Peter Farrell Supercars

Peter Farrell Supercars is known among the automobile racing profession as an expert in high-performance cars specializing in rotary engines. They have developed a full line of custom, Mazda RX-7 products and created an award-winning racecar that could be sold in a production car environment.  The business was based in a modest, industrial building within Manassas Park, Virginia, and after much growth, they decided to design a new facility on a wooded lot located on the corner of Manassas Drive and Centreville Road. The property was purchased under a Starker Property Exchange Program, which by law forced a short window of time for development to less than six months.

The initial design called for a maintenance warehouse facility with flex office space.  After approval by the Manassas Zoning Department, the design evolved into a new 23,000sf, $5.4 million mixed-use building while still using the building’s original footprint. The new facility contained a maintenance and detail shop for an auto showroom on the 1st floor with office space on the 2nd floor. Individual retail spaces were also planned for the ground level.

As part of the work, sustainable design strategies were used to limit the negative aspects of new construction. Below grade drainage systems and stormwater retention structures were installed reduce the negative effects of site runoff.  Impervious surfaces were limited to only those required to meet the minimum needs of the site and pervious pavers and rain gardens were used to infiltrate a large percentage of site runoff.