It’s no secret that Carmel will go to almost any length to preserve its character and charm. The wealthy oceanfront enclave earned a reputation for acting nothing short of maniacal about clinging to what makes it special to its citizenry and visitors.
But one recent transaction seems to test the limits of how far even the town’s most ardent preservationists will go. The site in question is downtown Carmel’s lone remaining gas station, and its future, right now, is up in the air.
Mario Andretti — legendary race car driver and the last American to hold the title of Formula 1 world champion — owned the gas station through one of his companies, the Andretti Petroleum Group. In late March, it sold its holdings to an Orange County-based company called Hasco Stations LLC, commonly known as H&S…