On a recent trip to the mountains a friend pointed me in the direction of this abandoned shell of an old car. There cannot be too many if any salvageable parts left on it. The upside down orientation and encroaching trees make it hard to identify. I believe I know roughly what it might be but what are your thoughts?
Here are a few more photos that might or might not help discern the make and model.
The frame does not look too bad all things considered.
A peek inside with a few bullet holes visible.
In spring and summer I bet the vegetation makes it impossible to even spot. Any guesses on what this is?
I can’t get any closer than early 30’s American, maybe 38 Ford? I found a car like this in the woods once off of a former railroad bike path, I eventually found piece of the grill and surmised it was a 55 Buick. They sold well because they didn’t look as crazy as a Chevy, so they turn the Chevies up to 11 in the coming years.
X-reinforced perimeter frame? Rules out quite a few cars. The greenhouse shot is probably the best clue here but I don’t recognize it beyond being early ’50s American car at latest before fishbowl windshields set in, or an import from the ’60s or earlier but those were mostly unibodies so no. I’m stumped.
The X-frame says Ford to me, I’d like to get a better look at what’s left of the suspension mounts since transverse springs = Ford and longitudinal leaves and/or IFS = Not Ford, at least in a pre-’49 model which we’re definitely looking at here.
These were all the photos I got unfortunately. The location and bushes made it tough to get much more.
I was thinking ’37 or ’38 Ford also. The body included some wood, even before the trees started weaving their own wood into the structure. So it’s not Chrysler. The back part of the body, if it’s not completely distorted, suggests Ford in those years.
That is where I got to as well.
Not at all like a Ford of that vintage. The key picture is of the interior; flip it over and take a good look. It has only two largish windows on each side, unlike the three on most cars (and Fords) of that vintage.
That is the key clue. I’m not sure of where it takes me, but it has to be a “four window” sedan of some sort.
My initial thought from that picture was a Kaiser or Frazier. But I don’t think they used an x frame for their sedans.
I’m not sure I see the back part as being a rear door. It looks like a two door sedan to me, possibly 30s GM. I think the part that you’re interpreting to be a rear door is using similar stamping to the four door but is welded in.
I came to the same conclusion. Seems a bit odd, but that’s what it looks like.
I think it’s 30s GM as well. There is no way that’s a Ford, their frame rails ran front to back with only a small x frame. The section height of the frame is too tall and beefy to be foreign car, and what would an English car be doing in the woods? GM had beefy x member frames in the 30s, my dad had a Buick made into a hay wagon. I’m going with Buick because of the side window treatment.
The more I look at it, the more I think that maybe it’s something like a 38 Plymouth two door sedan. The rear fenders are relatively pointy at the back, and there’s a similar character line that matches the curve of the fender. Cursory googling indicates that they had a cruciform chassis as well.
On taking another look, I’m increasingly thinking its a foreign car, British most likely. The rear wheel well intrudes really far into the rear door, too much so for an American car. That was common on British cars of the time, with their short wheelbases. And x-reinforced frames were also common.
I’m not sure which exactly, but I feel like I’m getting closer.
I’ve not a clue although the trunk opening and flowing body crease above the rear fender along with the A frame front suspension will tell someone exactly what it is .
When I were a wee lad the woods and farms were dotted with oldies like this .
-Nate
Growing up in the mountains of North Carolina, we would come upon cars like this frequently along the old logging roads where we would ride motorcycles. Several years ago my son told me about an abandoned old car in the woods behind his school. Can’t be. We live in a major southern city and his school was right in the middle of an upscale neighborhood. I asked him to show me one Sunday. Sure enough, about a 100 yards back in the woods sat the long abandoned remains of an early 50’s Chevy sedan.
looks like a 1963 Fucci Menoulli
but I could be wrong
My only observation so far is how the rear fender comes to a point. Late 30’s Fords were more rounded and elongated.
1949 English Ford Anglia??
Like this
Austin 16 from the swage on the rear panel
Could it be a 1940-ish Willys?