In 1949, Plymouth changed the U.S. station wagon market by introducing the industry's second all-steel body station wagon, the Suburban. From 1950, it came in two-door and four-door configurations with two wheelbases, 111-inch and 118.5-inch. The model was powered by a 97-horsepower six-cylinder engine. This abandoned circa 1950-1952 wagon was discovered in Arizona. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

This 1956 Chevrolet tow truck was found in retirement in an Arizona salvage yard. A Chevrolet ad proclaimed "each 1956 Task-Force truck has the distinctive styling that is best suited to its proportions and the work it is designed to do." (Photo by Jim Prueter)

This fifth-generation 1971 Ford F-Series truck was found in northern Florida minus a few necessities such as headlights, bumpers and side trim. The 1971 F-Series had a variety of six and-eight cylinder engines. Transmissions included 3 and 4-speed manuals and a 4-speed automatic. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

This early circa 1970s Fiat 124 Spider was found in retirement in an Arizona salvage yard. It appears from the scrawling on the windshield that the owner thinks the relic is still worth $1,500. The original two-seater was built by the Italian company from 1966 through 1985. The first 124 was powered by an inline four-cylinder engine making 89 horsepower. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

The Dodge Wayfarer two-door sedan was built from 1949 through 1952. In 1950, it received a facelift as did the entire Dodge lineup. And for the 1951-52 model years the Wayfarer got another upgrade with a new hood and new front fenders. The 195-inch long Wayfarer was outfitted with a 230 cubic-inch Dodge straight six. Published 0-60 time was 17.4 seconds. This circa 1951 model was discovered in northern Florida. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

The Studebaker Lark is a compact car that was produced from 1959 to 1966. This circa 1960 model was found in New Mexico. The Lark came with a choice of an inline 6-cylinder or a 259-cubic inch V-8. The V-8 was measured from 0-to-60 in about 10 seconds, fast for the time. Most of the small-car competition (Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair, Plymouth Valiant) were closer to 20 seconds. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. This first-generation Rambler American compact station wagon was manufactured from 1958 through 1960, possibly an answer to the smaller models from the Big Three. The only engine was a 195.6 cu in (3.2 L) flathead six producing 90 hp.  It was available in two trims, a base Deluxe model at $1,789 (equivalent to $19,210 in 2024) allowing AMC to claim it to be the lowest-priced car made in America as well as a Super trim version for $1,874, offering more "luxuries." This first-gen Super wagon was found along U.S. 301 in northern Florida. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

Oldsmobile introduced its first new design following World War II in 1948. And for 1948, Oldsmobile produced an elegant yet very modern top-of-the-line car, which was dubbed Futuramic. The Futuramic was available as 98 only, selling alongside the last-gen Oldsmobile Dynamic 66 (with a straight-six engine) and the 78 (a straight-eight powerpack). This example was found in an Arizona salvage yard. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

This 1952 Dodge was found serving its final years in an Arizona salvage yard. The 1952 model could be purchased with a semi-automatic transmission that reduced (but did not eliminate) the need to shift gears. In 1953, Dodge got its first V-8 engine featuring the famous hemispherical combustion chambers and 140 horsepower. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

This circa 1967 Buick Gran Sport resides in an abandoned state in eastern North Carolina. Buick sold a number of coupes in various guises in the mid-to-late '60s. That helped to make Buick the country's fifth best seller from 1964 though 1968. (Photo by Jim Meachen)