In a Wellington suburb, a luxury car dealership that had built its name on expensive showroom stock went silent without warning, and the financier that had lent against its cars and its owner's home moved to take control. The law offers this kind of reckoning as a familiar sequence: a secured claim, a receiver's appointment, a slow accounting of what remains. Yet behind the legal language sit customers who paid for something they may never receive, a landlord facing an empty lot, and a former lender still waiting on a promised repayment. The owner, who once set out to build something of his ow
Avanti Finance Appoints Receivers to Wellington Luxury Car Dealer O'Reilly's Garage
Customers, financiers and landlord are left uncertain after the sudden closure, with the owner reportedly abroad and unreachable.
Financiers, landlord and customers alike are left in the dark
Mark
Why does this one matter beyond a single dealership closing?
Mimi
Because it closed abruptly, and nobody seems to know why. Financiers, the landlord and customers are all waiting on answers.
Mark
What exactly did Avanti do on October 21?
Mimi
It appointed Iain Shephard and Jessica Kellow of BDO as receivers, using a general security deed from July 2022 that covers all the company's personal property.
Luke
Worth noting that receivership tells us Avanti is enforcing security. It doesn't tell us how big the shortfall is. No figure has been given.
Mark
And the cars?
Mimi
PPSR records show Avanti holds security over dozens of them, including a 2026 Porsche Macan, a 2025 Volkswagen Amarok and a 2022 Audi SQ7.
Mark
What about the owner's house?
Mimi
Avanti has put a caveat on Simon O'Reilly's $2.7m Khandallah home. A photo of removal vans outside has been seen by BusinessDesk.
Luke
Careful, though. O'Reilly is only "understood" to have gone to Europe. That's not confirmed, and the photo shows vans, not why they were there.
Mark
What did Dunajtschik say?
Mimi
That he's as surprised as anyone, doesn't know where O'Reilly is, and had only an earlier email promising repayment soon.
Luke
And we don't know how much he lent, or whether customers have lost deposits. Those gaps are still open.
Der Puls
- A luxury dealership shut its doors abruptly, leaving customers and creditors with no explanation.
- Financier Avanti Finance moved fast, appointing BDO receivers on October 21 under a 2022 security deed.
- Dozens of showroom cars are now under Avanti's claim, and the owner's $2.7 million Khandallah home is caveated.
- The owner is reportedly abroad and out of reach, while removal vans have been seen at his house.
- Receivers and Avanti's internal inquiry now hold the next move, and the total losses remain unknown.
In a Wellington suburb, a luxury car dealership that had built its name on expensive showroom stock went silent without warning, and the financier that had lent against its cars and its owner's home moved to take control. The law offers this kind of reckoning as a familiar sequence: a secured claim, a receiver's appointment, a slow accounting of what remains. Yet behind the legal language sit customers who paid for something they may never receive, a landlord facing an empty lot, and a former lender still waiting on a promised repayment. The owner, who once set out to build something of his own, is reportedly somewhere in Europe, leaving the questions that matter most to be answered by others.
On October 21, Avanti Finance appointed Iain Shephard and Jessica Kellow of BDO as receivers to O'Reilly's Garage, the Wellington luxury car dealership that closed its doors without warning earlier this month. The financier acted under a general security deed the dealership granted in July 2022, which gives it a claim over the company's property. That claim reaches the showroom itself: records show Avanti holds security over dozens of cars, including a 2026 Porsche Macan, a 2025 Volkswagen Amarok and a 2022 Audi SQ7.
Avanti has also placed a caveat over the Khandallah home of owner Simon O'Reilly, valued at $2.7 million, which can stand in the way of a sale. In a brief statement, the company said it was disappointed by events and was conducting its own investigation.
For now, the people left waiting are many. Customers, financiers and the landlord have no clear answers, and O'Reilly is understood to have left for Europe. Property developer Mark Dunajtschik, who lent him money to start the business in 2018, said he too had no idea where O'Reilly was, only an earlier email promising repayment soon. The business remains a registered motor vehicle trader until July 2027, but what it is worth, and who will bear the losses, depends on what the receivers and Avanti's inquiry uncover.
On October 21, Avanti Finance appointed Iain Shephard and Jessica Kellow of the accounting firm BDO as receivers to O'Reilly's Garage, the Wellington luxury car dealership that shut its doors without warning earlier this month.
Avanti moved under a general security deed the dealership granted it in July 2022. The deed gives the financier a claim over all of the company's present and after-acquired personal property, which is the legal footing for putting a business into receivership.
The finance company's interest extends to the showroom floor. Records on the Personal Property Securities Register show Avanti holds security over dozens of cars belonging to O'Reilly's Garage. Among them are a 2026 Porsche Macan, a 2025 Volkswagen Amarok and a 2022 Audi SQ7.
Avanti has also reached beyond the business itself. It has placed a caveat over the Khandallah home of the dealership's owner, Simon O'Reilly, a property valued at $2.7 million. A caveat is a notice that flags the lender's claimed interest and can stand in the way of the property being sold.
Shortly before the receivership, Avanti issued a brief statement. It said it was aware of the situation involving O'Reilly's Garage and was disappointed by what had occurred. The company said it was running its own investigation and could not comment further at this stage.
The closure has left financiers, the dealership's landlord and its customers without answers about what happened, or about where O'Reilly is. He is understood to have left for Europe. BusinessDesk has seen a photograph of removal vans parked outside the Khandallah house.
One of the people looking for answers is Mark Dunajtschik, the Rich List property developer, who lent O'Reilly money to help him start the dealership in 2018. Dunajtschik said he was as surprised as everybody else and had no idea where O'Reilly was. He said he had received an email from O'Reilly some time ago saying only that his money would be repaid in the near future, and nothing beyond that.
O'Reilly's Garage remains a registered motor vehicle trader, with its registration due to expire in July 2027.
What comes next sits largely with the receivers and with Avanti's own inquiry. How much creditors and customers stand to lose, and what became of the business and its owner, is not yet known.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
We are aware of the situation involving O'Reilly's Garage and are disappointed by what has occurred.— Avanti Finance statement
He was as surprised as everybody else and had no idea where O'Reilly was.— Mark Dunajtschik, property developer (paraphrased)
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