Enthusiast Car Storage,
Care & Brokerage
Care & Brokerage
Cartel is an enthusiast owned & operated automotive space based in southern Portugal. We are passionate about driving – we enjoy all cars – and Cartel exists to provide a number of services:
TL;DR: We handle the chores, you do the fun stuff.
Our primary focus is storage however please read the Services page for a full explanation of everything we offer members.
Speaking of which, all memberships are bespoke: From basic long-term car storage, to a complete 'Arrive & Drive' package consisting of storage & scheduled servicing and concierge.
We will chat cars all day long so feel free to email us, ask us anything, or just say hello.
Too many cars? Not enough free time? No space? Cartel Automotive has got you sorted. TL;DR: We handle the chores, you do the fun stuff.
TL;DR: We handle the chores, you do the fun stuff.
Our primary focus. An air-conditioned, humidity controlled, secure space with storage for ~60 vehicles. All memberships are bespoke: From basic long-term car storage, to a complete 'Arrive & Drive' package consisting of storage & scheduled servicing and concierge.
Schedule a pick-up time, and the car will be ready to collect. After your drive, bring the car back whenever you want! We quick detail the vehicle, inspect & discuss issues to be addressed in the next service cycle (these are driver's cars after all!) and the vehicle is prepared for storage. Simple.
Southern Portugal in Central Algarve. You won't find our exact address online for obvious reasons. Some of the best driving roads in the Europe are right outside our front door (not to mention restaurants!). Our facility is ~30 mins from FAO international airport, and ~45 mins from Autódromo Internacional do Algarve. Centrally located for easy access, but isolated enough for privacy.
Remote monitoring of member's cars is available; we can install & grant access to dedicated IP cameras, including online access to facility temperature, humidity and AQI logs, car's battery status and maintenance records etc. All storage bays are equipped with CTEK battery tenders plus a footlocker for members to keep a few small tools & peripherals. Additional storage space (for hard-tops, spare wheels etc.) can be arranged.
Please note: Due to the complexity and cost of liability insurance, we do not allow owners to carry out any work on their cars at our property. This includes basic servicing or cleaning. Apologies in advance. We would love to offer a community workshop space, but not at the present time.
Also note: We presently do not offer flatbed transportation and delivery. We prefer car owners to source transportation services best suited to their individual needs. We have yet to find a consistently reliable company. We hope to be able to provide transportation services in the future.
Regarding our workshop, our personal scope includes mechanical and electrical servicing of sports & classic cars from the 1980~2000 period. However, leveraging the combined mechanical experience of our members, our garage is equipped to handle just about anything with a combustion engine & wheels.
Our forté is mechanical & electrical: Troubleshooting, repair, restoration, track-day & tourist rally prep, period correct (i.e: covert!) modifications, upgrades and general recommissioning. Factory spec rebuilds using 100% OEM parts or 'just get it running for the weekend'... whatever the scope, Cartel is here to help enthusiast car owners keep their enthusiast cars on the road.
Cartel Automotive is not, however, a full restoration shop. We can suggest bodywork, rust repair, interior and paint partners – and there are many workshops in Portugal already well established for nut & bolt restoration – so we prefer to let the experts handle those types of projects.
All marques catered for but our specific niche is E-series BMWs (if you want to get really specific then our niche is the E30 M3, E30 320is, E34 M5 – the S14 & S38 powered cars – plus we're well into E36/E46 M3 and any flavour of Alpina / Hartge / AC Schnitzer). We've dabbled with various Porsches (944, 924, 928), Mercedes Benz (the 16V Cosworth 190E), Volkswagen (early GTIs all the way up to the mk7 R), BTCC era Volvo (850R / T5 / T5R), plus S1/S2 Lotus Elise and Exige.
Looking for something? Perhaps we can help. For a flat 2~5% fee of the final purchase price we can source, inspect, appraise, transact, import, and register cars for members – advising or handling every step of the process.
Conversely, if you are looking to sell your beloved car, we can also digitise the history file, prepare text descriptions, photographs, video and assist with advertising on reputable online portals – and more importantly we can screen & handle potential buyers (on the owner's behalf, if desired). As with sourcing, this service typically incurs a flat 2~5% fee of the final sale price.
We will chat cars all day long so feel free to email us, ask us anything, or just say hello.
Our invitational annual road rally curated for & by driving enthusiasts: 500km of the best driving roads (and weather and food and wine) southern Europe has to offer. Cartel500 also hosts car shows and themed track days.
Register your interest for our next event.
Need the garage queen prepped for summer? Need to free up space at the home garage? Want your weekend thrasher revived for the next bout of abuse? We can help.
We are baffled by TikTok, detest FaceBook, and too lazy to run a YouTube channel... but we just about manage Instagram, feel free to connect:
