Classic car dealer closes doors on prime Dublin 4 site

Dermot Wallace showroom on Sussex Road on the market at guide price of €495,000

The Dermot Wallace Motors showroom at 12 Sussex Road
The Dermot Wallace Motors showroom at 12 Sussex Road

For over 37 years, number 12 Sussex Road has been the well-known home of Dermot Wallace’s vintage and classic cars showroom. Located across the road from the Mespil Estate and within a short walk of the Clayton Burlington Hotel, the bespoke dealership has over the years handled a number of interesting transactions, including the sales of Chris Rea’s Ferrari Dino and the late Danny La Rue’s Jensen Interceptor.

Given the changing nature of the car sales business, Dermot has decided to take his leave of Dublin 4, while continuing to cater for the motoring needs of the loyal customer base his company has established over the past four decades.

But while his departure from the showroom will be tinged with a degree of sadness, it opens up an opportunity for someone else to take advantage of its central location.

Those looking for a home at the heart of one of the city’s most sought-after areas will be interested to learn that the property has now been brought to the market by estate agent Martin O’Mahony at a guide price of €495,000.

READ SOME MORE

The premises is being offered for sale with full planning permission for its demolition and replacement with a three-storey, two-bedroomed home extending to 90sq m (969sq ft). The approval from Dublin City Council (Ref: 2239/19) also provides for two roof terraces.

The property comprises a single storey commercial unit in a parade of terraced properties on Sussex Road, opposite the Mespil Estate and close to O’Brien’s pub, the Leeson Lounge, Grand Canal Café, and Forest Avenue restaurant.

Martin O’Mahony says he expects the sale of the showroom to appeal to “either a commercial operator or a buyer wishing to build a residential property in one of Dublin 4’s finest locations”.

Ronald Quinlan

Ronald Quinlan

Ronald Quinlan is Property Editor of The Irish Times