Abandoned Car of the Week

The remains of a 1968 Chevelle



The 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle marked the first year of the second-generation of the mid-sized Chevelle, which was introduced in 1964. This particular Chevelle, as advertised on its fender, came with Chevrolet's 5.7-liter 350 cubic inch small block V-8 engine. The stripped-out Chevy was found in a field in eastern North Carolina. Chevelle became very popular in the mid-to-late '60s and Chevrolet billed it as "America's most popular mid-size car." (Photo by Nick Nunkovich)

A '37 Ford on Route 66



This 1937 Ford sedan was found along Route 66 in Holbrook, Ariz. The most popular Ford engine in 1937 was a 3.6-liter flathead V-8 making 85 horsepower with 144 pound-feet of torque. Base price of the 1937 was $850. Ford was the top-selling brand in 1937 with 942,005 copies sold. Chevrolet was second at 815,375.
(Photos by Jim Meachen)

Willys Jeep station wagon



This 1954 Willys Jeep station wagon was discovered in a Texas field of old, used-up vehicles. Jeep Willys marketed the first all-steel station wagon designed as a passenger vehicle in 1946. It was built in the U.S. through 1964 with more than 300,000 sold. Its successor was the Jeep Wagoneer.
(Photo by Peter Hubbard)


A first-generation Grand Cherokee



The Jeep Grand Cherokee dates back to 1993 starting life with a 190-horsepower inline 6-cylinder engine and an optional 5.2-liter V-8 making 220 horsepower. It was a sales success with more than 1.6 million copies sold from 1993 through 1998. This mid-90s first-generation Grand Cherokee was found in retirement in a field in southeastern North Carolina. 
(Photos by Jim Meachen)

Dodge truck in retirement



Dodge sold the D line of pickup trucks from October 1960 through September 1993. This second-generation 1968 Dodge was spotted in Utah. The 1968 model can be distinguished by its grille with two rows of four holes each. Sold as the D300 and the D500, they came with a choice of two engines — a 127-horsepower Slant Six and a 177-horsepower V-8.
(Photo by Jim Prueter) 

A 1953 Texas Willys



This 1953 Willys was discovered in a Texas salvage yard. Willys re-entered the car market with a new compact car in 1952, the Willys Aero. At first available only as a two-door sedan, it came with either an L-head or F-head six-cylinder engine.  A four-door sedan and a two-door hardtop were added for 1953 along with taxi models.  Transmissions included a 3-speed manual, 3-speed manual with overdrive, and a 4-speed Hydramatic. 42,224 cars were sold in 1953, but sales tanked in 1954, and the car's final model year was 1955.
(Photo by Peter Hubbard)

A used up Chevy Blazer



The remains of this early 1990s Chevy Blazer S-10 two-door apparently served as a parts car and has been reduced to a skeleton ready for the scrapyard. The Blazer S-10 came with two versions of the 4.3-liter V-6, the base engine making 170 horsepower and an high-output engine making 200 horsepower, neither of which has survived in this wreckage.
(Photo by Jim Meachen)

The Turnpike Cruiser



The front of a 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser is pictured in an old-car salvage yard in Texas. The Turnpike Cruiser was built in 1957 and 1958 in commemoration of the creation of the Interstate Highway System. Unfortunately for Mercury, despite some glowing reviews, the Turnpike Cruiser was a sales flop with only 18,861 sold in 1957.
(Photo by Peter Hubbard) 



A GMC in retirement



This "New Design" medium-duty GMC truck (1947-1955) was found in retirement in Utah. Both the Chevrolet truck (Advance Design) and the GMC were redesigned in 1947, and that iteration was built through 1955. The 1947 redesign featured integrated headlamps as well as wider, lower and bolder grilles.
(Photo by Jim Prueter)

Bob Waldmire's Volkswagen Squareback



Famed artist and cartographer Bob Waldmire spent much of his life traveling the famous Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica creating countless drawings and whimsical maps of life on the "Mother Road." Waldmire died in 2009, and one of the vehicles he used in his travels, a 1967 Volkswagen Squareback, is on display at Henry's Rabbit Ranch on Old Route 66 outside of Staunton, Ill. Waldmire's most famous vehicle — a 1972 Volkswagen Microbus — is on display at the Route 66 Museum in Pontiac, Ill.
(Photo by Jim Meachen)