Vroom to Move — Manhattan’s Classic Car Club Finds a New Home in Hell’s Kitchen

There might not be the prospect of a congestion charge on 11th Avenue anymore, but it’s soon to become supercharged as the Classic Car Club moves to a new home.

The vintage wheels are heading from Pier 76 in Hudson River Park to 645 11th Avenue (at the corner of W47th St), in a space formerly occupied by a Toyota showroom and on a street historically known as a haven for car dealerships .

And it’s a long-term parking spot — the club’s owners have signed a 20-year lease for a 60,000-square-foot space in Bram Auto Group’s building, as first reported by Commercial Observer .

“We’re looking forward to moving to the east side of 12th Avenue and further into the neighborhood,” co-founder Michael Prichinello told us.

The cars themselves may be a petrol head’s fever dream, but good luck moving them anywhere — at least on 11th Avenue — at more than 2 mph on a Thursday or Friday afternoon, when the street is typically choked up with traffic (as it was at the time of writing.)

The exclusive, members-only club gives New Yorkers the opportunity to take vintage vehicles such as a McLaren 57OS, Lamborghini Huracan, or ’66 Ford GT out for a spin, according to Bloomberg .

The Classic Car Club’s new location is next to the Ink48 Hotel, the former home of rooftop bar The Press Lounge, known for its panoramic views, and PRINT, a farm-to-table restaurant. Both closed in January due to economic headwinds.

In 2016, the club moved to the former NYPD horse stables at Pier 76 from a smaller location in SoHo — but in 2021 it was threatened with eviction with four years remaining on its lease, when former governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to turn the pier into a public park.

The club filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a “defensive move” to preserve its space on the West Side pier — a warehouse space that boasted giant windows overlooking the Hudson River which had been renovated to the tune of $6 million — and is still operating out of the location.

The Classic Car Club was founded in London in 2005. In addition to vintage automobiles, its new location will offer car storage, co-working and meeting spaces and dining rooms.

“Given the uniqueness and one-of-a-kind experience the Classic Car Club provides to its members and the multiple use groups it requires as an occupier, our primary objective was to find the right fit — not just from a physical standpoint, but with an owner who understood the exceptional opportunity the club brings to their property,” said Peter Gross of commercial real estate company Avison Young that brokered the deal.

The 11th Avenue strip surrounding the club’s new home is somewhat of a car lover’s mecca, with a Cadillac dealer across the street, and Lexus of Manhattan and Toyota of Manhattan on the next block.

Once described as NYC’s “ Siberia ,” a fair share of non-car dealership action has also shaped up in recent years, with Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine moving in, and multiple -apartment buildings rising up.

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