolls-Royce 20 HP Doctor’s Coupe, a staid two-door that clashes with the actor’s beastly onscreen persona. “When I was 19, we actually were in the same acting class,” Manos says. “Twenty years later, my sales manager put a call through saying, ‘Aquaman wants a Rolls.’ He was drawn to it because it’s something unusual.”

Jason Momoa’s 1929 Rolls-Royce 20 HP Doctor’s Coupe.

Courtesy of Alex Manos/BHCC; Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Tyler, the Creator purchased a 1981 Rolls-Royce Camargue, an angular, oft-derided formal coupe with an odd-duck cult following. “Tyler had been looking for a nice Camargue,” Manos says. “He wanted to use it in a music video.” (Spot it in “The Hillbillies” with Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar.)

Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman acquired a 1967 Ferrari 330GT from Manos. A savvy collector known for his meticulous pre-purchase research, the bassist paid $90,000 for the louche grand tourer in 2013. A few years later, Berryman bragged to Manos that he had flipped it at auction for $300,000.

The 1936 Rolls-Royce 20/25 Sedanca Deville that Manos sold to Justin Bieber.

Courtesy of Alex Manos/BHCC; ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images

Manos with a 1966 Ferrari 330GT, similar to the one he sold Coldplay’s Guy Berryman.

Courtesy of Alex Manos/BHCC; Laurent KOFFEL/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Not every celebrity closes the deal. Hilary Swank brought her dad to test-drive classic American muscle cars but left without buying one. Ben Affleck eyed a 2008 Rolls-Royce Phantom on Manos’ website, but by the time he popped by, it had sold. And Seth Rogen wanted a ’90s Porsche 911 but couldn’t operate a manual transmission. (Driving classics on The Studio, Manos says, he’s since learned.)

Manos drives a 1960 Mercedes 300 SL roadster, a $500,000 to $750,000 convertible favored in its day by Tony Curtis, Clark Gable and Elvis Presley. But he dreams of one day owning a Ferrari 275 GTB, a swoopy, $2 million-$3 million 1960s masterpiece beloved by contemporary celebrities including Steve McQueen, Miles Davis, Jane Fonda and Clint Eastwood.

Tyler, the Creator’s 1981 Rolls-Royce Camargue.

Courtesy of Alex Manos/BHCC; Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Despite moving more than 50 cars a month, Manos regrets selling some vehicles, especially those that would later appreciate. “So many,” he says, laughing. “But I don’t want to think about them, otherwise I start getting upset.”

Manos among his wares in Showroom 1 of Beverly Hills Car Club.

Courtesy of Alex Manos/BHCC

This story appeared in the Nov. 19 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.