We’ve all seen countless videos of people rummaging through old dealerships and the dusty, rusty cars that inhabit them. However, this 1980s Ford dealership is different, because it’s been stagnant in Germany for decades, and is filled with 1980s cars in brand-new condition that still look pristine.
How does a dealership remain loaded with cars in its showroom, completely preserved for four decades, without anyone either buying it or breaking in? According to the YouTube channel Auto Retro, the original owner of the dealership died many years ago and his widow kept it. Not only did she keep it without running the business or selling the cars, but she had it cleaned and maintained regularly, up until a few years ago when she was moved to a care facility. That’s why it looks spotless and the cars are mostly free of dust and cobwebs.
On one hand, it’s touching that the dealership now acts as a tribute to someone’s life, and someone else kept it nearly perfectly preserved for decades, in memory of them. On the other hand, it’s sad to see some of those cool old Fords just sitting there dry-rotting, rather than being driven and loved. Though, I guess they are loved in their own way.
Most of the cars in there are pretty basic 1980s European Fords, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t cool. For instance, there’s a red Ford Sierra 1.6, a Mk2 Ford Fiesta S, and a blue Ford Sierra wagon. None of those are particularly thrilling cars but they were fun, affordable daily drivers back in their day, and would make cool retro dailies today. Bring one to a Radwood event and you’d be carried out on peoples’ shoulders.
It’s impossible to predict what’s going to happen to the dealership next, as there’s no way of knowing anything about the current owner without getting boots on the ground in Germany and finding out. Perhaps the owner has children it will eventually be passed to? Whatever happens, it would be great to see those cars wiped down, started up, and let out of their glass enclosure for the first time in nearly four decades. Hopefully they can find homes in driveways that will care for them for decades more to come.
