OUT OF ACTION
Some muscle cars are bought by loving owners who pamper them like members of the family. Other muscle cars, though, aren’t so lucky. Some get stolen, smashed or thrashed. Some get parked and lost under a layer of dust in an old shed, others get left outside to brave the elements and slowly rust away. Sad, but true.
We eyeball plenty of beautifully maintained and/or fully restored muscle classics in AMC, but as serious car pervs we have to admit there’s few things more intriguing – or exciting – than spotting an old classic in a paddock, or a shed, or under a shady tree, that’s seen better days and in need of some TLC. Some are beyond saving, but they all have a story to tell.
So, get out your cameras and start snapping some old muscle cars you come across in your travels that are definitely Out of Action, or close to it. We don’t want to know where they are and we won’t be publishing locations, because above all we must respect people’s privacy. We just want to see some good, clean pics of these forgotten cars and short personal stories to go with them (see contact details p119).
So get to it and let’s see what hidden treasures we can find! For this edition our intrepid readers have stumbled across some more little gems to share with us. Hi AMC, I thought I’d share a few Out of Action pictures I have gathered over the past couple of years, from here in New Zealand. Firstly, the MkIII Zepher, XP/XM wagon and the blue XY or XW Falcon: these are in a paddock on a farm out the back of Matamata. This particular farm used to have 150 or so rusty cars on it, including a Charger, all but a few of which have since been crushed, due to complaints about them being an eyesore from the road. The HT panelvan sat on this property for many years, but has recently dissapeared, hopefuly to a good home. The P76 Leyland was discovered by my partner, on a farm near Morrinsville when she was doing a photoshoot of our Clubsport, there were a few other cars lying around to, including an MkI Escort two-door. The cut-up HQ panelvan was at a scrap dealers in Te Aroha, which I thought was really sad, as it could have been saved if it hadn’t been butchered. The gold Premier, was just out of Hamilton; on the same property were three HQ utes, some mystery cars under covers and the place was full of old Holden parts and memrobilia. The XW or XY Falcon and MkII Cortina are also from Te Aroha, with many HQ sedans and utes and one-tonners, all very rusty, and were due to be auctioned off just after the photos were taken. The XF Falcon belongs to a customer of mine. It has a 351 conversion but isn’t running and has sat in the same spot for the last 10 years waiting to be completed. I first spotted the XA and XB Falcon sedan and wagon on this property 20 years ago on a trip to Auckland, the only thing that has changed between then and now is the owners have mowed around them. They also have another XA in the backyard and an XD, both with vinyl roofs. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the photos. Andrew