In 1988, Citation Motors, a BMW Dealership in Ontario, shut its doors with little explanation. The simple answer seems to be that the dealership had its concession license revoked, but nobody seems to be able to track down why exactly. Endras BMW, another Toronto-based Bimmer peddler, did some digging, but didn’t come up with too much.

Whatever the case, the dealership moved to Toronto, switched its name to Downtown BMW, and went under in 2002. The owner of both places seems to be eccentric at best, as he left Citation where it sat, untouched, with a then-brand new 635csi and E28 5 Series abandoned inside. The business is reportedly well cared for, and the cars have not succumbed to the elements the way they would have were they truly left to rot.

The owner of the establishment apparently has little interest in selling the business or his wares. To make things more interesting, there’s apparently an as-yet unopened underground storage facility and a back lot packed with junked Bimmers.

Why was this BMW dealership abandoned in 1988 with cars still inside? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Before Pontiac unleashed the vile Aztek on the world, there was another, weirder car that bore the name. In 1988, Italdesign introduced the Aztec, a two-seat roadster that made extremely limited production and carried a 0,000 price tag when new.

Sporting a twin-pod cockpit-style interior and slab-sided, angular design, this thing looks ready for intergalactic travel. Despite looking like it should be parked outside the Mos Eisley cantina, it sports a relatively pedestrian Audi turbo five-cylinder powerplant. The car’s 220 horses meet the road via a Lancia Delta Integrale-derived four-wheel-drive system.

The Aztec was built as Italdesign’s 20th anniversary present to itself, and broke cover at the 1988 Turin Auto Show. Depending on who you ask, Italdesign built either 18 or 50 of the cars. Either way, you don’t see these things very often. The seller is mum on the car’s price tag, but thanks to its rarity, blue-chip nameplate, and stratospheric original MSRP, its a cinch this thing will break six figures.

Online Find of the Day: 1988 Italdesign Aztec originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 May 2011 19:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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25 Years After Launch, Original M5 Still Stirs The Soul

“How would you like to drive a 1988 M5 up Highway 1?”

That wasn’t a call I was expecting, especially in the late summer of 2010. As far as I was concerned, any car from the 1980s still on the road was sure to be showing a few hundred thousand miles, springs coming through the seats and air conditioning blowing warm.

However, BMW North America was on the other end of the phone, and the vehicle we were discussing had been pulled out of a factory museum on the East Coast and shipped to California in a covered truck. Not only did it have low miles, but this unique model was in near-mint condition.

The 1988 BMW M5 is special in more ways than one. In addition to being the first-generation M5, its production was extremely limited and each and every copy sold in North America was jet black with blacked-out trim. And there was the powerplant… BMW had essentially dropped the M1′s 24-valve 3.5-liter racing engine under the hood.

You can guess what my answer was.

Continue reading…

Photos copyright (C)2010 Michael Harley / AOL

Continue reading Retro Spin: 1988 BMW M5

Retro Spin: 1988 BMW M5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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