Rust In Peace

Your barn finds and discoveries in the field

Yet more tales from Rotten Row as once-cherished classics dissolve.

Simca 1100 & Austin Montego

This ’72 Simca was spotted in a front garden in Teddington by Gianfausto Woods-freschi.

It hasn’t seen the road since 1994, and even then, these were practically extinct. The neighbouring ’86 Montego 2.0HL is just as rusty!

FIAT 131 Mirafiori

Prior to Fiat re-entering the Canadian market circa 2009, Fiats were last sold in Canada in 1984, and these cars (including this tired 131 Mirafiori) have been in their current location ever since.

FIAT 124 Sport Spiders

Here we have not one, but three, corroding Fiat 124 Sport Spiders. The cars are slowly deteriorating in the open outside a dealership in Ontario in Canada, as found by local resident and PC reader, Tom Creech. Even the period FIAT sign is still present and correct.

Austin A40 Somerset

Peter Talbot says these Austins have been resting in the High Street of a sleepy Kent village for many years. This Austin A40 Somerset dates from 1954 and hasn’t budged in a while.

Austin A40 Devon Estate Countryman

A slightly older sibling is this 1953 A40 Devon Countryman estate. There’s plenty of rust, but both vehicles look like they could still be driven away.

Morris Ital

Best-preserved wreck of the bunch is this 1981 Ital, although realistically it is fair to say that all three vehicles (including the Yugo over the page) are way beyond help.

Austin Allegro

Paul Mcildoon found a trio of abandoned cars near his home in Tandragee, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, including the sad remains of this Allegro.

Yugo Zastava

This is the third car in the Paul Mcildoon trio. Someone must have once left the passenger window of this poor little Zastava open as it now has a thick bramble bush growing inside it!

Reliant Scimitar GTE SE6

A Scimitar GTE SE6, recently spotted in Elham Valley, Kent, by Mark Ashworth. Looks like it could potentially scrub up back to gleaming white quite nicely!

Renault Dauphinoise

Harvey also discovered a Renault Dauphinoise (193760) ‘Fourgonette’ (van) on another PRE-COVID-19 jaunt to the Limousin area of rural France.

Ford Taunus

Holidaymaker Harvey Elliott discovered the crumbling remains of a rare Ford Taunus two-door fastback coupé (cousin to the Cortina MKIII) while on a sightseeing trip to the delightful Greek Island of Kefalonia.

Renault 6

The French yard was also full of Seventies and Eighties Renaults and Citroëns, too, including this relatively well-preserved Renault 6 TL.