Tesla Head Designer Franz von Holzhausen Buys $23 Million Home on Encinal Bluffs
Now that Tesla’s head designer has purchased a second property in Malibu, who knows? Maybe he’ll be even more likely to make a stop at the new Tesla information center/showroom at the Whole Foods at the Park Shopping Center.
The 1960s Malibu property Franz von Holzhausen and his wife Vicki bought had been stripped down to studs in 2009 and completely redesigned by W3 Architects, according to Variety. The 5,000-plus square foot main house, and one-bedroom guest house, sit on nearly two acres of bluff top on Encinal Bluffs. Sustainable technology features include an in-floor hydronic radiant heating system, a 3,000-square-foot green roof planted with native grasses and an array of solar panels.
Interspersed among the trees in the parklike outdoor setting are a pool and spa—warmed by an active solar water-heater—as well as several outdoor dining areas and a sports court, organic vegetable garden, tree-lined stone pathways and parking for 25 cars.
The previous owners of the gated estate were the “Wonder Years” creators Neal Marlens and Carol Black, who had owned the property since 2004. They originally listed the property at $29.5 million.
Franz, a 53-year-old Syracuse grad considered a rockstar in car design circles, has created all of Tesla’s production vehicles to date, including the Models S, X, 3 and Y, along with the future Cybertruck, Semi and second-generation Roadster. Before Tesla, he designed for Volkswagen, GM and Mazda.
Vicki heads the von Holzhausen fashion design label for vegan leather products.
The first property in Malibu that Franz and Vicki purchased is a landside three-house compound closer to the Civic Center area.
One of James Cameron’s Houses in Serra Canyon Sells
As most of James Cameron’s neighbors in Serra Canyon probably know, his two-property compound went up for sale shortly after he relocated to his New Zealand property during the pandemic in 2020. He has owned “a vast and semi-remote rural spread” in that country since 2012, according to Variety. His 2,500 acres of farmland around New Zealand’s Lake Pounui are about five miles inland from the coast and 90 minutes by car to Wellington.
Cameron’s Serra compound was taken off the market shortly after the first of the year, presumably because the smaller of the two homes had sold in an off-market deal for $8.2 million to film/television producer John Linson.
Linson is probably best known for producing the acclaimed TV series “Sons of Anarchy” as well as the current cable series “Yellowstone” with Kevin Costner, another local.
The six bedroom and 6.5 bathroom home is a single-story Spanish hacienda style with detached guest cottage, totaling about 9,000 square feet. The outside features a swimming pool and a tennis court converted to a parking lot. Cameron paid $4.4 million for it in 2003.
There are signs and rumors that Cameron’s second, larger home has also been sold, but tax records don’t yet reflect a transfer.
Cameron’s films, including “Titanic,” the “Terminator” franchise and the “Avatar” franchise, have grossed nearly $7 billion in worldwide box office receipts.
Pink Buys in Malibu Again
Although singer/songwriter Pink’s main residence is a 200-acre ranch near Santa Ynez, Variety reports she’s also kept a Malibu vacation home one way or the other for years. Back in 2016, she sold her Point Dume estate for $12.5 million to a French banker before leasing a house in the Malibu Colony. Now, five years later, she and her husband Carey Hart have bought property here once again—paying $13.7 million for an oceanfront villa on Malibu Road that was once owned by Barry Manilow.
The four-bedroom home was purchased last October by LA dentist Soleyman Cohen-Sedgh, who quickly renovated it and then flipped it to Pink for $5 million more than he paid. The property was previously owned by Natalia Mogilny, ex-wife of a Russian ice hockey star who purchased it from Barry Manilow for $5.5 million in 2012.
The white contemporary main house, which is invisible from the street, features an oceanfront living room with high ceilings, massive glass windows and a wide wraparound balcony. A large tiled patio separates it from the two-car garage with stainless steel doors and upstairs guest quarters.
Since 2000, Pink has sold more than 90 million records worldwide, making her one of the world’s best-selling musical artists. She has won just about every musical award there is, including three Grammy Awards and seven MTV Video Music Awards. In 2009, Billboard named her the Pop Songs Artist of the Decade and in 2013, they gave her the Woman of the Year award. Some of her best known hits include “Just Like a Pill,” “Please Don’t Leave Me,” “Who Knew” and “Get the Party Started.”
‘Bosch’ Creator Michael Connelly Buys Home on La Costa Beach
Fans of the hit Amazon Studios television series “Bosch,” now in its seventh and final season, may be happy to know that the bestselling author and series creator just bought a home on La Costa Beach for $8.7 million. Michael Connelly, an acclaimed mystery novelist and former newspaper reporter, just sold off two properties in Tampa, Fla., and two properties in LA before purchasing this home.
Connelly’s best-known fictional character, LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, was featured in a series of 21 novels that sold more than 80 million copies worldwide and eventually formed the basis for the “Bosch” TV series.
The newly acquired white beachfront house was built in 1970 and has been extensively updated. Variety reported the property has three bedrooms and 3.5 baths in about 2,100 square feet of living space. An attached two-car garage and a walled and gated courtyard with stone fountain separate the two-story main house from Pacific Coast highway. The whitewashed interiors feature wood floors and beamed ceilings. The previous owner had just purchased the house in 2019.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, an as-yet-untitled spinoff series to “Bosch” has been announced, featuring the same lead actor, Titus Welliver, along with much of the “Bosch” creative team.