A Different Kind of Driving Range

Garage Logic

The MotorPlex will consist of a clubhouse and an outdoor courtyard nestled among a dozen storage buildings, which will house approximately 175 1,000-square-foot car-condo units. (The units can be configured based on customer specifications.) So far, Silikowski says, more than a dozen applicants have signed up to own one of the condos. Each member will get room for storing and tuning his or her vehicles. The facility also will include wash-down bays. In addition, there will be mechanics available for basic maintenance needs, and a concierge service to handle shipped parts and equipment.

The clubhouse, which has been designed to resemble a European carriage house, will be available for casual gatherings as well as special events, such as auto-club meetings and car shows. There also will be room for auto dealership vehicle displays. “We want it to be a place to hang out for every car person and group,” Silikowski says. “The clubhouse will be a destination location, a place to hang out with people with like interests. There will be small nooks for intimate private discussions with friends, and large enough areas for Porsche Club meetings, for example. We intend to rent the facility to car clubs, corporations, and other groups. It will be business friendly, with Wi-Fi hook-ups and presentation monitors.”

All told, Silikowski says, the MotorPlex “will be a perfect place for people to get together to watch a Formula 1 race, or a friendly place where people can work on their cars, or get together and smoke a good cigar.” The Motorplex won’t sell liquor or include a restaurant, he adds, “but we will have food catered, and we will rent lockers so members can use it as their own private bottle club.”

The first MotorPlex building is scheduled to be completed in early August, with the clubhouse ready sometime later in the year. The only thing missing from the MotorPlex’s current business plan is a road-racing circuit like the Chicago-area Autobahn’s, but stay tuned. Silikowski may build such a track in the future at a different location. If the MotorPlex succeeds, he could take the idea to Florida and other locations.

But for now, there’s one thing to say: Minnesota gearheads, you may start your engines.