Sign in to view
member only content

Located in Antwerp, Belgium, The Engine Room is a combination of a five star hotel for cars, and a members club for their owners. Members of the Engine Room store their darlings in a modern, heated and well-secured warehouse with climate control optimized for preventing corrosion. Cars can be picked up 24/7, and upon being returned, are hand cleaned inside and out, and have their tire pressure and battery levels checked. Costs per month start at EUR 250 per vehicle. The Engine Room’s other attraction is a private club, advertised as creating a perfect balance between ‘business, pleasure, lifestyle and passion’ (for automobiles, one assumes). It’s a being space for wheeling and dealing! The club includes function rooms—overlooking rows of gleaming metal, of course—that members can use for personal or business events, as well as old-fashioned club rooms, a bar and a terrace overlooking Antwerp’s harbour. Great business idea to copy to any city, especially to those urban areas where homes don’t come with triple garages. And if were Mercedes, Audi, BMW or any other upscale automotive brand, we would probably run with this tomorrow.