(first posted 9/7/2011)
We’re on the the home stretch on our tour. Now this ’66 or ’67 Falcon is hardly an exotic, but they’ve become surprisingly uncommon on the streets, especially a vinyl-roofed Futura Sports Coupe. Sorry, but I can’t be bothered to look up which this one is, but someone will tell us all too soon. I did shoot a similar vintage Falcon coupe on the street some time ago, and then one day, I missed a nice four-door sedan, which would have made our Aussie/Kiwi friends happy. I may wait to see if I find it again, or just go ahead with the coupe. Moving on…
The caretaker here is not random in what he chose to spare, obviously. Just in front of the later Futura sits a first year version, the ’61. I always had a serious soft spot for ’61 Futuras, with their lovely bucket seats and console. One of my recurring MM cars was this, with the rare four-speed manual (UK Ford sourced), and the six warmed over, Ab Jenkins style, with three side-draft carbs.
Not much left of the Futura’s interior, and that little steering wheel is all wrong. It’s becoming quite organic in there, ahead of the new trends.
That big Caddy coupe looks like it’s been ramming the poor little American in its square butt with the force of its its 472 CID V8.
And what have we here, tucked in between the pickup and another Caddy? A Citroen 11CV Traction Avant, a global milestone car if ever there was one.
The Traction Avant was one of the pioneers of front-wheel drive, arriving in 1934 with a radical unibody construction and a drive train in the front that placed the engine behind the front wheels, and the transmission in front. That was the preferred arrangement for larger fwd cars in the early days, from the glorious racing Millers, the Cord L29, and all the way to the Renault R5 (LeCar), which I think was the last mass-produced car with that arrangement, but someone may correct me on that.
The styling may have looked a bit like the typical thirties cars, but they were deceptively modern and low. Their 60″ height is just an inch more than the 2012 VW Passat. Not surprisingly, they were built, with some evolution and in different variants, (here a Normal behind the shorter-wheelbase Light) for over twenty years, until the equally radical Citroen DS/ID eventually succeeded them. We’ll have to do a full story on them (both) sometime.
The secret to the TA’s lowness to the ground is seen here: no floor.
Here’s the manufacturer’s plate, in case someone can decipher it and tell us what year it is. Speaking of manufacturer, the huge development costs of the TA broke Andre Citroen’s company, and Michelin bought a controlling interest in the ensuing 1934 bankruptcy.
Here’s a picture of the 1911 cc OHV four that powered the 11CV. This same basic engine was carried on into the DS/ID range, because Citroen couldn’t afford to develop a new engine for it. Right behind the fan are the levers for shift linkage, where it connects to the front transmission.
On the other side, the shift linkage is very visible, where it goes into the firewall, and ends up inside in the common French “umbrella handle” shifter. It has a decided “push-pull” feel.
Through the front grille, the transmission is quite visible, protruding below and in front of the radiator. It has a provision for crank-starting, where those weeds got tangled up in its hub. The cremé of the TAs was the 15CV, with a lovely smooth 2.9 L straight six.
Back to Americans; two of them, in their first and second generations. We saw these pictures in yesterday’s Rambler American CC, but we’ll run it again in case someone stumbles on this ten or fifty years from now. Nothing ever gets lost on the internet, unless you make a real effort.
We kind of exhausted this subject, so let’s move on.
This is one of two Fiat 850 Spiders here.
The other one was invited to hang with the T-Birds; what an honor. I’m trying to see the connection, but it’s getting to late to make the right ones.
It’s like Noah’s Ark here; two of everything, including Fairlanes.
There’s a lot more than two Mustangs here. And there’s the Imp (CC here) in case you missed that. And a Ford pickup bed (no CC on that).
Another Z-car, this time a 280Z 2+2. And yes, my initial impulse to call the Falcon a ’67 was right; the grille verifies that.
Need taillights? OK you Clue nerds, start identifying them!
One car is privileged to sit under a roof: a 1938 Pontiac. Maybe it was the caretaker’s own car, or his favorite. I can see why, that particular Pontiac front end is a real gem; it’s always been one of may favorites of the era.
Well, we’re back to where we started, but this time let’s take in these A-Bodies.
And our farewell car is a ’56 Mercury (CC here). Rust in peace! Now to hop that fence again.
In case you want to visit, here’s the address 29329 Airport Road. If you’re coming or going to the Eugene Airport, it’s on the way! And I can tell you the best place to hop the fence.
What? No junkyard dogs?
What is happening to this world???
Back when I was growing up, there would be at least two not-too-friendly pooches on patrol in a place like that. And of course during the day, you had to step over them to get into the office since they worked the graveyard shift and snoozed through the hot afternoons.
Man, I haven’t seen that cool of a junkyard for many, many years! When I owned our 1992 LeBaron convertible, I used to haunt a particular place all the time searching for odds and ends.
I think of WWll movies whenever I see a Traction Avant, expecting to see a German officer in the back seat. What a find, as I have never seen one in person.
That newer Falcon – that was my favorite of the Falcon series. It looked like a taller Mustang, but I preferred Novas.
Good stuff, Paul. Now I know I have to visit Oregon some day!
A Traction Avant Citroën 11 Légère is the getaway car in the French film that invented the modern caper thriller, Rififi, from 1955.
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Rififi/60020832
These guys are tough, super fun for anyone, especially for the likes of us. A ’50 Buick Super convertible and a ’50 Olds Futuramic convertible get lots of screen time. The bad guy drives a ’54 Ford Vedette. Peugeots and Renaults of course and lots of other interesting cars galore.
http://www.imcdb.org/movie_48021-Du-rififi-chez-les-hommes.html
In traffic on the street you see how low and rakish the Traction Avant really was. I’m sure looking forward to the CC on that.
With some of these, I just have to wonder where they came from to end up here. Scads of TBirds, sure, but a Citroen TA? Although I do recall seeing an 850 Spyder in a tiny little town in Tennessee, where any import other than a Beetle would have been inexplicable.
These photos always leave me with a sense of tremendous waste, although I have to remember that they are machines after all, and destined to decay–there’s no way we could ever keep them all on the road, and 99% of them would be outmoded by any rational measure.
That Traction Avant is a fantastic find. I have say that particular ones looks a bit too far gone but what a car. That Fiat 850 seems to be calling to me the most though.
We had a wonderful little 850 Spyder when I was a kid back east. Dad and I went for long drives in it on the weekend, back when many people would just go for a drive on a nice day. What a sweet little car. He sold it before I got my license. Broke my heart, I had to learn to drive in a VW. Probably just as well, they turned to rust right before your eyes. Those two in the yard look dangerously sweet.
Good thing you didn’t post that address until I made it back home, or my wife would have hunted you down.
Nissan actually called the 4-seat 280Z “2-by-2” (2 x 2)
Take a look at the satellite photos of this place – the Google ones appear to be older (and of lower resolution), as the yard doesn’t have nearly the number of cars recently documented by Paul. The Bing satellite data is much clearer and appears to be more recent, but still shows less vehicles than are currently there now.
Somebody was really putting together a collection of vintage iron together here (and then life, as usual, intervened).
I’ve kicked the idea around of running some kind of yard like this, but you can run the numbers six ways to Sunday and it doesn’t pencil out unless your hobby is pouring a lot of money into a hole in the ground (and keeping a reserve for the inevitable environmental remediation that will be demanded).
More Googling results in a business called Scott & Sons Towing & Garage at 29331 Airport Road, 541-688-3138, is this the same place? I also see that a business with the same name is now at 1642 W 6th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402 541) 344-4234. And from the Bing satellite view of that downtown location, they appear to have (had) quite the number of old American cars stuffed in their lot there as well.
You could almost say, conversely, that someone was putting together a life, and then a collection of vintage iron intervened! (Which can be the case with almost any hoard–cars are just more unwieldy than almost anything else.)
OK, here’s the story on the former owner Richard “MG” Scott, who as many had guessed, passed away in 2008:
http://ppphdbilling.yuku.com/topic/900/Richard-quot-MG-quot-Scott–Scott-amp-Sons-Towing-Eugene-Ore
Same info here: http://tow411.yuku.com/topic/51982
He had daughters but no sons, and only one living brother in town, so his family is probably still trying to figure out what to do with everything (which can be very stressful and overwhelming, for anybody who has had to go through this kind of thing). I always like to find out the story behind the stuff, because there always is one!
Have any links to pics of the 6 with trip side drafts? I’ve looked before and couldn’t find one. Does it take a UK head or just a custom moded US manifold?
That was in a magazine back then. But you can find it all here: http://www.fordsix.com/
http://www.cliffordperformance.net/ is where you make 6=8. I’ve always liked big cubic inch straight sixes, they were honest engines and had plenty of low end torque, yet saved a little on gas.
That Dart GT (a 65?) is awfully sweet.
Next to the Citroen is a 63 Cadillac 6 window sedan. This looks like the twin to the only parts car I ever owned.
That’s actually a ’63 Cad. The grille on the ’63 is vertical; on the ’64 the “nose” points forward a bit.
The fin heights are lower on the ’64, and of course the entire drivetrain changed (390->429, Dual-Coupling Hydramatic to what became a TH400). ’64 got transistors in its radio and Twilight Sentinel, and IIRC Climate Control for the first time.
I’ve got a couple of ’63/64 ads scanned (click HERE).
Here’s a ’63:
Here’s a ’64:
Aware of the difference. I owned the identical twin of the 63 Fleetwood in this ad.
Its like Noahs ark two of everything but only one imp no future breeding program there, but there are enough Fiat 850s to make 1 that could be worth it cant be too many left now, Hopefully the saveable cars get saved especially the rarer ones theyve been kept from the crusher this long may as well make it permanent.
Those 2 FIAT 850’s look to be fairly solid and perhaps complete, at least enough to restore though that green one looks weathered enough so that the paint has worn down to the primer beneath in places.
I like the orange one best.
Those later Falcons, the ’66 and later models are not all that common, at least not as common as the earlier ones. I still see the older ones around here, some restored, some not. Back in Jr High (late 70’s), someone, I think a janitor had a light green, I think a 4 door ’68 Falcon and again, even then, I didn’t see those as often as I did the earlier ones.
Very cool series there Paul.
Cool and creepy at the same time. I’ve always viewed this places as a mixture of treasure chest and grave yard. Haunted by the spirts of dead cars and in some cases dearly departed brands and manufacturers.
Why do i picture a man of the Ed Brown type ( From “Chico and the Man”) running this place? Did you check for a shot glass in the cash register?
The Renault wasn’t the last, that honor goes to the Honda/Acura Vigor.
JP, my guess is 65 on that Dart too. Would love to build one of those out as a kind of surfer-kustom with a chromed up Slant Six…with money I don’t have to live in a garage I don’t have either. 🙂
Tragic, on so many levels…
First, Citroen. The company, as much as the car. Man, to put together such a rig in the 1930s…front-wheel-drive in a rakish, high-styled package…that bespeaks engineering prowess the likes of which Detroit no longer had. Or has, to this day. Where did they, did the French in general, go WRONG?
A car like that would be saleable even today…just a modern engine and some body stiffening, and it would set sales records.
And to they yard. Good you got photos, Paul – in an estate sale like that, where the yard is basically one man’s monument to his interests and idiosyncracies…it’s even money that most or all of the contents are headed for the crusher. Especially today, when scrap prices are setting records; when even repairable cars are being shredded…and the women who will own the yard will balance the costs of keeping it versus the return on clearing, scrapping and selling. Only the low land-prices of today, I’m guessing, have kept them from rushing ahead.
Citroen swung for the fences and wound up getting bought out not once, but twice–they bought Maserati to use the engine in the SM (or in the course of developing the SM, anyway), released that car into the teeth of the early-’70s fuel crisis/recession, and were driven into the arms of Peugeot.
Of course, history has proven that getting involved with Maserati typically turns out to be a fool’s errand, anyway. 😀
“…history has proven that getting involved with Maserati typically turns out to be a fool’s errand, anyway.”
…or Peugeot.
Those Falcon/Futura coupes are a bit sought-after here – we only got the Australian-built sedans and wagons. A few enterprising souls have imported them, merged them with a scrapped right-hand-drive sedan/wagon, and created right-hand-drive coupes – creative, and using the factory RHD bits means they look factory too. Nice!
That’s a two door sedan the coup’e had a sloping roof line and we did get them new in 65
i loved thease features on this old scrapyard,here in the uk old scrapyards like this are becomeing rare enviromental rules mean they must be cleaned up or cleared..there used to be one in east sussex called ripleys 30 acres of old farm ,cars,vans trucks,busses,trains,trams,boats ,bikes cranes,lawnmowers ..ripleys had everything.i used to love spending afternoons there wondering around fantersising about putting this one or that one back on the road,all the veachles dated from the 20s to the 70s a wonderfull place indeed
Does anyone have a contact number for this address I am chasing some parts for a 67 falcon coupe
541-344-4234. They do not sell parts, you’ll have to buy the whole Falcon.
Gee, nobody ever ID’d the late Falcon. The round taillights mark it as a 66-67, so it is one of the early ones of the style. The 68 got the square taillights (which I consider an improvement). Not sure, but if I really see a fat steering wheel center pad peeking out at us, that would definitely make it a 67.
Edit- the chrome side spear clinches it as a 67. The 66 Futura had plain sides.
So nice to re-visit the Falcon coupe, as it reminds me (without the extra chrome and vinyl) of the ones our veterinarians used to bomb around the western Iowa countryside in. They must have Aussie-proofed those Falcon suspensions by then, as these got hard usage.
Maybe that orange Fiat 850 was in the Thunderbird row so its front end would feel at home with the Bullet Birds? The arrangement of vehicles here is whimsical enough to support that. Either would be a fun drive on a sunny Spring day.
I did a quick search on Citroen serial numbers at http://www.citroenpieces.com/TASerialNos.html
A Citroen Traction Avant 11B with the serial number 253067 would appear to be from 1953.
I couldn’t find any info on what the other number (EK05263) refers to – maybe someone else knows?
At this late date, Google maps satellite photos show the lot on Airport Road, still filled with ancient iron.
Ha ha, I just checked Google maps myself.
“and he’s trading in his Chevy for a Trac-i-lac-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack”
Despite growing up in a northwestern Montana town that had a surprisingly large number of French cars chilling in backyards and driveways, I’ve never seen a Traction Avant in use or retired from use. First one I encountered was beautifully restored and at a car show in Arizona. In fact, other than a brief sighting of a Citroen when I was too young to remember what model it was (probably a DS or CX), there were none- not even a 2CV. Don’t believe we ever had a dealer, though many people drove 120-240 miles to larger cities to buy Volvos, Saabs, and Alfa Romeos.