Abandoned, Retired and Rusty Relics.

[Njaco]

When Marcel visited a few months ago, one of the things that he wanted to see were the hulks of old, unused cars in the backyard of almost every home in the United States. Secretly, I also have a fascination with finding old relics of cars in backyards. My dad was a used car dealer who stockpiled a lot of cars from the 40s, 50s and 60s so I grew up checking them out.

Anyway, I found a thread on a forum dedicated to rusting masses of metal across the USA. Here are some cool pics from the forum....

Abandoned, retired and rusty relics...old vehicles - ADVrider

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[meatloaf109]

There are many well preserved cars from the 20's and up in the deserts of AZ and CA. out there to be found. The dry heat and mild winters ensured that they survive. Idiots shoot them, but that can be fixed. (The cars, not the idiots.)

 

[Njaco]

Wish I had the $$$ to restore a few.......

 

[vikingBerserker]

I hate to say it, but out in the country most people in the South's backyard is like that (My grandmother included).

What is the 3rd car down?

 

[T Bolt]

I believe that's a Messerschmitt car. They had to find something to make after the war. If I remember correctly, Tony (Rocketeer) has one and posted it on the What are you driving thread.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Hey I found an airplane on that site! Anyone know what it was?

 

[Njaco]

yeah, its one that doesn't fly anymore.

 

[GrauGeist]

What is the 3rd car down?

Looks like a Messerschmitt KR200, hard to tell the year without the trim intact...

 

[vikingBerserker]

Dang it, I should have known that. I get that car mixed up with the one made by a fridge company.

 

[GrauGeist]

There were quite a few "bubble cars" made directly following the war, several were made by former aircraft manufacturers.

Germany alone had Messerschmitt, Heinkel and BMW making them.

 

[Marcel]

Nice idea Chris

Remember when I asked you that, the first house we saw had a streched limo in his garden? I mean, who drives a streched limo? I'll see if I can find the picture.

Edit: found it

 

[N4521U]

Hard to see that one without laying on the floor!

 

[wheelsup_cavu]

Hey I found an airplane on that site! Anyone know what it was?

View attachment 247080

Scrap Metal.


Wheels

 

[Marcel]

Hard to see that one without laying on the floor!

Sorry about that, it was okay when I uploaded it from my iPod.

 

[Airframes]

The aircraft wreck looks like the remains of an Avenger.

 

[Readie]

Hillman or Grumman

I like those pics of abandoned vehicles in the desert. Doesn't anyone want to save them?

 

[GrauGeist]

Hillman or Grumman

I like those pics of abandoned vehicles in the desert. Doesn't anyone want to save them?

Depends on where they're at.

Back in the 80's, we used to go on "car" hunts among the abandoned towns and roads in the California desert. We found a few nice gems, but had to be sure we weren't on private property.

One of the vehicles we salvaged was a 1934 Duesenburg J that was full of so many bullet holes, I didn't think it could be saved at first. Of course, there were many others, like a 1940 Ford, early Hillman, 1934 Chevrolet to name a few.

For decades, the cars were just abandoned and left to rot and their numbers added up over the years. Then about the late 1970s car restorers started travelling around snapping them up and a little later, in the 1980's, scrap-metal dealers actually drove through the smaller communities and remote areas with a portable crushers and scoured the countryside for old cars (and other metal items: mine equipment, metal buildings, etc) to crush and send overseas.

So while there are some old vehicles still about, they aren't nearly the number they used to be. Most are in very remote areas, protected Federal land or private property.

 

[Airframes]

John, if it was a Hillman Avenger, it would be orange dust by now !!!

 

[s1chris]

Cool, you don't have any 40's willys jeeps laying around that fancy finding their way to the UK by any chance?

 

[Gnomey]

Cool stuff guys!