Will Shier's DISCOVERIES
Our intrepid salvage yard explorer brings you junkyard jewels from across North America.
1. In production between 1956 and 1960, the luxurious Lincoln Premiere was basically an upscaled version of the Capri. Easily identified by its stacked headlights, this two-door hardtop hails from 1957. Slightly more than 15,000 of these coupes found buyers, and decent ones fetch in excess of $35,000 today. This southern Californian example, however, is far from decent, but might still yield a few spare parts.
2. Idaho’s High Desert region averages just 380mm of rain per annum, which is half the national average, and the reason why this 1969 Chevrolet Caprice four-door hardtop still has so many rust-free panels.
3. This appears to be a 1949 Hudson Commodore – similar to the one driven by Morgan Freeman in the 1989 film Driving Miss Daisy. It’s located in a wonderful old-school South Dakota junkyard.
4. CTC Auto Ranch of Denton, Texas, is home to 3000 classic cars, including no less than nine 1953 Chevrolets. Like this example, all have plenty of rust-free parts left on them. For more information call 001 940 482 3007.
5. It never ceases to amaze me that cars as straight as this 1959 Ford Fairlane end up in salvage yards. There’s not so much as a supermarket dent in any of those panels, and despite going over it thoroughly, I couldn’t find any corrosion. What’s more, the interior is just as clean – check out those rear headrests for starters. But unfortunately, the engine has long gone, having been replaced by a plant!
6. In decent condition, 1970 Pontiac Bonneville convertibles are highly desirable. But unfortunately, in this sorry state, they’re good for feeding the crusher and not much else. Hopefully that rear bumper will be removed first though.
7. Produced between 1964 and 1987, the Oldsmobile 4-4-2 got its name from the original car’s four-barrel carburettor, four-speed manual gearbox and twin exhausts. Fourth-generation cars, like this 1979 Aeroback, were based on the A-body Cutlass.
8. The 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 could accelerate to 60mph in just 7.5 seconds and could do a quarter mile in 16 seconds. But sadly, this one’s driving days are well and truly behind it. While it looks relatively complete from this angle, it’s a very different story on the other side, as the C-pillar has been cut out.
9. This 1973 Chevrolet Nova Custom four-door has an optimistic $4000 price tag. The bodywork is good, but it needs an engine.
10. Country singer Willie Nelson, President Ulysses S Grant and NASCAR driver Greg Biffle are among the famous people to be born in Vancouver, Washington, which is where I found this tired 1978 Chevrolet Camaro Z28.
11. The yard owner has had the good sense to keep this beautiful 1949 Buick Super four-door safely away from the main yard, as it’s way too good to strip for parts.