Istanbul Park which held seven races between 2005 and 2011 is to be used as a car dealership and car-hire centre.
The Turkish Grand Prix was a favourite of many drivers and fans, which boasted a 155,000 capacity and was built with a budget of $300m, was also well known for it’s challenging track layout.
Hermann Tilke, the track designer of Istanbul Park said he designed the track to try and catch the drivers out and caught out some of the most experienced drivers over the years.
One of the main reasons why the race fell off the Formula One calendar was that it wasn’t filling its capacity and decided to host other racing series such as DTM, MotoGP and World Touring Cars, but after it fell off the calendar at the end of 2011, it has hardly been used ever since.
Now, the site has been leased by car rental company Intercity for 10 years, and on the ninth of September, the Istanbul Park Auto Market (IPOP) will open for business, which also provides a free shuttle service from various parts of the city to the new dealership.
“The main idea of this project is a car dealership, but one that is customer-oriented and with sound infrastructure,” said IPOP Sales and Marketing Director Cevat Kabatas, according to Today’s Zaman. “This is the first and most important difference that separates us from other car dealerships.
“To customers in the market for a vehicle, we present a variety of amenities. There will be auto experts, notary services, banks, tire and accessory sales, a car wash and detailed cleaning, light auto care facilities and insurance companies present at the dealership,”
