Special to The Desert Sun

When Patrick Willis was 17 and washing cars for auto dealers, he discovered a lifelong love for what he calls “older cool cars.“

“My boss gave me a car to sell on my own, and that’s how I entered the car business,” he said in a recent interview.

Now, nearly 40 years later, he's made a living off his passion. As a car dealer, he buys up to 20 cars each week and has them washed, detailed and ready for resale.

Willis and his business partner plan to show 10 to 15 cars at McCormick’s Collectable Car Auction Nov. 21-23 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. He's one of many people behind the scenes that make the car show and auction happen.

With homes in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, Willis spends about eight months of the year searching for cars in California and

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