Wellington luxury car dealership O’Reilly’s Garage abruptly shut down and went into receivership, leaving financiers scrambling, properties up for lease, and high-profile backers blindsided by the sudden disappearance of owner Simon O’Reilly.
Receivership and the Scramble for Assets on Hutt Road
The Petone showroom at 140 Hutt Road sat empty with its doors closed when visitors arrived following the sudden closure.
Data from the NZ Companies Register shows that O’Reilly’s Garage submitted its most recent annual return in May of the current year. Filings on the Personal Property Securities Register show 36 financing statements tied to O’Reilly’s Garage Ltd, with Avanti Finance listed as a secured party across 29 of them, identifying motor vehicles among the collateral used as security.
MTF Finance director Geoff Kenny, whose Lower Hutt franchise held two secured loans with the business, discovered that some financed collateral had been moved or sold. While a 22-metre Halmatic boat was eventually tracked down on Waiheke Island through detective work, a motorhome financed by the dealership presented a different hurdle. MTF Finance walked away from the security because a customer had purchased the vehicle from O’Reilly in good faith.
He should never have sold the vehicle while he had money owing on it to us.
Geoff Kenny, MTF Finance Lower Hutt Franchise Director
Mark Dunajtschik Holds Mortgage over O'Reilly Home
The fallout extended deep into Wellington’s elite circles. Property developer and philanthropist Mark Dunajtschik, who originally loaned O’Reilly capital when the garage started in 2018, found himself holding a mortgage over O’Reilly’s Khandallah home after interest payments lapsed in September.
Dunajtschik acknowledged that O’Reilly owed him a substantial sum of money. Despite the financial entanglement and rumors placing O’Reilly overseas in Greece or Poland, the philanthropist expressed lingering disbelief over the abrupt departure.
I trusted him all those years like he was my son and I haven’t given up faith in him.
Sir Mark Dunajtschik, Philanthropist
Neighbours at O’Reilly’s Khandallah property reported seeing moving trucks and nighttime packing activity during the weeks leading up to the public disclosure, with the street’s residents noting they hadn’t seen the family for a couple of weeks, though mentioning they had some “nice” looking cars.
Regulatory Scrutiny and Complaints to the Motor Vehicle Registrar
Questions turned toward regulatory oversight as supercar enthusiast and property investor Steve Goodey raised formal concerns about past transactions. Goodey lodged a complaint with the Registrar of Motor Vehicle Traders at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment regarding the sale of his Ferrari Portofino.
Authorities looked into and subsequently dismissed the initial complaint submitted in 2024 after finding no violations of the Motor Vehicle Sales Act. Registrar Duncan Connor said a second complaint had only just been received this month and was currently under assessment.
Owners Investigate Status of Missing High-Value Supercars
Although the business website stayed online temporarily, zero cars were listed for sale, and its official Facebook page appeared to have been taken down.
Financiers and vehicle owners noted that several high-value models listed in PPSR filings—including a 2022 Porsche 911 GT3, a 2025 Mercedes GLE 450, and a 1968 Ford Mustang—left affected parties investigating their legal status amid reports that certain vehicles were sold without the knowledge of their original owners.