Some of us just can’t seem get enough of our favorite old cars. Kevin Martin sent me a link to an AutoWeek post about this collection “somewhere on the East Coast”, whose owner did not want to be identified. There’s a decidedly European flavor, including a few that I haven’t seen in a long while. Although this view of old Saabs and Volvos is not exactly exotic, the Rover P5 Coupe most certainly is.
Since we’re on the subject of Rovers, here’s a P6 3500 V8, with that very silly array of triple hood scoops, a feature unique to NA market cars.
This may not seem very exotic, but good luck finding another, in the US anyway. It’s a Peugeot 405 wagon, which sold in very small quantities alongside the 405 sedan, Peugeot’s last US market car. (Tom Klockau’s 405 CC here).
This 505 looks to be in quite good condition, even if it is starting to sink into the ground. The owner has been buying up old cars for over fifteen years, and their conditions vary greatly. He does sell off some, and about 25 cars per year leave or enter the collection per year.
Mmm; this 404 sedan is in the barn, rightfully so, along with some exotics under cover that the owner didn’t want to even show.
It’s not all European, as this AMC Matador makes quite clear, despite its exotic nose.
Ooooh! My favorite car ever….wonder if I could get him to part with it? And it’s so pristine.
An MG Magnette; not too many left on the streets of Eugene, I’m afraid. Dave Saunders covered the Magnette in his excellent post on the MG Sporting Saloons.
Now there’s an eclectic collection of tails. Renault Fuego, anyone?
“The Best European Car Ever Made In America” fits right in.
The owner says that he plans to restore some of the cars, including this Alfa Giulia Super, but that he also needs to reduce his collection somewhat: “I have to start letting go of stuff; I want to sort of save my energy for restoring some of these things.”
I hope that Matador, LTD, and Corvair all get restored and find good homes.
BTW Paul… there’s a Peugeot 403 sedan for sale down here. It just needs partial reassembly. The guy only wants $800. Interested? 🙂
I’ve been thinking that I need a new project; too much idle time on my hands, you know 🙂
I had a 403 once, probably in the same shape. It sat in my apartment parking spot for a year or two, and then I finally tumbled to the obvious reality that I wasn’t going to “restore” it for many good reasons. Lesson learned…pay more to find a car in good shape.
I remember those Peugeots. They all seemed to be white for some reason. Mechanics at the Chrysler dealer that sold them and auto electric guys remember them as their worst nightmare come true.
“I have to start letting go of stuff; I want to sort of save my energy for restoring some of these things.”
One should take enough time, money and energy, let alone multiple restorations. What a find, what a collection. Best to let them go to folks who could put better use of them. You hate to think these could go to the crusher if some local politico gets a bug up his rear about zoning or should serious illness befall him. Any Opel Kadett Rallyes or GT’s in the group?
Amazing collection. If I were ever to do something like this, I’d hope to have indoor storage for better preservation. Hopefully some of these cars can get restored to working condition. I really like those Saab 900 sedans visible in the first picture.
I sure hope someone rescues that ’71 Ford LTD. They don’t get much love except from me, and an example in such good shape deserves to be saved.
Ooooo. Thanks for starting off with my fave P5. I used to see those all over London back in the ’70’s. Was it possibly the only car that used 3 1/2 instead of 3.5 or 3500 to civilly describe the under-bonnet heartbeat?
My first glance at the first photo said ’55-’56 Chrysler until some caffeine made it to further reaches of my brain.
Wow – Rovers and Alfas in the same collection as a Matador and a 71 LTD. Now this guy has broad-ranging tastes!
I think that the photo of the LTD is in the only place where these don’t rust.
Most of that stuff looks pretty rough but an amazing collection indeed. He seems to have a real thing for Volvos. I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at that Corvair or the MG B GT.
Parking those cars on wet mud will ensure the floorpans rust out first the pug 405 will survive they were galvanised but the rest will be rotten after a while, the Rovers are toast already and here many good ones survive anyway, He needs to save that Alfa now it wont last too much longer.
The LTD seems so out of place – both for what it is and it’s condition.
This is an eclectic mix. Perhaps he sees some European traits in the LTD and Matador. Or maybe American traits in the European cars? Nah.
Can he PLEASE put some covers on his cars and find a way to cover up the wet mud beneath them?
These cars are all toast :(.
Not quite field of dreams;
(whispering)
…if you don’t build it (enclosed dry storage)…
…they will go…
Another “Someday I will restore them” story. Meanwhile cars are rotting away. So many who think they ‘know about cars’ still assume they are ‘preserved’ simply by parking them, anywhere. Most likely, the collector’s hiers end up junking them, saying “He was crazy keeping these old things”.
Best to have some kind of plan and proper storage facilities.
I see these collections and automatically think that the owner is a hoarder. I mean I like old cars but the two I own run and I can drive them. When you start having 100 old, non running cars on your property you’ve crossed some line. I can see a parts car but really the owner will never get them restored and running in their life time. Most of them will get scrapped. These people tend to be single as well. I’ve often wondered if they view all these cars as their children.
Off the rant there are some interesting cars in this collection. I’m really surprised that they haven’t turned to dust sitting on the east coast.
I knew a guy like that. At one time he had a place in the Puyallup Valley, an old farm with a couple of good-sized outbuildings. Great valley soil for growing things, but not so good to store cars over. He had a 300B convertible that supposedly had belonged to Dave Beck, a 66 Caddy ragtop, and a large and eclectic collection of other 40’s to 70’s American cars, most of which were parked in Puyallup Valley mud, indoors or out.
I wish I’d just once taken the time to wander his place with a camera. Now he’s gone, and who knows what happened to his cars….
Actually, I think the cars look good all things considered. And it’s a lot better to be slowly rusting away than being quickly shredded. If you think these cars look in danger, you haven’t seen True Rust. Don’t carp about this guy’s protection methods; cherish him as a protector of the automotive underloved.
That LTD looks like my Aunt Mae parked it there a couple of hours ago. She had a ’71 LTD while my mother was sporting a ’71 Galaxie 500. Both cars held up pretty well–my mother turned hers in for a ’77 LTD II, and Mae swapped hers for an ’80 LTD.
Years later I saw my mother’s car parked in town, unmistakable in it’s yellow paint with black vinyl top, still rolling, though with a few more dents and dings.
Neat find!
I’ve seen pictures of a place like this in Rhode Island, but I’ve never gotten around to driving by it. I’m not sure the owner desires visitors, though.
I don’t think this is the same place, though, since none of the cars have a RI inspection sticker in the lower passenger side corner of the windshield. You can see what appears to be a Pennsylvania inspection sticker on the lower driver’s side corner of the ’71 LTD windshield, though.
I have only seen a Peugeot 405 wagon once in my life, and it was in this past year. It was driving around Narragansett, RI.
I will buy the Alfa Giulia Super and Rover P5B in their as is condition today if I knew where to find the collection.
is the Rover P5 a “B” with the V8? It’s a “Coupe” which is better looking (with lower roof line) than the sedan – but coupe’s came in both 6 and 8 cylinder versions (I’m pretty sure of that).
The P6 looks to have an “S” after 3500 on the grille badge – which makes it the rare and desirable manual transmission version. Does anyone know if the hood vents were on NA “S” versions only?
Such a shame – restoration of most of these cars would seem most unlikely. They’re well and truely stuffed.
I believe you are right about the scoops
Going by the steel wheels, Id say it was 3 litre
Nice cars, I hope some get fixed before they rust away.
The P5B Coupe is my favorite. I love the P5 Rovers.
Hi Tom,
Me too, I’d better get a P5 CC going….
Roger,
If you don’t already have it, I highly recommend “Rover P5 & P5B: The Complete Story” by James Taylor. I got a copy a few years ago. Seems they were the last of the really traditional Rovers–V8 Coupe notwithstanding!
what part of the world is this place ?? Ireland im hoping 😀