Photo from the Cohort taken by Ralf K in Maricopa, AZ.
Cohort Pic(k) Of The Day: A GMC Truck, a Karmann Ghia And a ’59 Imperial By Ralf K
– Posted on December 2, 2023
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Curbside Classics Archives
Photo from the Cohort taken by Ralf K in Maricopa, AZ.
I’m sure the person who owns those may love them, but boy it hurts to see such desirable vehicles just sitting and rotting away for no reason.
Just to let you know, these are at a restaurant called Raceway Bar and Grill, the owner has a collection of old cars and signs. Most of the cars were to a point of no return when he bought them, they’re yard art condition. Very cool place inside and out.
Thanks Donald. Good to know.
Ooo, I’m next on the list. I really should find and get out my camera.
When I was a youngster I’d see a cool car like the Imperial, sitting forlornly next to an old building or in a field, and it would fuel months of automotive daydreams. I would buy it and I would resurrect it to a useful life! Back then it was possible, most of the derelict cars that I saw were only ten to twenty years old. Parts were available at the local auto store, and junkyards were full of similar donors waiting to be stripped of their useful parts. Back then it was cheap to buy a “parts car” and take what you needed for your project, and just discard the rest.
Nowadays, I know how much work and expense is involved in saving one of those old cast off, forgotten vehicles. You’ve really got to love it and make a real commitment, or it’ll never get done. My latest attempt was with my ’51 Jaguar Mark VII sedan and I called it quits after a couple of years. I just didn’t love it enough. Saving an abandoned car can be done, just not by me!
Truth! I remember one particular 59 Imperial that sat next to an old barn along a 2-lane state highway I used to go to college in around 1979. It was only the lack of money (and the fear of what my mother might do to me) that kept me from stopping and trying to buy it. If I had $1 for every old car I envisioned rescuing, I could take us both out for a high-end steak dinner, with drinks and a good tip!
Ouch! That Ghia looks salvageable, as does the truck. Simple vehicles mechanically with easy and cheap to do interiors. The Imp, on the other hand may sadly not be economically viable….
Yep, the Ghia caught me eye as well.
I learned to drive a 4 speed manual on my sister’s Ghia, but she was the 3rd or 4th owner and the nose was blunted somewhat.
The above looks like it has avoided a similar fate.
I love all three; they are a fab trio and as disparate as can be. And I find myself drawn particularly to the…GMC.
Nice .
-Nate
I saved the Imperial! 😉
why does this sound like the start of a joke (an imperial a ghia and a gmc walk into a bar…)