Lake Barrington repair shop wants village approval to sell vehicles

Lake Barrington Motorsports plans to go beyond maintaining and repairing fancy cars.

Village Trustee Andrew Burke said the business at 28611 Hillside Drive, behind the Horseshoe Grill on Northwest Highway, wants to begin selling high-end used cars.

Lake Barrington Motorsports specializes in luxury imports such as BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti and Audi. Classic car modernization, repairs and maintenance also are part of the business.

Burke, who heads the village board's economic development committee, said the proposal to sell vehicles appears worthy of support. Such sales would boost Lake Barrington's tax revenues.

"They came to us and said, 'Look, we're really anxious to get started and we now know what we want to do. Can you help us expedite it?'" Burke said. "And this is where we have a chance to put our money where our mouth is and be business-friendly the way we talk about being business-friendly."

Village Administrator Karen Daulton Lange said Lake Barrington Motorsports, which received an occupancy permit in November, will bring its proposal before the village's advisory plan commission Jan. 25. The business needs a special-use permit for retail sales.

Village officials will need to evaluate the business' plan to have vehicles for sale parked outside, and whether there is enough room for them in the existing lot.

Professionals who have experience selling new and used luxury cars would be involved in the Lake Barrington Motorsports initiative, village officials said.

"They think the time is right to be in that business," Burke said.

Blackbird Motors, in a business park at 22073 Pepper Road, is Lake Barrington's only car dealership. Described as a boutique dealership, Blackbird sells limited quantities of used cars by appointment only.

Fidelity Motor Group sold used luxury cars for about three years at Northwest Highway and Pepper Road until closing in 2014. Fidelity had moved from Palatine to Lake Barrington and started with about 150 high-end used cars.