(first posted 3/23/2017) We’ve posted a number of Ralf K’s (Don Kincl) junkyard shots here, but there was something about this first shot; the contrast of that very late 50s Googie-style font against its rusting background really jumped out at me.
Junkyard Classics: – Savor This Savoy, And More
– Posted on March 23, 2023
Wow, I had never seen that “Savoy” nameplate up close. Fabulous!
Some of these cars look quite solid (at least to this midwesterner who is used to seeing gaping rust holes on cars of this condition). That 62 Chrysler wagon is really appealing.
I love these shots and look forward to more.
I was just thinking that several need to be saved, the Chrysler hardtop wagon in particular. Even looks to have most, if not all, of its glass.
Wow, I’m intrigued. That’s not around here for sure.
That 58 Plymouth is worth some money, there are constantly CL ads for people looking for any 58 or 57 Mopar.
64 Ford with busted windshield reminds me of my Uncle’s story. One day he went to the dump in Water Valley Alberta in the mid 80’s. In those days people junked cars at the dump too, and he saw a rust free 64 Ford abandoned with the keys in the ignition. He went home to get a friend and a trailer but by the time he got back someone had busted all the windows.
That sort of thing makes me furious. Just because a person has no use for something, they gotta ruin it for someone else.
Several years ago there was a rather slow-witted salvage yard operator on YouTube who used to constantly post videos showing him crushing all sorts of restorable vintage rides, just to get a rise out of people. He even taunted commenters on his page who chastized him for doing so.
I think most would agree that salvage yard operator would fit nicely into the category of complete asshole.
You’ll be pleased to know that when I ran a Junk Yard in the 1970’s I never threw out anything unless it was truly worthless and I also _SOLD_ stuff cheaply ~ none of that ‘ 50 % of the new cost’ B.S., I wanted cold hard ca$h and got it, daily from my grateful Customers, most of whom were poor, College Students, Waiters, Bus Drivers and so on .
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I too hate those @$$#ats who refuse to sell then crush every thing for scrap value every few years .
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-Nate
This is the kind of “automotive recycling center, a.k.a. junkyard that I’d love to prowl around! Now, I see interesting little details on cars that weren’t noticed when they were new; the way the rear window dips down to the decklid on the Fairlane! That ’64 Galaxie was one of our 6th grade dream cars! A boattail Riveiera, GS, no less! When asked “what part are you looking for”, sometimes my reply often was “I don’t know, but I’ll know it when I see it!” 🙂
Great shots! If these aren’t calendar worthy, I don’t know what is.
That 22nd series Packard has a gas tank whistle that should shut off when the tank gets to within 1 gallon of full. The owner’s manual says to instruct the attendant to stop filling the tank at that point. Chevrolet’s of this vintage had a similar arrangement. Happy motoring!
Wonderful photography; the rusty colors really jump out! And great cars as well. Looking forward to more.
Beautiful pics. That “Savoy” script is amazing (and the car itself ain’t bad either).
What’s the red car next to the 1960 Ford?
Rambler Wagon
The little red 4 door is a Rambler American, 2nd generation. 61′ – 63′ model years.
I love that Riviera and the fox body Capri
I’m amazed at how good the chrome looks on the 64 Ford.
That Chrysler hardtop station wagon should be saved.
I seriously wish I could rescue the Chrysler wagon and boattail Riv.?
So sad !
Great selection of photos! One question–is the block “FAIRLANE” lettering on the trunklid of the ’60 original? Don’t believe I’ve ever seen that before.
That jumped out at me too. I don’t recall seeing that before either. I Googled “1960 Ford Fairlane” and it does appear to be stock. Most 60 Ford’s were probably Galaxies and that is what we remember.
It is my family has a pair of them.
Yay!!! So glad you got a hold of Ralf. His photos are phenomenal so I look forward to his commentary.
WOW ~ this is what I see when I look at abandoned vehicles but I can never seem to capture it in photos .
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THANK YOU for these wonderful, artsy images ! .
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-Nate
Great photos and cars also. The chrome on a lot them is still decent looking and sets off the contrasts of painted and formerly painted vs chrome even more. A lot of these cars actually look saveable to me.
Interesting pictures, patina, rust and all.
That Packard with the license plate dangling from the bumper looks as though its tongue is hanging out.
And the grille and detached bumper on that Cadillac(?) reminds me of a dislocated hanging jaw.
Oh, if only those cars could talk. What stories they would have. On the other hand, kinda sad to see any car in that state of demise, hoping and longing for someone to resurrect and give them a new life.
Those old rides really seem to have a character and personality that, after a certain point, was lost. The FWD era seems to be the dividing line when cars became much more sterile and appliance-like, and salvage yards for those cars seem much more like the final resting place for washing machines.
It’s the plastics. Chrome bumpers are like a beacon of light in these faded and rusted husks, and you just don’t get that with a warpy piece of tupperware. Same with anything else that switched from metal or glass to plastic; oil cans, Jerry cans, coke bottles, gas pumps, etc.
Plastic looks terrible when it ages, it sags, distorts and warps, and when the paint peels off it leaves the raw plastic color that definitely doesn’t match the cars body color and doesn’t resemble anything natural of the earth like rust does. That or of course the opposite, where it looks jarringly out of place when everything else around it ages, where if the car were truly left to degrade fully into the earth over a hundred years the plastics would just remain like the litter it’s recycled from.
Nice, can’t wait for more!
That “Savoy” font brings back memories; my aunt had a ’57 back in the day, also a 4-door sedan.
I’ve always loved junkyards, so this is my kind of post. My mom used to tell everyone that I was fascinated by junkyards and always had to look at them when we were traveling. Lucky me, we once lived across the road from a junkyard. I was kindergarten age and one of my school friends was the son of the yard owner. We used to sneak in through the back fence and play in the cars.I only really remember a couple of cars. One was some big old sedan and the other was an almost new Dodge that they had just hauled in . It had suffered a very hard front end hit. It would be interesting to find out what all the cars were since this was in 1953.
Of course, thanks to junkyards I kept some of the cars I used to own on the road. I also used a lot of yard parts when I built a street rod 20 years ago
The Packard looks to be on good shape.
That grill on the Savoy is amazing – it looks like a series of three waves in shallow water!
The grill with the three waves is actually a 1964 Ford Galaxie.
Only the top two photos are the 1958 Plymouth Savoy.
Funny how family resemblance was so strong back then. The Mopars I can pick out as such even though they were really before my time and I never had interest in them. But they had a certain family look. Dunno if it was Chrysler, Plymouth or Dodge, but I can see the parentage.
The three trim lines of full-sized Plymouths back then were Plaza, Savoy and Belvedere — all names of hotels. I’m not sure we are going to see that again. Somehow, the Tesla TownePlace Suites or the Chevrolet Courtyard By Marriott don’t quite cut it. Although, the Toyota Crowne Plaza would work . . . .
I had to bow my head seeing the 4-way lug wrench so carefully placed on the hood of that Ford. As if to say “Rest in peace, faithful friend!”
Oh wow I just noticed the 87-88 “Aero” Thunderbird with the vinyl Landau top in the second picture of the Galaxie, you see those applied to Cougars often but not Tbirds!