Auto Indulgence: The Motor Enclave

Courtesy of The Motor Enclave
Nitish S. Rele
Dec 6, 2021

Car buffs, picture this…

After a long day at work, you arrive at The Motor Enclave, where your own piece of heaven awaits. A 2021 Porsche 911 and 1964 Corvette sit in your private garage. They are, in fact, the cars you dreamed of owning for years, but never had the space for at home. You walk upstairs, sit on a cushy sofa with a cup of cappuccino and wait for some of your new friends and fellow club members to arrive for the daily driving session.

You climb into your Porsche and make your way to the pit lane, a mere 2 minutes away. Soon, you embark on an exhilarating journey at high speeds along the property’s 1.6-mile private driving circuit, designed by famed Formula 1 track architect Hermann Tilke. Never before have you felt the exhilaration of driving your car at speed in a safe and controlled environment. You and other club members who attended the driving session meet up after for beers at the resort-style pool to compare notes.

For now, this is but a dream for Tampa residents. Soon, it will become a reality at The Motor Enclave — a purpose-built playground for auto enthusiasts that is coming to the area in late 2022.

The Motor Enclave, the fruition of Michigan developer Brad Oleshansky’s vision, has big plans that include 300 of the aforementioned private garages and a performance driving circuit, along with an 80-acre off-road driving course. A 2-acre vehicle dynamics pad, which is a multipurpose surface to test and drive vehicles, also is in the works, as well as a 35,000- square-foot corporate event center.

“Anything people are passionate about, they can enjoy here,” Oleshansky says. “Events are planned every week. We will also have a resort-style pool for families, a whole fleet of vehicles to venture on or off-track and much more.”

In 2011, Oleshansky, founder and CEO of The Motor Enclave, conceived a similar project, M1 Concourse, in the Detroit suburb of Pontiac, Michigan. It became the largest private garage community in the world and the premiere venue for auto-inspired events. Oleshansky sold M1 Concourse in 2019 to pursue taking the concept to other cities. After a national search, he determined Tampa to be the hotspot for his new project. Why Tampa?

“We found an incredible 200-acre piece of land at the cross-roads of I-4 and I-75 with the ability to have both a performance driving circuit and large off-road course,” he replies. “Using a proprietary data set derived from the profiles of my Michigan clientele, along with growth and wealth statistics, I determined that Tampa would be the ideal location.”

Oleshansky appeals to several audiences with his automotive nirvana. There’s the private garage buyer — people passionate about cars.

“It’s a lifestyle for them, being a part of a community,” he says.

Public and corporate access is also available.

“In addition to public events like Cars & Coffee, open track days and driving schools, we have a huge corporate event venue business where we use vehicles to deliver thrilling experiences for groups of 20 to 2,000,” Oleshansky adds.

The private garages range from $220,000 for 600 square feet (with capacity for three vehicles) to $600,000 for 1,435 square feet (holding six to eight vehicles). With 175 units worth about $60 million having already been sold, The Motor Enclave is on a path to be even bigger than Oleshansky’s first project.

Bill Kozyra, who owns three private garages at Michigan’s M1 Concourse, also purchased one at The Motor Enclave.

“My wife and I love cars — driving performance cars and collecting cars,” he says. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to enjoy life better in Michigan and now in Tampa. We trust Brad and his vision, and he will surely do a great job in Tampa as he demonstrated what he can achieve in Michigan.”

Rob Elder, CEO and president of Elder Automotive Group in Tampa, is all in, too. He’ll have a four-car garage at The Motor Enclave.

“I am familiar with the project in Michigan and have lots of friends who have car condos at M1 Concourse,” he notes. “Being a car dealer, I love cars and I love to showcase my cars and other cars. The Motor Enclave is phenomenal for the city of Tampa and will attract people from other places. It is good for the community, a great investment and, for us as a company, we can hold our board meetings and luncheons there.”

Look out for updates as The Motor Enclave creates Tampa’s paradise for car enthusiasts.