My lovely bride grew up in rural northern Michigan, and we visit her mom and stepdad fairly regularly. We always pass a “hoarder house” with one of the strangest car collections I can remember. The last time we visited, this odd menagerie was lined up by the road, leading me to believe that some township ordinance came into play. Let’s take a look at some country weirdness.
There are more 80s Renault Alliances and Encores on this piece of property than there are in the entirety of America, and I’m not sure that’s an exaggeration. While I didn’t do a head count, the total has to be in the dozens. Keeping time with the French expatriates is an early Omnirizon and a Shadow/Sundance. Whoever collected these beasts must have been a Chrysler/AMC fan.
How did that Ford truck weasel its way in there? Here are some more Renaults, along with some K-car variants, like the Charger/Turismo and what looks like a K-New Yorker. You know, someone has to collect vintage front-drive econoboxes, and this collection belongs to that someone. Most of these cars, however, are not cruisers–they’re wrecks.
Drink it in, ladies and gentlemen, drink it in. There’s a Neon and a Dodge Dakota here, along with another Ford interloper, an 80s Escort/Lynx. Far off in the distance is a medium-duty Chevy, proving that this iron-collector is at least somewhat equal opportunity.
Why bother storing your “French Collection” in the pole barn when it can rot outside? On the other hand, what’s in the pole barn? MORE Alliances and Encores?
Windows down! Somehow, somewhere, there’s a guy with a Renault collection who is just salivating right now. Unfortunately, those hard to find interior parts are going to smell like the inside of a work boot after a good thorough soaking.
Another Ford truck! Is that an early J-car behind the Omnirizon? As much as these cars do not speak to me at all, they do dredge up memories of my youth, and the days spent wandering dealer showrooms. And I can never stand watching cars go to waste in a field. Unfortunately, aside from the crusher, what fate really awaits these cars? Who’d save them? I’m certainly not approaching the house of a person who hoards Renaults and front-drive Chryslers. The second amendment is in full effect in Northern Michigan.
I didn’t see any GTAs on the lot, but it’s a shame that one of the most glorious Renault collections in America has come to this. Here are some links to show what might have been.
“Eclectic” isn’t quite strong enough. I’ll go with “batshit”.
That has been my general thought on the whole thing all along…It’s a weird place.
Having an Alliance in your driveway in 1984 was enough to put you at risk for a derelict, inoperative or abandoned vehicle citation!
I would guess that the pole barn houses one fully operational example of an OmniRizon and an Alliance/Encore. As for all the rest, well if you have the room, its cheaper than going to NAPA.
Except that a corollary of Murphy’s Law is that, whatever rare part is broken on your good car, will be broken on your parts car(s) as well. Or it will be after you try to remove it.
I recently shopped for a hatch back style car. Excuse mois, j’oublie totalement du Renault Encore! Que malheur!
And that’s pronounced as someone from industrial southeast Wisconsin working from ill-remembered high school French would, no doubt?
mais oui! (maaah ooo-eee!)
Looks like something you might see in Central New York and not all towns have zoning laws or if they do they are lax. If I want to contact the owner of a property I go to the county courthouse and look up who owns the land then write them a letter with my contact info. Or if I am in a rush I just mail a letter to the address without the extra work.
That red one in the third pic looks rather gruesome-I’m sure it didn’t end well for the driver. Derelict cars are one thing, but lurid reminders of death & mayhem are another.
Yup, my dear wife’s family is from Missaukee county, and although I’ve always enjoyed the wacky yard ornaments in the area I’ve never seen anything this weird.
What strikes me is that all the Alliances are missing their rear wheels. What is that, some sort of anti-theft measure to keep the only other Alliance hoarder in the world (surely, there must be at least one other) from stealing them? Or maybe to make it harder for them to be removed by bylaw officers.
Almost everything is missing the back wheels. Odd. Maybe to deter (in the owner’s mind) theft? Dumping the rear into the dirt can’t do anything good for the chassis and lower body.
I noticed this as well. I think it must be a theft-deterrent measure, but as you say, horrible for the cars.
That one first gen Caravan/Voyager is the nicest thing here.
Seems like the LEAST this person could do is clear off the grass from a patch of land and just keep it as dry dirt, then put these cars in a nice tight formation on that spot instead of just strewed about willy-nilly on moist ground. But obviously I’m wrong.
Just to be clear, these used to be scattered around the property, but a few months ago, they were moved into the positions pictured…no idea why.
How could it be a theft deterrant, when there are so many other Renault’s around to snatch a couple wheels off of?
At first, I thought he might be doing a business in the clever, but troublesome Renault rear suspensions, but I see the rear hubs are still there, just the wheels gone, so nope.
We have it all wrong, he’s not an Alliance/Encore collector, he’s a rear wheel collector. Seriously though, I was wondering the same thing? Maybe some sort of law that allows you to have derelict vehicles on your property if they are semi-apart?
There does seem to be one J-car in there, probably a Cavalier. But the number of Renaults is simply stunning.
Well, then we know what’s in the pole barn. Rear tires.
Hee hee…
I didn’t even notice the lack of rear tires on just about everything until you all pointed it out.
The demo derbies in purgatory, while eminently survivable, lacked a certain something.
Glad he’s not my neighbor!
–Gents: Keep your hobby/parts cars out of sight. Your neighbors don’t appreciate your jewels (parts cars) in plain view. If you can’t hide it, don’t buy it!
Okay, I’ll bite. What part of northern MI might this be? I spent ten years living near Lake Huron, and I don’t recall ever seeing this, so I’m taking it that this is in a different part of our fair state…
It’s between Beaverton and Clare, so you’d have to go quite a few miles inland.
Ah. It doesn’t surprise me. I was once told that the further inland you are up north, the more eccentric and reclusive people are, and I have found that to be generally true…
That’s close! Our relatives are practically neighbors! Yee-Hah!
Just a county or so over!
“It’s between Beaverton and Clare”
Oh, you lower peninsula folks and your warped definition of “northern”.
I take it you’re a citizen of East Wisconsin? 🙂
Ahem! It’s Yoopisconisin!
Wow that’s an amazing collection. I have a few “hoarder houses” in my neck of the woods. Unfortunately, cars aren’t a big part of their collections.
*perk*, a three door Encore!
Do all the Renaults have the replacement heater core laying on the seat?
Fortunately, my lack of storage space, and the R9 and R11’s lack of sufficient headroom prevent me doing anything rash
Unless this owner is on a lonely stretch of deserted road, with the next neighbour a mile or so away, I am quite surprised that no other neighbourhood folks have said anything about this over the years. OTOH, maybe everybody in this particular county is of like mindset. No matter, always good to see car collections of any condition, rather than crushed. Eclectic is good.
In some places neighbors cannot do anything because these practices are totally legal.
It sounds like Judge Dredd lives in America,slapping a “shift it” notice on your own property!Mind you I wouldn’t be entirely thrilled to live next door.
Ordinance? Seems more like ordnance, as in time bombs.
LMAO
I passed by a trailer in Rhode Island over a decade ago with a couple of these Renaults, as well as pretty much everything else AMC has ever made in the yard, There must have been at least 50 cars there. We also had an auto mechanic who hoarded old European cars in my town, his daughters started a blog here http://tetanusburger.blogspot.com/
Wow, I just skim read some of the blog, really interesting, thanks for posting!
Wow. That blog is really worth reading. I read 2010 and 2011. The Nov.6.2011 has 3 links about the daughters experience’s that is worth the time to check out. A sad story, sort of a Volkswagen Hell hoarding nightmare. Thanks for the link.
I see the junk. Where’s the crusher?
That L body Turismo/Omni/Charger looks complete…might make a nice little mini-stock race car. Ditto for the Shadow and the 2-door K-car. Even the Omi-rizon looks straight enough for the track…
Used Cars
The Alliance coupes were a rare sight even when new. The property owner must have really searched for all of these coupes…it’s almost as though he is running a rescue operation for abandoned Alliances.
This can happen by accident, the people allowing me to harvest a Singer Gazelle wreck they have own a large accumulation of spare parts cars Wolseleys mostly and MK2 Ford Escorts but locals have a habit of leaving Escorts on their property asuming the parts are welcome they arent, the last offering was driven into their paddock and parked keys still in it.
Really just goes to show how many Alliances one requires in order to supply enough parts to keep a single example working….
The guy I bought my project Minx from tells me after many sales of cars he is down to 78 vehicles 34 Valiants at least 30 Hillman Hunters and Avengers plus others this pile of Alliances pales in comparism. None of his can be seen by the casual observer though.
Dude preserving(?) all of those orphans reminds me of a Simpson’s bit that goes something like Homer was buying up as many pumpkins as possible. He had been watching prices rise throughout October, so of course, he was going to catch the market peak in January, and BOOM! then he was going to cash in.
That’s what this looks like. Dude is waiting for just the right time to cash in.
I don’t mind the sight of properties like this at all. I guess that’s what happens when you live in rural Idaho, Utah, and Western Australia for too long. I suppose if this level of individuality frightens you, then it’s best to just stay in your pretentious cookie cutter suburban neighbourhood.
I doubt anyone in the neighborhood up there is pretentious, and there are no suburban neighborhoods there either. Hunting properties, trailers, Amish homesteads, and farm fields are interspersed with older homes. McMansions don’t apply.
I understand this house is in a rural area. My comment also wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. The point I was trying to make is that if a person is offended by the sight of a rural property with derelict cars like this, then they would be better off staying in a McMansion style neighborhood. Yes, it’s bizarre to have an Alliance collection, and even more so to rearrange it in such a way. I just see no wrong in doing so.
I don’t think anyone’s “frightened” Marlin. Baffled yes, but not frightened.
Interesting definition of “individuality” you have there…
Awww… an early 70’s Ford Truck rotting away amongst that “mess”… tragic!
I’m probably an oddball, but I kind of like seeing rural houses with collections of old iron rusting away on a corner of the property. It seems to add to the “ruralness” of the place and sometimes something interesting to see will be parked there. It’s sad to see a straight, solid vehicle just starting to return to the earth as there’s the “could have been saved” feeling but the ones I’m talking about are generally pretty far gone.
This many cars, though, is taking it way too far and is well into the hoarding range I think. And that destroyed red Alliance is more than a little macabre.
The mostly rural county in eastern NC where my in-laws live passed a new ordinance banning inoperable vehicles in view of a public road a couple of years ago. Yeah, it cleaned things up, but it made the scenery significantly less interesting from my perspective!
AMC Renault cars hardly ran well, so they can’t be considered ‘transportation’. 😉
Me, I see junk, as someone else posted. Or, in other words, one man’s treasure is 11,000,000 others’ trash.
I just got news from my mother-in-law…the cars are all gone now.
RIP?