Ohmanohmanohmanohmanohmanohman this is big. Certainly literally the physically largest and likely the most expensive thing we’ve ever featured, at least until the whole state of Rhode Island comes up for sale. Located just north of the failed master planned community and Hooniverse playground, California City, is Honda’s huge vehicle testing facility. The property features a 7.5 mile oval, “windy road” course, multiple dirt tracks, and other vehicle testing features. In addition to the paved features, there are a number of large buildings set up to be offices, warehouses, storage and garages. The facility’s fully wired with fiber optic and fully plumbed, with on-site wells supplying water.
Basically, it’s got everything to live out the rest of your days in total bliss. Now, let’s make this happen…
Unfortunately, the CB Richard Ellis listing lacks a key detail: price. Off-hand, we’d guess in the $50 million range, which is a humongous pile of money, but viewed as a business with a number of shareholders, not really that big. The good news is the place is already built and permitted, meaning you get to skip the years of studies and litigation required to get a place like this built. Operational costs scale with what you’re trying to get done, but are probably single-digit millions per year. Assuming a goal of paying off the initial investment in five years, you’d have to gross roughly $15 million per year. Think some combination of track days, OEM or media testing, fuel sales and building rentals could pay the bills? Maybe open up a membership option and have a motor club thing going on?
There’s obviously room for someone to be a live-in on-site manager, and plenty of potential to run both solar and wind farms on the facility. Personally, I’d quit the day job right now and hit the road (it’s a mere 2 hours north of El Lay) if I thought I could swing it.
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