how this manhattan dealership became the most diverse seller of exotic car brands in the nation

by Jessica Jones-Gorman • Photos By Robert Nuzzie

Brian Miller was living in Manhattan, selling cars at his family’s smallish luxury dealership in Westchester County when he took notice of New York City’s lack of a solid exotic car market, and decided to take action. So in 1996, Miller and his father rented a 20,000-square-foot, first floor space at 28th Street and 11th Avenue and filled their showroom with a range of coveted brands, such as Lamborghini, Lotus, Bentley, and Rolls-Royce.

Starting with only seven employees, Miller used a hands-on approach to running the business. In part that’s because there was considerable risk involved; no one had placed such a varied roster of exotic and super luxury brands under one roof before. Now, Manhattan Motorcars, which sells about 850 new cars and 350 used vehicles each year, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It’s one of the nation’s top superluxury car dealerships.

“We h a v e g r own f r om t h a t 20,000-square-foot first-floor space shared by service and sales to a combined 300,000-square-foot space across two buildings,” noted Marc Faraj, the dealership’s general manager. “We expanded to all five floors of the original building, plus the roof in 2004, and in 2015 we moved Porsche, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Bugatti to a 150,000-square-foot, newly renovated dealership at 51st Street and 11th Avenue.”

The new building is one of the few car dealerships in the country (and the only one in Manhattan) to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) award, which recognizes bestin-class green building strategies and practices.

“The showroom and service space is completely energy efficient, with state of- the-art LED technology that is completely environmentally friendly,” Faraj said. “We sell the most cutting-edge cars in the business, so it was important for us to have a building that matched the quality of our inventory.”

The five-story facility, which includes showroom space, offices, and vehicle storage, required more than 500,000 manhours to complete. The space was designed to deliver a unique footprint in the heart of Manhattan. The dealership features a modern lounge with a large panoramic glass wall overlooking the service center and a rooftop event space with 360-degree views from the Hudson River to Midtown.

The Porsche, Bentley, and Lamborghini showrooms each feature their own street entrance and are joined by a hallway that serves as the ground floor’s main corridor. The Lamborghini space accommodates three cars and an espresso bar, as well as items for sale from the company ’s Collezione Automobili Lamborghini fashion line.

Bugatti occupies about 1,000 square feet of Manhattan Motorcars’ newest showroom and features a variety of elements inspired by the French luxury brand.

Dominated by blue (Bugatti’s signature color), the space is defined by distinctive lines and clear surfaces that evoke body lines of the French maker’s sports cars. The concept was developed to provide visitors with an experience similar to visiting Bugatti’s headquarters in Molsheim, France.

Bugatti and Koenigsegg automobiles were acquired by Miller last year, when the dealer attended the Geneva auto show and spent $3 million to bring one of the world’s most coveted cars to the U.S., effectively securing the dealership’s place as the country’s leader in exotic sales.

“Last year we sold the only Koenigsegg One:1 in the country, named for the one-to-one horsepowerto- kilogram curb weight which is what engineers strive to achieve,” Faraj explained. “And this year, we will be one of the only dealerships in the U.S. that will be hosting a private viewing of the Bugatti Chiron, the Lamborghini Huracan Spyder, and the Bentayga, which is Bentley’s new SUV, all within one location. We consider ourselves to be a one-stop shop for all exotics, providing our customers with models that cannot be found anywhere else.”

With such coveted inventory, the dealership’s clientele includes a range of A-list actors and athletes, Faraj said. But there’s also a strong focus on luxurious and sporty but non-super-exotics (think Porsche’s Macan and 911 Carrera), the general manager added, as well as a range of pre-owned inventory offered on the dealership’s upper floors.

“There’s an entire 40,000 square feet in each building dedicated to pre-owned cars, where you can find anything from a $30,000 [Porsche] Cayman to a $1.7 million [Porsche] 918 Spyder,” Faraj said.

But the one constant that car consumers can expect to find at the business’s showrooms and service bays is a strong commitment to customer service. After all, that was Miller’s strategy and focus when the business first opened in the mid-1990s.

“This is still a high-touch, hands-on operation,” Faraj concluded. “We’re housed in this beautiful, modern building, surrounded by 500 or 600 of the world’s most extraordinary cars, but every customer who walks in the door can count on old-fashioned concierge service and a level of professionalism and dedication that cannot be found anywhere else. There’s no intimidation factor here. Whether you’re buying a pre-owned vehicle or one of our latest high-end cars, the buying experience is like no other.”

Manhattan Motorcars
Porsche, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini
711 11th Avenue, Manhattan / 866.325.1538
Koenigsegg, Rolls-Royce, Lotus
270 11th Avenue, Manhattan / 877.557.0160
manhattanmotorcars.com