http://www.endrasbmw.com/11/abandoned-b ... peculation
Late yesterday night we wrote an article about an abandoned BMW dealership in nearby Oakville, Ontario. With 1980’s models still displayed in the showroom, this abandoned dealership was like nothing we had ever seen before. Adding to the mystery, the owner refuses to shed any light on the origin, purpose, and future of “Citation BMW”, as it was previously called prior to losing its operating license. Since the story was picked up by Jalopnik, BMWBlog, AutoGuide, AutoTrader, Autos.ca, and many other influential automotive websites, we decided it would be worth our time to make the hour long trip over to Oakville. We took around five hundred pictures, the most interesting pictured below, and made some very interesting observations.
Here are our observations:
We met the owner. He’s in his late sixties or early seventies and drives a 1980’s light blue 733i. A car which five years ago had been spotted in the service bay around the back of the dealership. Unfortunately since then they’ve covered up all the windows. The firm but not entirely impolite owner did not want to answer any questions. He did verify that he is indeed the original owner, but furthermore did not want to set the record straight on any of the rumors. He told us “you have to be crazy about cars, like you and I, to enjoy owning a place like this”. He then left, telling us to “let the rumors fly, I don’t care”.
Peeking inside we photographed various documents. The latest entry on the technician’s XEROX service record was dated 1989, while a newspaper was dated 1994.
The most exciting find of the day was the entrance to the underground level. It’s pictured below and has the appearance of a garden shed. Although its sloping side walls gave away its true purpose. Needless to say we got chills at the thought of more 1980’s BMW’s stored below the building. We figure it could be anything from cobwebs to a series of M1’s with only delivery miles.
The black 535 spotted sitting outside next to the service entrance has 735,503 kms on the odometer! The E39 estate had considerably less kms on the dial and also sported an array of different wheels. Furthermore, its right rear wheel had an interesting case of negative camber.
The 5 Series in the showroom had its hood ajar with relatively fresh fingerprints on it’s dusty fenders. A commenter on Jalopnik said there’s a cleaning lady that comes in and cleans the windows once a week. With the landscaping looking immaculate that probably isn’t far from the truth.
Around the back lie a pile of bricks that looked like they have been sitting there for over a decade. We suspect the owner was planning a small expansion of the dealership before finding out he would lose his operating license. In addition, there’s a small scrap yard with various rusted bits of, you guessed it, 1980’s BMW’s.
