Enjoying the camaraderie of friends in a single location where they all have their cars or boats stored has long been his aspiration and now he has the time to pursue it.
"Ever since I started racing a Mini in the 1960s, I wanted a shed of my own.
"Somewhere I could store my tools and spares, and somewhere I could spend my evenings or weekends pottering with my toys."
Spurred on to create the perfect, larger-than-average "man cave", secured inside a gated and alarmed complex, he and his partner, marketing specialist Marijke Dunselman, developed the garage club concept.
Mr Aitken is in negotiations about the first proposed garage club site, which will be located in Queenstown's industrial/airport area.
He expects to make an announcement later this month, he said yesterday.
He could not disclose further details but confirmed it would be in conjunction with a national building company.
The website - www.garageclub.co.nz - went live about two months ago, seeking expressions of interest from around the country.
Mr Aitken is looking for pre-sales and will consider establishing a garage club in a cluster of between 10 and 20 6m x 9m units, costing between $110,000 and $130,000 each (depending on location, and the subsequent land value) "anywhere there's a strong commitment".
New Zealand's racing circuits are obvious candidates for garaged gatherings of blokes and their toys.
So far, Pukekohe Park Raceway has registered the most interest and Mr Aitken has a meeting scheduled with directors of the new north Waikato motorsport facility, Hampton Downs Motorsport Park.
He is marketing the garages as an investment in freehold, titled, industrial real estate for those who wish to buy them outright and a chance to free up storage space at home for those keen to rent.
The proposed complexes would come with a communal wash bay and common room, Mr Aitken said.
"It's more than just storage. It's more like a little community."
The garage club company would retain management of each club until all units were sold, when management would transfer to the unit owners' body corporate.
Garage club members would be forbidden to operate a business from their premises or live in them.
After founding the Race to the Sky in 1998, Mr Aitken surrendered his rights to host the event past 2008 after difficulties with Cardrona mountain road access.
He also then sold Picture Vehicles, his film and commercial vehicle transport and preparation company.
A director of the Cromwell Motorsport Park Trust, he competes in the national production racing series in a Mitsubishi Evo 9.
