Dan Kuske had little time reveling in TGIF kind of mentality at the end of last week.

While others counted down the hours to a weekend of finally sunny weather, Kuske, vice president of Carr Auto Group, oversaw the move of 220 autos from Carr’s downtown Vancouver lot to its new home close to the Vancouver auto mall. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the sales unit never closed.

“It was insanity at Mach 9,” Kuske said. “It’s crazy to move a dealership.”

Kuske said Carr employees drove the company’s line of Cadillac, GMC, Pontiac and Buick autos the 5½ miles to the new $8 million dealership at 6600 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., hopped onto a borrowed school bus and returned to the downtown location. Five trips later, the cars and trucks were all at the new site.

The 30,000 square feet of showroom space is divided between two buildings one for the Cadillac line, the other for the GMC, Pontiac and Buick. Almost as important as the new building is the proximity to the competition. Kuske said existing as a destination business in downtown was difficult.

Carr, based in Beaverton, Ore., bought the downtown dealership in 2005 from Bill Copps Motors. Carr executives said at the time that they intended to move closer to the auto mall as soon as possible.

Carr’s departure from downtown opens up 3.75 acres that local developer Killian Pacific intends to transform into a new downtown library, 95 condominiums, 100,000 square feet of office space, a 65-room hotel, a restaurant, an outdoor fireplace and underground parking. The $160 million complex called Riverwest is planned at the southeast corner of East Evergreen Boulevard and C Street.