Ghost car dealership? Yes you read it right! The United States has faced numerous periods of financial turmoil in its history. The most notable one was certainly the 1929-1933 Great Depression and it left America in such a broken state that nothing short of World War II could fix it. Since then, the United States has seen its fair share of recessions, including the most recent 2007-2009 recession sparked by the sub-prime mortgage crisis.
The automotive industry has always been hit particularly hard – the 2007-2009 recession nearly killed GM and Chrysler. Blame what you will; razor thin profit margins, international competition or the fact that Americans simply don’t buy cars during depressions, but both manufactures and dealers struggle. Obviously financial turmoil isn’t unique to the United States, recessions and depressions usually spread around the entire world. For this reason, we see ghost car-dealerships being discovered around the world.
That’s right, car dealership with factory fresh vehicles just left to rot. Want a minty fresh 1970s Toyota Celica or Mercedes E-class? Check out one of these ghost car dealership :
East Liverpool, Ohio
A gentleman named Basil Mangano used to own this Chryster dealership in East Liverpool, Ohio. The story goes that Mangano owned several dealerships. When things got rough, he sold the others and stashed all his left over cars in this East Liverpool location. There are now around 35 to 40 cars there, all of which are now classics. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re gone now, but if you want a brand new 1970s Chrysler LUV pickup or a Plymouth Fury, check this place out.
Mercedes Garage – Alfonso Molina Ave, Spain
This ghost car dealership had just one car left over; the yellow Mercedes pictured below. Apparently, the car was assembled using parts found in around the garage, and was abandonned when the dealership, and later the garage, closed up shop.
Toyota Dealership in Cyprus
When the Turks invaded Cyprus in the 1970s, this Toyota dealership fell victim.
A ceasefire was finally declared in 1974, but much of Northern Cyprus was declared a “no man’s land” by the United Nations. This dealership was included in this “no man’s land” and its owner wasn’t allowed to return to it.
It looks like these Corollas and Celica’s could use a wash, but otherwise they’re in excellent condition. Most of the dealerships in Famagusta and Nicosia are either currently, or were in a similar state.
Citation Motors – Toronto, Canada
In 1988, ‘Citation Motors’ lost its BMW franchise. It was eventually moved to downtown Toronto and was renamed ‘Downtown BMW’, but it eventually went out of business again in 2002.
While these cars are owned, we’ve included them in this list as everything on the show room floor serves as a time capsule from the 1980s and the owner has zero intention of selling anything. The doors are locked and this pristine E24 and 635 CSL just sit around in the dark. One day, I’m sure they’ll fetch a pretty-penny at auction.
Collier Motors – North Carolina, United States
Unlike the others on this list, Collier Motors stored its cars outside. For this reason, these old AMCs are less than perfect – rust has crept in throughout the years. Collier Motors is typical of the rest. They purchased an AMC franchise but eventually went under in the 1980s. For a while they continued to sell parts, but those days have since passed as well. As you can see, rows and rows of old AMCs have been left to rot away.
IVECO – Kolding, Denmark
This Danish ghost car dealership, known as “IVECO”, was a seller of European cars. The spy shots we found indicate that the vast majority were Fiats. All in all, there’s nearly 200 cars here, all in pristine condition.
