Discoveries
Our intrepid salvage yard explorer brings you junkyard jewels from across North America.
1. It looks like somebody gave this poor 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air a good kicking prior to its arrival at Collins Auto Salvage in Auburn, Georgia. It would appear that a lot of people get a huge amount of satisfaction from throwing bricks through abandoned car windscreens.
2. While it seems that most of the population enjoying lobbing bricks at old vehicles, I have an uncontrollable urge to throw a bucket of hot soapy water over this 1951 Ford Victoria two-door hardtop! I wonder what it would look like when decades of Kentucky grime have been removed.
3. This unloved mid-Seventies Ford Maverick four-door sedan was discovered in an Ohio woodland on a cold and wet autumn morning. Designed to do battle with the growing number of Japanese imports, the Maverick was a sales success and between 1969 and 1977 a staggering total of 2.1 million of them were produced. But with close to zero collectors’ appeal, their survival rate has been pitiful. In fact, this is only the fifth one to appear on the Discoveries page in more than 20 years.
4. We’re in Tennessee, Tennessee and this trio are pa art of a private collection of cars sitting by y the roadside. Chevrolet Corvair, Monza or r Corvan – which would you most like to rescue?
5. A largely intact and reasonably desirable 1956 Mercury Monterey woodie sta ation wagon patiently awaits a new ow wner in its Colorado salvage yard home.
6. Like the red and white striped poles tha at hang outside barbers’ shops, Nash Metropolitans invariably end up on plinths above ab car parts businesses and auto salvage yards. This one was photographed above a parts shop in Burbank, California. A total of 95,000 Metropolitans were built and sold under the Hudson, Nash, Rambler and AMC brands. They appear to have an incredibly high survival rate.
7. This 1955 Buick Special four-door still has fantastic dental work. In fact, it’s in pretty good condition all round for an unloved 65-year-old car. However, the engine and gearbox are both long gone, so instead of being sold as a project vehicle, the South Dakota salvage yard it resides in will continue to strip it for parts.
8. In complete contrast to the Buick, this 65-year-old Ford Customline has more holes than a hedgehog’s raincoat! It was parked up in a Georgia forest decades ag go which, short of abandoning it on the be each, is the worst environment for a car. Ev very autumn, piles of wet leaves build up on the bodywork, and with no sun penetrating the tree canopy, the car won’t get the chance to dry out.
9. 1967 Pontiac Le Mans are too good to scrap, even in this tatty condition. This one was parked up outside a bodyshop, where w hopefully it will one day get the full restoration it deserves.
10. I found this 1953 Chevrolet panel van pa arked by the roadside in White, Georgia, op pposite my hotel. As you can probably guess, gu I only stay in the classiest of establishments! It appears to be some sort of community bulletin board. There are numerous pots of paint scattered around the truck, allowing local residents to use it as a canvas.
11. Buick only produced 5959 Le Sabre convertibles in 1961, and in great condition they’ll fetch well in excess of $20,000. However, this one is far from being in great condition! In other words, it has two hopes of being rescued from this Washington salvage yard, and one of them is Bob!