In recent days the intriguing tale of an abandoned BMW dealership in Canada has been making its way around the globe. The story goes Citation Motors in Oakville, Ontario was discarded in 1988 after the dealership was stripped of its license.
It’s unknown why the dealership lost its rights, but the man behind it moved on and opened another car yard called Downtown BMW in Toronto. This business ran until its closure in 2002.
Back to Ontario, then, and the dealership has remained as it was left 23 years ago. It’s an amazing scene with a 635csi taking pride of place on the showroom floor. The workshop rests apparently untouched, as well.
It’s believed the owner is a wealthy German businessman who had no reason or desire to sell up the former business and its stock; leaving us with a museum by happenstance.
[Source: Endras BMW]
6 replies on “BMW dealership frozen in time”
I would love the 635csi.
And no repo company has gone in to collect the 635i?
Beats a “barn find” anyday…
Stu, I don’t think financial issues were ever a concern, hence no repo companies involved.
It would be interesting to know what condition the fuel lines/rubbers etc are in after sitting there for so long. Relatively easy to fix though, you’d think, given the rest of the car would still be in as new condition.
Haha, I bet there’s some 635 owners out there that would love to get hold of this for spare parts! That would be one of my first thoughts if I saw a Mk1 GTI like that.
😛
I call BS. After 23 years and the rims shines like it was polished yesterday? The glass window looks like it was windexed by my cleaner this morning too.
Yeah, the chances of a tyre staying inflated for that long would have to be fairly remote
Perhaps this is more like what it should look like: http://jalopnik.com/5632032/the-mystery-of-flickrs-ghost-car-dealership?comment=28860808