Abandoned Car of the Week

Car-watching Falcon



The Ford Falcon was produced by Ford from the 1960 to 1970 model years, the first compact car marketed by the American Big Three automobile manufacturers. This second-generation 1965 Falcon sits abandoned watching the traffic on a South Carolina road. Most second-generation Falcons were propelled by an inline 6-cylinder engine mated to a 3-speed automatic.
(Photo by Ralph Gable)

First year of third-generation F-Series



This 1957 Ford F-Series pickup was found in Utah. The '57 is the first year of the third generation F-Series, which was built through 1960. The third generation was a significant modernization and redesign for the F-Series, which originated in 1948. 
(Photo by Jim Prueter)

Cougar, F-150 retirement mates



A third-generation (1974-1976) Mercury Cougar lives in retirement behind a circa. 1970 Ford F-150 Custom pickup in eastern North Carolina. The third-generation Cougar was also reworked as a Ford Torino and a Mercury Montego. There were five engine options ranging from a 5.8-liter to a 7.5-liter V-8. All were mated to a three-speed automatic transmission. The F-150 appears to be from the fifth generation (1967-1972).
(Photo by Jim Meachen)

An Arizona Ford pickup



This circa 1938-1939 Ford pickup was found in fairly good condition in Arizona. The 1938-1939 Ford panel and pickup truck bore little resemblance to the Ford trucks that had come before. They were treated to a thorough restyle in 1938, and carried over unchanged into 1939.  Both the 60-horsepower and 85-horsepower V-8 engines were offered.
(Photo by Jim Prueter)

Willys Jeep pickup in the snow



This late 1940s Willys Jeep pickup truck was found in a Nevada snowstorm. The Willys Jeep pickup was built from 1947 to 1965 by Willys-Overland Motors. For 1950 the truck got a V-shaped grille with five horizontal bars. More than 200,000 of these trucks were built through its lifecycle.
(Photo by Jim Prueter)

Lincoln's post-war dashboard



1946 through 1948 Lincoln models featured a unique and stylish dashboard that appear user friendly. This unrestored dash was discovered in an abandoned car in South Carolina. Round gauges flanked a large radio layout, speedometer on the left and clock on the right. Four smaller gauges to the left included gas and temperature readings. The standard transmission was a "three on the tree" 3-speed manual. (
Photo by Ralph Gable)

Mid-50s Oldsmobile



This 1955 Oldsmobile was found in retirement in Utah. Oldsmobile was enjoying remarkable popularity in the mid-50s with some creative styling and its Rocket 88 advertising. The GM brand ranked fifth in sales behind Chevrolet, Ford, Buick, and Plymouth with 583,179 units sold
. (Photo by Jim Prueter)

A Gremlin convention



Three mid-1970s AMC Gremlins are living together in retirement in a Utah salvage yard. The Gremlin is a subcompact introduced in 1970, manufactured and marketed in a single, two-door body style (1970–1978) by American Motors Corporation (AMC).  Using a shortened Hornet platform, the Gremlin was classified as an economy car and competed with the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto. The Gremlin reached a total production of 671,475 over a single generation.
(Photo by Jim Prueter)

A luxury British sports car



The Jaguar XJS is a luxury grand tourer coupe and convertible built from 1975 to 1996. There were three iteration over its 20 years with a final production total of 115,413 units. This third generation (1991 through 1996) example — manufactured under Ford's new ownership — was found in abandoned retirement in South Carolina. (Photos by Ralph Gable)

An Idaho Trans Am

This 1982-83 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am was discovered in Garden Valley, Idaho. The 1982 model was the start of the third generation that was built through 1992. Sales of the V-8 Trans Am reached a peak in 1979 with 117,108 units sold. (Photo by Jim Prueter)