The race track that was formerly used to host the Turkish Grand Prix has found a new lease of life as it will now play home to a giant used car dealership.
Istanbul Park was the venue for F1 races between 2005 and 2011 but the £200 million track has gone largely unused since then. However, a car rental company has now signed a 10-year lease to take over the track with the intention of using the site to sell 25,000 cars per year.
Trading under the new name, Istanbul Park Auto Market, there are a number of considerations the business owners are going to have to make. Not only will they need to convert the pit lane into car repair workshops and the start-finish line into a forecourt, but they will also need to get a motor trade insurance quote that will offer financial cover for the premises and all the valuable assets stored within it.
The Grand Prix circuit could have risked becoming a white elephant - despite being included in the F1 calendar for six years, a lack of funding and local interest saw the Turkish GP collapse. But that misfortune has presented an interesting opportunity for one motor trader.
Speaking on behalf of the company taking over the site, iPOP, Cevat Kabatas said: "This project will be very different from other car dealerships.
"The plan is to make the most customer focused environment possible and we have the ideal infrastructure here to achieve this."
