Abandoned Car of the Week

Camouflaged Ford



A mid-60s Ford F-850 commercial truck is camouflaged in the woods near Chapel Hill, N.C., its work life long over.
(Photo by Ralph Gable)

Born in Great Britain, dying in the U.S.

This Leyland tractor appears in the early stages of abandonment. Leyland Tractors was created after the merger of British Motor Corp. and Leyland Motors to form British Leyland in 1968. Leyland built tractors through 1982 in Bathgate, Scotland, before the company was sold to Marshall, Sons & Co. Marshall continued to build tractors until 1992 when production was stopped. We have no idea as to the year of this used-up Leyland. (Photo by Ralph Gable)

Abandoned car parking lot



A Texas farmyard in the San Antonio area sports at least two vintage and no longer used cars — a 1956 Chevrolet (left) and a 1960 Ford Thunderbird. The used-up tractor in the foreground has us stumped as to make and model. Want to look at hundreds of additional abandonded vehicles? Check out Abandoned Cars and Trucks.com (Photo by Jeffrey Ross)

Wagoneer living in retirement



This early 1980s Jeep Wagoneer lives in retirement in the weeds. The Wagoneer was built from 1963 through 1991, a sport utility vehicle (SUV) before the term was even coined. The wagon received only minor styling changes through the years. The Wagoneer was moved upmarket in its later years by AMC before Chrysler acquired AMC in 1987. The Wagoneer could be purchased with either a six-cylinder or V-8 engine in the early '80s and with a four-speed automatic transmission. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

A decorated GMC



A mid-1960s GMC pickup — decorated with a set of antlers — sits next to a vintage gas pump in the Yukon in northwest Canada. Some enterprising landowner apparently decided to set up this nostalgic display. (Photo by Jerry Brown)

This Galaxie has seen better days

A 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible rests in the North Carolina sunshine missing its top, a wheel, and taillights. The Galaxie was Ford's top-of-the line full-sized model from 1959 through 1974. (Photo by Jim Meachen)

The bat wing Chevrolet



The most interesting aspect of the 1959 Chevrolet was its "bat wing" fins, which took the popular late-50s tail fin design in a slightly new direction. This copy is slowly rusting away in a western North Carolina yard.
(Photo by Ralph Gable)

An automobile oddity in retirement



Practical perhaps, but weird looking in our estimation, the AMC Pacer hit the market in 1975. It was designed, according to AMC, to offer the interior room and feel of a big car in a small-car package with its extraordinarily wide stance and enormous glass area. Despite good reviews from the automotive press, the Pacer never really caught on with the public and was discontinued in 1980. This abandoned early-model Pacer appears in restorable condition. 
(Photo by Jim Meachen)

Once pretty in red



This 1963 Chevrolet Impala looks in restorable condition as it deteriorates in an eastern North Carolina yard. Chevrolet's advertising catch phrase for 1963 was "Jet Smooth," perhaps because the popular full-sized Chevy was restyled with a new grille, bumpers, hood, sculptured side panels, and rear deck contours. The Impala was Chevy's top-of-the-line with the most popular engine choices the small-block 283-and-327-cubic-inch (4.6 and 5.4 L) V8s. (Photo by Jim Meachen)