The Calabasas Public Works Department, in partnership with the Building and Safety division, is currently making its final revisions for a plan to build the Malamut Vintage Auto Dealership on Calabasas Road.  This strip of land is also next to Mercedes-Benz, Acura, BMW and Mini Cooper dealerships.  The vintage auto gallery will be a two-story Tuscan-style building.

The first floor of the building will feature a café, retail shops, storage areas, a common area and vehicle displays.  The next story will hold indoor and outdoor automobile exhibitions.  Mike Malamut, the owner of the strip of land on which the dealership will be built, tried to incorporate Italian architecture into the design to complement the Italian vintage cars he plans to sell.  The Malamut Vintage Auto Dealership is intended to make potential buyers feel as if they are in Italy during the 1940s and 50s.  The building will be decorated with vintage radios and artwork to enhance the atmosphere.

“We wanted to create a unique, welcoming atmosphere,” said  Malamut.  “We want people to feel like they are in Italy.  It is a destination spot for people who love cars as well as those who do not.  Visitors can come in to look at cars free of charge, as we [will] change the inventory often.  They can also look at vintage memorabilia.”

Malamut proposed the dealership as a measure to expand his business in the auto industry.  Currently, the Malamut family owns a vintage car museum in Thousand Oaks.  The family viewed the Calabasas property as a prime location to build a museum and dealership for these antique automobiles because of the many automobile connoisseurs living in the Calabasas community.

“Calabasas Road is known to be the dealership hub of Calabasas, so it was the perfect fit to bring in another dealership,” said Talyn Mirzakhanian, the project planner for the new dealership.  “We also know that we have a population that [will] appreciate vintage cars.”

Developers have begun to fence off the plot of land on which the dealership will be built.  At the new dealership, visitors will be able to view and purchase vintage cars as alternatives to the modern brands prevalent in the Calabasas area.  The dealership will feature vintage Italian cars such as the Alfa Romeo, antique BMWs and Volkswagens.

This July marks the beginning of the full construction of the new dealership.