Let’s check out some more finds from my over two-day visit to Desert Valley Auto Parts in Casa Grande, Arizona. In this installment, I was impressed by the variety of foreign cars in the yard. Starting with this late ’50s Mercedes 180 — I’ve seen this particular car over, many, many years.
I did a double take when I saw the car above, which looked like a 2/3 size 1940 Ford. Checking the VIN plate solved the mystery; somebody had started widening the fenders to make it a hot rod.
An Arizona car, a place that kept this one safe away from rust.
Related CC Reading
The Station Wagons of Desert Valley Auto Parts
The Trucks of Desert Valley Auto Parts
Cohort Pic(k)s of the Day: Stacked Cars at Desert Valley Auto Parts
A junkyard in Yucca Valley Ca 3 months ago
https://photos.app.goo.gl/acYhsobaYpq6EjeE8
Are we sure that little yellow Honda isn’t the daily driver of an employee? It sure looks like is shouldn’t be there.
Tyres are flat, Dan- not a good sign.
Love these old imports, I grew up in the Finger Lakes area of New York. For some reason we had more than our share of imports in the early 60s. Maybe the proximity to Watkins Glen, maybe all the young engineers at Corning. Whatever, these photos trigger a lot of memories. Thanks.
The ‘1953-1959 Ford Prefect’ is an Anglia, the Prefect was the 4-door.
And is that ‘something patrol service’ stenciled on the Triumph door?
Finally, I love the question mark after ‘Ford’ on the Anglia.
Thanks. I updated the text on the Anglia.
I wasn’t around in the early 1960s, but I’m learning that English and European Fords were a lot more prevalent than I expected. By the early 1970s when I started becoming aware of cars I saw the Capri and maybe a very occasional Cortina, but the rest of them seem to have disappeared in short course.
That Civic has less rust than new ones did here after 12 months. Can’t believe that XK150 is in a junkyard…
Thanks for the photos!
The “New England Thruway” (I-95) courses 20 miles through the Bronx, NY.
From there, it runs to the northerly climes of Boston & Bangor.
In the late 1950’s the Thruway was literally littered (<< alliteration) with vertical auto graveyards. (As opposed to this horizontal display): '53 DeSotos’ toothy grills, piled sky-high (to the 4-year old Me) over '51 Henry J's, on top of '49 Rocket 88's. What short life-spans they had!
My Mom used to tell me that, as we rattled down that early interstate in our rusting 1949 "Pontiac Eight" Chieftain, I'd watch the junkyards and cry.
It was long ago & far away.
But, I still do !
I remember some of those stacks. They made me sad too.
Another fun expedition to the land of unwanted vehicles .
The Yucca Valley one is interesting too .
I grew up in New England in the 50’s & 60’s, they ad far more imports than the West Coast ever did but salty Winter roads and poor parts availability sent many to scrap in three years or less .
-Nate
Great selection of interesting finds. Most look quite far gone. The Ford Thames van might be a reasonable resto mod project. I suppose the Jaguar XK might be worth enough to justify a restoration.
The mystery is… How did they get there???
The stories of how something like a German Ford made it to rural Arizona would be fascinating. A cute girl in my high school class had that yellow first gen Civic. It was so lightweight, we linemen on the football team would occasionally pick it up and move it to a different part of the high school parking lot. She was a good sport about it.
I have no idea, how Ford Motor Co allowed to sell British and German Fords in the U.S. in 1960-es. Perhabs in order to fill in the lack of smaller models?