Abandoned Car of the Week

The remains of a Buick



This stripped out and rusting 1936 Buick was found in a Texas field of abandoned cars. Because of the styling work of famed General Motors' designer Harley Earl, the 1936 Buick enjoyed a sales resurgance compared to 1935. Buick sold 53,249 units in 1935 increasing to 168,596 in 1936 and 220,346 in 1937.
(Photo by Peter Hubbard)


Lumina put out to pasture



The mid-sized Chevrolet Lumina was manufactured from 1989 through 2001 in two generations as Chevrolet sought to consolidate its mid-sized nameplates under a single product range. The Lumina replaced the Chevrolet Celebrity and the Monte Carlo. It was offered as a four-door sedan and as a two-door coupe. This second-generation Lumina (1995-2001) was found languishing in a farm field in North Carolina. The second-gen Luminca came with four different V-6 engines and a four-speed automatic.
(Photo by Jim Meachen)

1930s International tow truck



This International tow truck from the 1930s — complete with some good-looking tires — was found in Nevada. International trucks have been built since 1914. C and D Series trucks were built in the 1930s with inline 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines with horsepower ranging from 33 to 120 hp.
(Photo by Jim Prueter)

1953 Dodge stakebed truck



This 1953 "Job Rated" Dodge stakebed truck was discovered rusting away in a Texas field of cars. Dodge used the "Job Rated" designation through the mid-50s aimed at getting the customer the truck that fit the job. A stakebed truck has stake pockets allowing wooden or metal rail-sides to be inserted.
(Photo by Peter Hubbard)

A post-war Dodge



Dodge sold lightly face-lifted revisions of its 1942 design from 1946 through the 1948 season. Production on the 1946 model started in late 1945 at the conclusion of World War II. As before, these were a single series of six-cylinder models with two trim levels — basic Deluxe or plusher Custom. In 1946 Dodge was fourth in sales behind Ford, Chevrolet and Plymouth with 163,490 units sold. Sales went up to 243,160 in 1947 and 243,340 in 1948. This circa 1946-1948 Dodge was found along Route 66.
(Photo by Jim Prueter)

A used-up Lincoln Mark VII



This second-generation Lincoln Mark VII (1986-1992) was found languishing in an automobile burial ground in eastern North Carolina. When it hit the market in 1984 it was called the Continental Mark VII, but the Continental name was dropped with a redesign in 1986. More than 190,000 units of the Mark VII were built before production ended on April 22, 1992.
(Photo by Jim Meachen)

First year of the Imperial



To better compete with luxury brands Cadillac and Lincoln, Chrysler made the Imperial a stand-alone brand in 1955. The Imperial's wheelbase was stretched four inches over the big Chryslers and all models came with a 5.4-liter FirePower V-8 engine making 250 horsepower mated to a two-speed PowerFlite automatic transmission. An option was air conditioning for $535. This 1955 model was found in a auto graveyard near Denton, Texas.
(Photo by Peter Hubbard)

Chevy truck permanently parked



Someone left this post-war (Circa 1947-1950) Chevrolet pickup permanently parked by the side of the road in the Maggie Valley area of western North Carolina. Chevrolet came out with its new "Advance Design" pickups in June 1947, beating Ford to the punch with the first all-new truck following World War II.
(Photo by Nancy Howell)

A Bird at rest



This 1964/65 Ford Thunderbird was found in a yard full of old used-up cars on Route 66. We have for years thought the fourth-generation (1964-1966) the best designed four-place Bird. Its squared-off look moved away from earlier Thunderbirds. 
(Photo by Jim Prueter)

A bullet-ridden 'bathtub' Nash



If we didn't know better we'd think this might have been the Bonnie and Clyde car. This used up bullet-ridden 1950 Nash Statesman must have been used for target practice. The radically restyled 1949-1951 Nash was called the Airflyte. Pundits quickly dubbed it the "bathtub" Nash. During the three years of the Airflyte, Nash increased sales annually from 110,00 in 1948 to 205,307 in 1951.
(Photo by Peter Hubbard)