Arizona Smorgasbord Hides Japanese Iron...and Plenty of Others!

I couldn't believe my eyes when the ubiquitous Murilee Martin posted yesterday on Jalopnik about this treasure trove junkyard down in Arizona.


But don't get your hopes up...word on the street is that most of these forgotten treasures have sadly found their way to the crusher. But look at this place! Japanese cars account for only a sliver of the vintage iron resting quietly in the burning Arizona sun. Many more pictures and more detailed information can be found on the VW Vortex forum here.


The Japanese cars visible in the photos range from a Mazda RX4 Cosmo to an extremely early Subaru coupe, a Datsun 510, a Honda 600, a Starion sitting forlornly on its axles, and more.


But the real story is the international variety represented in this yard. There are more forgotten makes and models here than even I can name off the top of my head: Crosleys, Fiat 124 Station Wagons, Simcas, Renault R16s, Fiat 850s of all body styles, an Auto Union sedan, discarded MGAs, trashy Triumphs, other crappy British cars resembling Hillmans, Citroen Meharis, vintage Saabs, and just about every other arcane, esoteric make one could think of.



I wonder how many of these survived? It's worth a trip to Arizona to find out!

And for a good laugh, check out this guy's tale of traveling to the yard from Oregon to recover 11 TONS of Rover parts...

Lost Car Registry: Reuniting Owners with First Rides

Here's an innovative concept: a website designed to reunite owners with their long-lost vehicles. Born out of a son's desire to find his dad's '69 Mustang Mach I comes the Lost Car Registry.

The idea is for previous owners to put a call out for their beloved, long-lost vehicles. Searching for the 240Z you drove around in high school in 1978? Might as well try here.

The site is relatively simple, and the likelihood of success is slim, but it's an interesting concept and we give props to its creator, Keith Ingersoll.

Check out a video featuring LCR here, courtesy of ABC News.

That said, if anyone sees my first car, a red '87 Alfa Romeo Milano, CA license plate 1RSF698, let me know!