Cannon Hill is a suburb (neighborhood) relatively close to the Brisbane CBD – about a 20 minute drive outside of rush hour. It’s not the kind of place I’d expect to see a seemingly abandoned lot strewn with cars ostensibly for sale but, well, here we are.
The signage is in disrepair but the sales office looks maintained and the grass isn’t ridiculously overgrown. There are a few old-fashioned car lots dotted around Brisbane and they all seemed to use decorations like this. Most of them are abandoned now. Perhaps these dealers were driven out of business by the larger dealerships or maybe they all migrated to more highly-trafficked areas like the Moorooka Magic Mile, a long stretch of nothing but car dealerships. The only remaining indication this is a business is the placement of “Call Henry” signs in a few of the car windows.
I was concerned the property may have been owned by a nearby resident and I didn’t want to trespass so I kept on the boundary. From that vantage point, I could still see some interesting classics. Look over yonder and you’ll spy a Volvo 940, a Nissan EXA (Pulsar NX), a Eunos 30X (Mazda MX-3), and a Nissan Pintara/Skyline. There also appears to be a Mercedes W124 in the middle of the lot.
Keen eyes will also spot the Holden Frontera, a rebadged Opel Frontera which was related to the Isuzu Rodeo. And at the very front is a Mitsubishi Verada, the luxury version of the Magna which, in wagon form, was exported to North America.
At the entrance are two Daewoo Matizs, their sub-Kalos (Chevrolet Aveo) microcar. The silver hatchback to the right is a Holden (Opel) Astra, one of the best small cars sold here in the late 1990s/early 2000s and a hot seller; to its left is its big brother, the (also Opel) Vectra. There’s also a Ford Falcon ute from the 1980s to the left.
Brisbane is still full of these second-generation Camrys, a testament to their reliability. At the front of the lot is a Mitsubishi Mirage, a truncated version of the Lancer (Mirage to North Americans) and a hot seller in its day.
And look, another Camry. Great cars but nothing that really stirs my senses. The Subaru Liberty (Legacy) is a bit more interesting although, like many cars on this lot, it’s a bit sun-damaged. Also, there’s the final generation of Holden Vectra up the back – I always loved their blocky, Germanic styling, although I just noticed their roofline is vaguely reminiscent of the Buick Lucerne. Oh and for Aussie car lovers, you’ll just spy the Ford ED Falcon (1993-94) from the lead photo.
There’s a lot of 1980s-2000s iron on this patch of land and who knows what else lies towards the back of the lot. If you were calling Henry to buy one of these cars, which one would it be?
I’m not seeing the Frontera (which could an issue with my eyesight), but it looks like there is a variation of the Isuzu Trooper parked towards the back. I can see the distinctive off-set rear door cut line in several shots (see attachment).
If I were limited to one, I’d go with the Falcon Ute- I’m not a huge fan of basic sedans, and here in North America I’d probably have the only ute on the road. It looks like there’s also a Mazda crew-cab pickup on line which would be equally unique, but I’m not a fan of crew cab pickups.
I think the Frontera is right in front(era) of the red Mazda MX-3. Those Troopers are nice, we almost bought one back in the day but followed the herd instead and went Explorer. With the Trooper having its tip-over scandal and the Explorer having its tire fiasco, we seem to know how to pick ’em. In any case, the Trooper was (and is) a cool rig and in its later years finally got a big enough gas engine.
I think you’re right, Jim. I initially skipped over it, since it appears to be a two door, but Grandpa Google says there’s a 2 door variant of the Frontera.
A little background for readers outside the US-
Most Rodeos sold here had 4 doors. During some years, Isuzu sold a 2 door Rodeo variant, but they usually called it the “Amigo.” To confuse things even further, the last two years of production they changed the 2 door over to “Rodeo Sport”.
I actually shot TWO two-door Frontera’s in France a couple of years ago in this collection: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/the-curbside-classics-of-antibes-juan-les-pins-france/
To make things even more confusing, or maybe not, in Japan the Isuzu PICKUP TRUCK sold there was known as the Rodeo during some of the years it was produced.
Sounds about right-
Back in the eighties and nineties, Isuzu and Suzuki models were frequently re-badged as Chevys, Opels, Vauxhalls, Geos or Holdens, and tended to have multiple nameplates across the globe.
Of course, today we can say the same about Daewoo models, and the same will be true for China built cars moving forward.
This is a selection of vehicles I could enjoy and would fit in over here in Portland. Funnily enough, I own two examples of the cars on the lot; a Volvo 940 Wagon and a Mazda MX-3. What’s even better is that my 940 is beige and my MX-3 is red, though both are slightly less faded.
I’m having a hard time choosing between the Volvo 940, the blue W124 and the white Crewcab Mazda pickup, strangely enough. Could I get a 24hr test drive of each? I’ll leave an expired license as collateral.
Love these kinds of shots, something for everyone (well, everyone but the 70’s Mopar crowd I guess.)
Nothing has plates or probably a roadworthy certificate, other than the Falcon ute theres nothing of any real value there, Isuzu Wizards and MUs were badged in every GM flavour worldwide had, even Honda had them in their lineup as Horizon and Jazz good for parts, Vectras and Astras sold well here but now they are unwanted, regular car dealers wont touch them, 2nd gen Camrys, I cant remember the last one I saw, the 3rd gen arrived in 90/91 and took their place rather quickly plenty of those about, the beta test model was a rocketship and very well appointed.
This actually looks like overflow storage for a wrecking yard, they will sell them if you really want an unregistered towaway for parts.
And if Henry did supply a roadworthy certificate and fresh registration would you trust it??? I wonder how long the cars have sat, a big gamble on having all sorts of issues crop up to plague you.
Having said that the white Skyline past the Volvo would be a good candidate, also the 1993-96 XG Falcon ute if you can deal with or live with the faded paint, the 1993-94 ED is a “well-sorted by that time” thing and useful as a wagon.
There is the remnants of the typical used car yard bunting on the old sign.
Ive had a couple of those over the phone roadworthies, it gets the car on the road in your name in Vic at least and off you go, had a good run out of some terrible old bombs that way usually after a quick coat of racing grey (primer) to make it look like only one Valiant instead of the several it was cobbled together from.
I don’t think I will be calling Henry.
Haha JPC. You see, Will, it’s all in the presentation. When they are stacked six high and ten deep and stretch on for a quarter mile, there are takers galore, when they are just “ran when more or less parked”, it’s too much work to pick one out…But if they were parked underground, then…
“Nice” to see that this….phenomenon(?) is not limited to a few of the cities in the U. S. that I have lived in. There are at least 1 or 2 of these used car lots there in Jacksonville that are crammed with cars but which have been abandoned. Jacksonville is such a large (geographically) city that you don’t need to go far from downtown to find those lots.
I found the same thing in Memphis, that is, car lots with cars that were abandoned within the interstate loop.
From what you can see, these lots always have at least 1 or 2 cars that are still interesting, but especially here in Florida they can quickly return to their basic elements.
Calling Henry —
Yo, Hank, Please save me one of these —
It fits the concept, style, and target-market precisely as well as the new-fangled wheels in the photos.
Not sure if it would qualify as a “CC effect” but yesterday Decades TV had an episode of the early 50s show I Married Joan that featured quite prominently one of those Henry Js (which I actually thought this write-up was going to concentrate on).
Apparently Henry Js featured on many TV shows due to the small size.
This post reminded me of a similar used car lot in my hometown that I would pass every day on my way to and from my high school. It was the sort of independent used car lot that deals in older cars that a regular dealership wouldn’t touch. So I checked it out on Google Earth and lo and behold the place is still in business (or at least was at the time Google’s most recent Street View images were taken in April 2017). One detail I’d forgotten from back then is that it looks to actually be part used car lot and part salvage yard. I assume these junkers parked in the far corner of the lot are meant for salvage/parts, but that looks like where the most interesting stuff is. A Maverick and a Pinto!
And a 1960s Ford sedan of some sort, and a 1960s Ford F-series. Is that Paul’s truck’s twin?
And some genuine CCs on the actual used car portion of the lot. A ’91 Grand Marquis, $3500 cash! Plus an 80s or early 90s Camaro, an El Camino, and a first generation S-10.
Not just a Pinto, a 1977 or ’77 Pinto Cruising Wagon!
Bomb yard!
The Vectra is actually a second gen one. There are several Daewoo Matiz in there.
They should all probably have a $500 sign on the windscreen.
Oh yes, I forgot there was another, earlier generation of Vectra because we never got it here and I only ever remembered it as the Vauxhall Cavalier. I’ll amend the text!