After nearly 8 years in Westport, Dragone Classic Motorcars has driven off from the Post Road.
It’s not rent. It’s not lack of interest. The popular vintage auto dealer just needed more space.
A lot more space.
There was 11,000 square feet in the Westport showroom, and another 10,000 square feet in a Bridgeport restoration facility. Vice president George Dragone hauled himself — and Packards, DeSotos, Bugattis, T-Birds and more — back and forth, several times a day.
The Dragone showroom in Westport.
They’re consolidating everything in a 66,000-square foot building in Orange. That’s great news for them.
But not so great for their many loyal Westport customers.
“I hope they’ll continue coming to Orange,” Dragone says. “I still have a lot of connections to Westport. I was just at the Historical Society, in fact.
“But we needed a larger facility. We couldn’t show off our cars the way we wanted to.”
The site on Post Road West, across from Kings Highway Elementary School, has a storied automotive history. The Small Car Company — a Volkswagen dealer — moved in around 1959. Dragone took over from its successor, Saab of Westport.
There’s no word yet on who will move in there. Maybe a medical marijuana dispensary?
That stinks. Orange might as well be Maine to most of us.
It is across the street fromKingshighway School so a dispensery there could create a town insurrection.
It is across the street fromKHS so no dispensery there
Where’s the Alfa? All I see is an MG TC out front.
My bad!
Looks like a TD to me
Is that TD Bank or TearDown?
Wheels look too large to be td. Think tc had 19” and td 15”.
Probably Tesla
Tesla dealership
Would love to see Tesla somewhere in Westport, possibly at this location. As the “Amazon effect” shutters brick and mortar businesses around the nation, we should welcome retailers like Tesla that are seeking locations. Ironically, Connecticut is one of only a handful of states where buying a Tesla is illegal.
Tesla wanted to move to Saugatuck but ti didn’t work out…why couldn’t they try this spot?
Now………if Arnie Kaye were still with us.
Big Top needs to make a comeback
Can’t follow up with the numbers anymore, was it 50 stores up and down Post Road in both directions plus Main Street, or even more?
Dragone gets very few…very few, walk in buyers…their business is on the internet and telephone with a large international base. So neither Orange or Maine will slow ’em down.
Shame they couldn’t find some space in this area. Where is Orange? Lol
Dispensary? That’s a doobie-ous idea Dan.
We at Westport Historical Society will miss George and his wonderful display cars. Hopefully they will find their way all the way back from Orange from time to time.