While obviously the significance to us is less than the real Western Wall in Jerusalem, this wall of former Curbside Classics can also be regarded as a significant site (to those followers of our little religion). So please grab your hymnals, anoint yourself with a dab of 10W-30 (preferably Quaker State), have a small cup of ATF and a (deodorizing) wafer at the ready and step closer to this altar of our faith, my dear disciples…
As some of you know, I’ve been spending a bit of time going back and fort to Laramie, WY over the last few years and usually pass by an enormous scrapyard just southwest of the intersection of I-80 and Hwy287. Well, today was the day that while seriously pressed for time, I felt a calling. So I decided to take a closer look and somehow ended up on the backside of the yard between it and the railroad tracks. I’m not sure if I was on yard land or railroad land but there was a dirt road and no fence, so let’s bow our heads and go!
The opening shot was of a chunk of the “wall”, here are several overlapping snippets of the same wall in more detail. It goes on for probably a quarter mile or more and isn’t just one layer, it appear to be many multiple layers deep. I’m not sure if the yard is a junk yard or more of a scrap and metal recycling yard as many of the vehicles appear to be extremely complete with clearly saleable items attached. However I don’t see any good (or remotely safe) way of dismantling this structure to ever do anything with the vehicles besides just tear them apart and crush them.
I kind of wandered from right to left (Hebrew style I suppose) and am now noticing what you may notice too – many regular cars, and relatively few imports, which was (and is) a large part of the vehicular makeup of the area.
In this shot I can see a BMW 320i in that ubiquitous powder blue color and of course a Volvo 200-series as well as an 80’s Toyota Celica on top along with a cross section of at least twenty years of Americana. Maybe this is where all those CC’s that used to litter your neighborhood ended up.
Perched on top is an early Subaru wagon and a blue 90’s Toyota Tercel (the puffy style) to the lower right which itself is crushing a Subaru sedan in a fetching shade of dark brown. I think it’s a fairly high-spec but early model judging by the white metal wheels. Of course the Suburban at the bottom dominated the scene but check out the two almost identical charcoal Chrysler minivans. Do the differing hubcaps denote the difference between Plymouth and Dodge or just different years of one of them?
Whoa! Behold the high priestess of the highway and byway, a Southwind Motorhome. Right below is the van that had all the free candy your mother warned you about.
Methinks there is a Honda Civic peeking out backwards near the upper left but other than that it’s all American here. I’m guessing the green paint has something to do with perhaps a demolition derby (?), that barbaric sacrificial ritual. Maybe the green paint is the mark of the beast.
At first I thought we had ourselves a Mitsubishi Mighty Max, but instead it’s a later model Dodge Ram 50 in the midst of the choir section! The poor Bronco at the bottom didn’t stand a chance against the weight of the world piled on top of it but notice the Four-Door-Sportscar (Nissan Maxima) crashing the party and coming over the top!
Blocking the view is a Winnebago Indian. One wonders if it and the Southwind from before are locals or if they were in transit when something awful befell them and they were left behind on this trail of tears.
At this point I hopped back into my car and went further down and found kind of a car junkyard (with a fence) and then turned around and took in a few more unfenced sights. Here, the first-generation Acura Legend Coupe caught my eye in what I think is my favorite color that it was offered in. Is that a blue Ford Focus sedan on top sort of sitting inside what’s left of a silver or silver-beige Camry? Also that may be a Cadillac Catera all the way at the top judging by what I can see of the taillight panel.
This one’s sort of random, I didn’t think I was going to use all I shot, but then they all seemed interesting after reviewing them more. Here there’s a 90’s Cadillac Seville (Pearl White, middle-ish), and a mid to late 80’s Honda Accord on top mixed in with more prosaic vehicles, all stacked like cordwood. Still, nothing newer than mid-90’s as far as I can tell, so all CC, all the time.
What are the two magnificent beasts mounted on top of each other at the left? I haven’t spent enough time in Indiana lately to readily identify them definitively but I know you will think it’s obvious. Same with the red truck cab peeking out from the center.
My last shot for today includes the Winnebago again and repeat performances from a slightly different angle for some others. I hope you enjoyed this little worship service at the altar of the departed from the highway, and hope that all pictured rest in peace beneath the enormous Wyoming sky.
A very disproportionate number of vans are to be seen here.
The next to last picture is of a R-body Chrysler New Yorker sitting on a ’73ish Lincoln Mark IV. I’m shocked you didn’t know that!!!
This is quite interesting and is a nice snapshot of southern Wyoming’s automotive demographics. Given the number of cars and the meager population, this must be where all old cars in that part of the country go to die.
I was leaning MoPar over Lincoln but then decided not to embarrass myself further as well as it getting a wee bit late last night to start googling it…thanks! And the ratio of vans to other vehicles seems about the same as your driveway so…
I’m just surprised there isn’t some obvious harvesting going on with easy money to be made. I recall fairly regularly finding random hubcaps at the side of the road in the Bay Area over a decade ago and making a quick $25-30 each on ebay if the front wasn’t scratched up. Heck, just “hold” any new arrivals in one section, photo and post parts while still installed and if they don’t sell within two weeks or whatever, then to the big pile it goes.
Good point on my driveway. My van is as dead as those due to a nasty crank no start issue.
You are correct about the parts – a lot of money is being left on the table (or ground).
Beat me to it. Damn, it’s a shame to see those two on the scrapheap. I also noticed a late 70s Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight, plus the ’75-79 Lincoln Continental in prime position in the early photos.
I also liked the Legend coupe and the Mazda MX-6 in photo 2.
That R-body is a New Yorker Fifth Avenue Edition too!
Is that Southwind RV the same colour scheme (model?) as the one in Breaking Bad?
Neither of those Chrysler minivan wheel covers look factory to me.
Great shots, unfortunately of what looks like a wasteland, to which you alluded.
Similar but not exactly the same, I think theirs is a bit newer but likely only a few years. Those colors must be Southwind’s corporate colors or at least the colors they dressed everything up as back then. I knew it looked familiar but didn’t think about it until you mentioned it.
The one in Breaking Bad was a 1986 Fleetwood Bounder according to IMCDB. Color scheme is pretty similar, though. https://www.imcdb.org/v223265.html
Seeing an RV like that in a junkyard always makes me think of Breaking Bad, too.
Now, don your skullcap and leave a rolled slip of paper with a wish, on any gap you find (perhaps between hood and fender of a Taurus)
…but be sure your skullcap is made from properly sanctified, Brougham-salvaged crushed velour, though! 😉
Wow — what a collection! Usually seeing discarded cars just makes me sad, but this is so overwhelming it’s fascinating.
Looks like the 1970s-era Subaru perched on top of one of the piles isn’t a Brat, but rather a Wagon, though in this picture we can see it has the Brat-style brush guard. Seems to be in pretty good shape for a Subaru of its era!
You are correct, I totally glossed over it. The next picture in the series actually shows the whole back end. Text amended, thanks!
I was hoping it was a Brat, until I saw the next picture with a full profile. Darn!
I’ll anoint myself with this kind of 10W-30
We could all sit in the Winnebago and have one…
Oh, I am so there! Come on down, the weather has been spectacular. I could probably venture to the far side of the pile and find an old kiddie pool to dunk our feet. It’s been so warm you almost need a mister. 🙂
+1!
A very nice collection. I kind of like that second picture with the 78-79 Lincoln or that one near the end with the 79-80 New Yorker resting on the black Mark IV. I think Jason has it right as a 73 with the big bumper up front and the small one out back.
The Blue sedan above the Acura legend is a Chevy Aveo. Looking at the photos, the only car that sticks out to me that is somewhat a surprise is the 2000-2005 Toyota Celica underneath the red Civic in the photo below the Legend/Aveo pic.
Impressive. The average age is quite a bit older than I would have expected. The CC Wailing Wall.
The two gray Chrysler minivans are from slightly different vintages; one is pre-’92 facelift; the other post.
Wyoming resident here. A lot of vehicles that age are still on the road. Just where I work alone there are two Square Body Chevrolets that are still doing work, and a 1987 Ford. Since there is zero rust here and no inspections for emissions, if it runs, it’s probably still in use in at least some capacity
The poor Bronco at the bottom didn’t stand a chance against the weight of the world piled on top of it
But look at the condition of the suburban holding the same load, It doesn’t even look like the springs are bottomed out!
Like a rock, indeed.
Great photos, Jim!
Not Very many Japanese cars in these pics.i amnot surprised.
This is also in Wyoming. Automotive demographics vary wildly across the US. Where I live the Toyota dealer is an afterthought of the Chevrolet dealer.
For perspective there are 16 Ford dealers in Wyoming while there are 7 Toyota dealers and 4 Honda dealers.
This is what I find fascinating: the regional differences. I was of the understanding the South had largely embraced import brands, although still loved domestic pickups, while the Midwest vastly preferred domestic cars and trucks. I had no idea, however, what western, non-coastal states were into.
That’s why I find infographics like this so fascinating.
So many amazing CCs. Such a shame they aren’t intact and at the curbside 🙁
And so say all of us!
It pains me to see that 1978-79 Lincoln Town Car in the pile. Ouch!
I ‘m with you. Sad to see a majestic car like that done for.
I feel the same way – with the lack of rust, many of those vehicles would have been saved in other parts of the country. But the transportation cost alone would have killed the deal in most cases, unless one semi truck made a haul of a dozen or two vehicles.
I’ll be the token Midwestern guy bemoaning how rust free these all look…
Great pictures, thank you for sharing them!
Wyoming is a great place for barn side classics spotting. Lots of small ranches along the highways with old discarded vehicles parked on the properties. We are going there next week, fly into Denver then drive to Gillette WY. Gonna put a long lens on the camera and if I can get some decent long distance close ups while the wife does the driving.
That’s a nice drive and you are absolutely correct about the sights. Next week’s weather should be excellent out here and everything has been turning green so you’ll have a great time with lots to see.
I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen such a collection in a wrecking yard!
Maybe it’s a sign of the times, but my first thought was that there’s tons (literally) of recycling potential here.
The way so many are stacked up without parts stripped or obvious damage other than from the stacking process, a lot of these may have been turned in for the “cash for clunkers” program. Also because many of them do not look like they have been there forever, and the way they fairly represent a cross section of the older vehicles on the road from a few years ago.
The “clunkers” were supposed to be crushed/shredded within a few months of the program ending. But it wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of those cars lingered around while longer.
Given that almost everything there is mid-90’s or earlier, I do have to wonder if they’ve been stacked up like that for a while.
Wow. This wall of cars is something that I will have to seek out in my next road trip out west!
Were you intentionally channeling the famous 1923 “Somewhere west of Laramie…” ad for the Jordan Playboy in your references to Laramie and the Western Wall, or is the coincidence purely an accident?
While I’m familiar with the Jordan ad I’ve actually never stopped to read it all. I was going to call the post The Wailing Wall, as a riff on all of us would be weeping at the sight of these cars until I did a little research and realized that the “Wailing Wall” term may be considered derogatory these days in reference to its real location so I chose the “Western Wall” moniker instead which obviously describes the same place but is not controversial and still works being that Wyoming’s motto is “Forever West”.
If you’re on I-80 this isn’t out of the way at all. The town of Laramie is just to the north, this is just to the south, you can see it from I-80 and there are some excellent and reasonably priced restaurants in the Old Town as well as MUCH cheaper gasoline about a half mile into town relative to the offerings directly at this offramp.
No time like the present to read it then. Art in words.
No, not an R-body New Yorker! Those are rare enough as it is, probably extinct. It probably didn’t have so much as a nickel-sized dent before it arrived there. It would be a crying shame if it didn’t have any rust.
I’m surprised I didn’t see not one LH car, especially 2nd-generations, which had the problematic 2.7. Aside from the 300M, roughly half of those cars were equipped with the 2.7. When I went to a yard hoping to find a mint-condition convertible top and leather seats for my restoration project (a 91 LeBaron) there were TONS of LH cars, mostly 2nd-gens. Very sad because I owned three LH cars: a ’97 Concorde and an ’04 Intrepid (3.5), and now a ’93 Concorde as a classic. They’ve all been fantastic and I love these cars, but they are rapidly disappearing. For crying out loud, the Eagle Vision is pretty much extinct. I wanted to buy one but literally couldn’t find one within 500 or even 1000 miles of my location.
After spending some time thoroughly searching for a LeBaron convertible and coming up empty handed, I spent a few moments looking under the hoods of a few 2nd-gens and more often than not they had the 2.7. Saw a few Sebrings/Strati and base LX 300/Chargers with the 2.7 too.
Elsewhere, a surprising amount of late-model Nissans were present, surely in the yard for nothing other than a CVT failure as so many of them didn’t have so much as a scratch let alone major accident damage. Those cars were brand new when I graduated from HS in 2009 and now they are crusher fodder. I don’t like them or anything, but still, it made me feel old, ha ha.
A lot of these cars in this wall are older. They probably skipped the actual yard and hit the pile shortly after they were brought here. I’m not sure why they weren’t flattened before being piled up, being that they would eventually have to do so if they wanted to transport a load to the shredder, so they’d have to pull everything down, forklift it to the crusher, and then stack everything up again. Too labor-intensive, I would think.
I guess it makes sense that older cars don’t stick around as inventory because there are more people looking for something off of a 2007-era car rather than from something 20-25+ years old. Space is king, so a car with more in-demand parts sticks around as there is more opportunity to make as much off the parts as possible. It explained why I left the yards empty handed because LeBarons are “too old” and they’ve probably crushed any that did arrive.
The newer Nissans are made out of very poor quality parts. Struts, shocks, control arms and axles are extremely common failures before 100k. Due to Nissan/Renault engineering, labor times for these common wear parts are often 2x what they are on comparable cars. Many Nissans are leased or program cars out of the gate, meaning they are thrashed and not taken care of. And due to their 10 year “sales over all else” streak, residuals are subfloor. Plus electrical issues with PCMs and Intelligent Key modules, and the fact that at 9 years, many are on their fourth owner in a BHPH scheme.
Combine all of this with sketchy CVTs, and Nissans made since 2002 probably have the shortest average lifespan of any manufacturer lineup. They also have yet to get rustproofing right.
Yards in PA are littered with sub-10 year old Nissans. Even yards in the south, where rust just doesn’t factor in, are littered with sub-15 year old Nissans.
It’s still a bit odd to see all those trucks and SUVs in that pile like that. While parts from an older car may not sell well, whenever I visit a pick-n-pull yard I see pretty much any truck from any generation gets picked clean of useable parts within short order. People like their trucks and like to keep them running. Even the old-school BOF vans tend to get picked over. Actually, given the condition that some of those trucks look like they were in before they got stacked up like that, I’m a bit surprised they were even scrapped in the first place.
“Wyoming: like no place on earth.”
That was the state slogan when I moved here in 1996; retired now for something a bit more palatable.
This is still a very American car place; there is no Mercedes dealer in the state and only one Volkswagen dealer. Plenty of Toyotas and Nissans though. Of course F-150 is king. And there are still lots of old American barges being driven around Cheyenne; the UP crews seem to like them. The UP employee parking area surrounding the station downtown is a veritable CC paradise – virtually every ’70s & ’80s GM or Ford four door sedan can be spotted there eventually.
I always find it fascinating to think that one day many years ago, somebody bought these cars new, they took pride in their purchase. Now look where they are
Is this the remaining physical evidence of Obama’s Cash for Clunkers?
By my count, only about half of the cars or less would qualify. The RWD vans and SUVs and trucks, and the handful of big 70s land barges would qualify, but even the Lumina, Legend and Camries (if they are V6s) wouldn’t have qualified.
People are simply wasteful with older cars, and planned obsolescence is the rule with motor vehicles.
All the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ cars were required to be completely destroyed within 180 days of processing to a scrapyard. Since the program ended in August of 2009, they’re long gone.
All that rust free sheetmetal… 🙁