The vehicles were damaged beyond repair by a 2015 snowstorm.
You are not dreaming. The photo shows a BMW M4. It’s not only in a poor state but also has never been driven. It is similar to the other 3,000 Mini and BMW models that have been left untouched. These vehicles have been sitting in a Vancouver lot for six years and are now slowly rotting away. The only hope for those who are ambitious enough to try and save these vehicles is that they will never be restored.
Why? Because these 3,000 cars were exposed in excess to standing water, salt and moisture upon arrival at Halifax Harbor, Canada in February 2015. The vehicles at port were particularly affected by a terrible snowstorm that had struck Canada in the same time. Exposed to the elements for so long likely caused damage to electrical systems and suspension parts, as well as other critical components.
The vehicles were recalled by authorities, and could have been saved. However, BMW didn’t consider it financially feasible to repair them. The Bavarian brand decided to replace the vehicles. It was cheaper and more cost-effective. It can be difficult to remove excess water and moisture damage and cause problems for the brand.
Other desirable models were also damaged in the M4 storm, as shown in the supercar.fails Instagram clip embedded above. It is difficult to identify specific models or trims because of the poor video quality. However, we can see an M6 and what appears like a rare Alpina B6. There are likely to be more M cars among the abandoned vehicles. This includes quite a variety of body styles.
The 3000 vehicles that are currently parked on vacant land are either going to be destroyed or recycled, even though some are too old to salvage.