Quite a ride: Rancho Santa Fe couple to be honored at San Diego Automotive Museum gala

The San Diego Automotive Museum will host its annual “Party in the Park” gala on Saturday, Sept. 27. This year’s theme, “Ignite!! An Evening at the Grand Prix”, is all about speed, luxury and innovation, inspired by the glamour of international racing with live music, a three-course seated dinner, live auction and, of course, a showcase of classic and exotic cars.

Since 2021, the Party in the Park has raised nearly $3 million to support the museum and its programs, which includes their youth initiative the IGNITE Academy. The program, provided at no cost to underserved high school students, provides hands-on learning in an auto shop, allowing students to explore and prepare for a potential career in the automotive industry.

At this year’s party, the San Diego Automotive Museum will be honoring Rancho Santa Fe residents Dr. Steve and Lynne Wheeler for their “extraordinary” contributions to the museum and its mission.

The Wheelers were surprised to learn they were getting the nod when museum CEO Lenny Leszczynski and Sharon Smith, the museum’s community outreach and strategic partnership director, invited them to lunch at Rancho Valencia. They figured something was up by the nice locale.

“We are deeply grateful to Dr. Stephen and Lynne Wheeler for their unwavering support of the San Diego Automotive Museum. Lynne was a driving force on the Inaugural Committee 2021 THE Party in the Park while Steve helped launch our first Cruising for Drivers Golf Tournament in 2023 and is one of three ambassadors for our newly launched Podium Club along with Dr. Perry Mansfield and Bill Siino,” Leszczynski said. “The Wheelers continue to shape the future of the museum through their dedicated support of the IGNITE Academy, where their passion for empowering youth through education in the automotive industry is making a lasting impact. Their commitment, energy, and generosity help fuel our mission and inspire the next generation.”

Steve, a retired oral surgeon, and Lynne, a retired dental hygienist, have lived in The Crosby for the last 20 years after spending many years living in Del Mar. The couple has two daughters and four grandsons.

“I’m a car guy and Lynne’s a car girl,” Steve said. “Fifty years ago we met at a gas station when I jump-started her car.”

In their Hollywood-script-level Meet Cute, Steve was filling up his car near the University of Southern California where he was just starting dental school when a cool little BMW pulled in, driven by a “knockout blonde.” Her battery had died.

“Mr. Eagle Scout getting gas near me said, ‘Oh I have jumper cables’,” Lynne recalled.

While he got her car going, he didn’t get her name or number. It wasn’t until weeks later when their paths fatefully crossed again when their eyes met at a USC dental school lecture. He asked her out, but she had a boyfriend. They became friends and he kept asking her out until she finally became single and accepted about a year and a half later.

They’ve been married for 47 years.

Steve inherited a love of cars from his dad. In 1971, he bought a 1930 Packard and they bonded over restoring it together and driving it to car shows. Steve learned all about the cars, the importance of design and engineering, from his dad.

That 1930 Packard was featured in Steve and Lynne’s wedding and remains a sentimental item in the garage with a trophy case that includes a second in class in the La Jolla Concours d’ Elegance this past spring.

As Steve learned through his adult bible study, “the age of significance in your life” is your 60s and 70s, after you have raised your family, retired and have time, treasure and talents you can share with your community.  “I retired in 2019 and jumped in,” he said of his entrance into philanthropic work.

Lynne had been involved in numerous different philanthropies for years. She has been on the board for Vision of Children, and just stepped off the board of the Old Globe, where she had served for 10 years. Since 2000, she has been a part of Patrons of the Prado, raising funds to benefit the arts, science, and cultural centers on the Prado in Balboa Park and for programs that provide educational access for underprivileged San Diego County schoolchildren. Before that she was president of the board for the Starlight Theater, which shuttered in the park in 2011.

Steve’s key nonprofit organizations he supports include the San Diego International Film Festival, where he has served on the board for the last five years, Just in Time for Foster Youth and the San Diego Auto Museum, where he has become fully immersed.

“We can’t tell you how excited we are about Lenny and Sharon’s vision to turn the museum into something we can all be proud of and continue the legacy and history of these cars for generations… and ignite a younger generation of automotive enthusiasts,” Steve said.

“Pan American Plaza is starting to really look nice. I’m excited for the auto museum and the way they’ve redesigned the front, the whole facade is just beautiful,” Lynne said. “I think with the expansion of the museum, it will bring a lot more people to that side of the park.”

The IGNITE Academy is perhaps what makes the Wheelers the most excited. The academy used to be in a much smaller location in Sorrento Valley but has since moved to a 10,000-square-foot facility in Santee. Close to 100 underserved high school students and recent high school graduates get the opportunity to learn about basic tools and engine components, gain financial literacy and assistance with job placements through internships. Over 23 local San Diego companies are involved in helping and volunteering their time to help students learn such a valuable vocational skill.

In addition to the benefit of the IGNITE program, Steve said the museum also has a fresh new vibe with curator Jacqueline Goldstein putting together interesting shows and speaker events. The current exhibit, “Street to Track” on display through Nov. 3, features Ferraris from different eras, including street cars and a 25-year-old V12 Ferrari 550.

The Berg Family Library on site at the museum also includes an extensive collection of automotive research, from books and magazines to thousands of repair manuals, to ensure no knowledge is lost to time.

“It’s an amazing resource,” Steve said. “The museum is growing in leaps and bounds and we’re excited to be a part of it and will continue to do so until we can’t anymore.”

Steve belongs to six different automotive clubs, including the Ferrari Club of America, the Porsche Club of America and the private Thermal Club in Thermal near La Quinta. The couple often travels to car shows, from Julian to Santa Barbara, and Lynne has vintage outfits to match the cars.

When he’s not on the golf course or in the gym, you can find Steve in the garage working on his cars. He goes to the Rancho Santa Fe Cars and Coffee gathering once a month and can easily spend hours talking cars with the attendees in the village. Many times, he brings the Packard, which has become a fascination for the little kids and burgeoning automotive enthusiasts.

One of Lynne’s favorite stories is how their grandson took to admiring cars when their daughter’s family came to live with them during the pandemic.

“The little guy was six months old and every morning he pointed to the garage. He couldn’t talk and he wanted to see the Ferrari,” Lynne said. “When he got a little older started calling it a Neigh-Neigh.”

The adults never quite understood the reference. It turned out he had listened to a book of animal sounds and as the horse makes a neighing sound he equates it to the horse on the emblem of the Ferrari 550 Maranello that grandpa loves to drive.

Another (very clever) car guy in the Wheeler family was born.

Party in the Park will be held on Sept. 27 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the San Diego Automotive Museum, located at 2080 Pan America Plaza. Co-chaired by Reena Horowitz, Jill Berg, and Dr. Tess Mauricio, the evening will include a special presentation of the Titan Philanthropy Award to Paula Abdul, Ray Brock and Ernest Rady.  Pricing begins at $700 for an individual ticket. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit  sdautomuseum.org/.