Lindsay Fox’s Auto Alley Close to Being Unveiled at Essendon Fields
While US car sales are at a 16-year low, Mr Beck and Mr Fox are confident Australians still love their wheels – and are willing to travel 10kilometres from the city to find them.
Car lovers will have seven dealerships to choose from at the five-hectare site, including 12,000 square metres of enclosed showroom space.
The dealerships, including the country’s No.1 and No.3 top-selling car brands, Toyota and Ford, have signed for two five-year options, and will be opening or moving to Essendon Fields in the next few months.
A second stage of the Auto Centro project will double the number of car dealerships and could be released later this year. A spokesman for Essendon Fields declined to comment.
Essendon Fields is a 75-hectare commercial and retail precinct being developed at Essendon Airport. Mr Beck and Mr Fox (right) bought a 99-year lease over the airport in 2001 for $22million.
Last year, Mr Fox, an avid car collector, made close to $3million selling 30 classic cars from his collection, including a rare 1957 Gullwing, which fetched more than $500,000. He also donated 40 cars from his collection to set up the Fox Classic Car Museum.
It was widely speculated the Linfox boss put the classic cars on the market because his collection had outgrown the many facilities storing them.
