Recently, managing editor Kate Sullivan and I headed into eastern Colombia County, New York, to photograph a Driveable Dream for Hemmings Classic Car when we happened upon a small collection of cars on the side of the road. Not wanting to delay the car owner and family, we made a mental note to stop on the way back to our Bennington office.
A couple of hours later, we blew right past the location and nearly gave ourselves whiplash in the process. One minute later, and camera in hand, we quickly scoured the mass of old metal. Lovingly painted in surface rust, they are not exactly in the realm of Driveable Dream; more like a major project, parts, or – dare we say it – the crusher.
Erroneously listed as a ’47 Dodge, this ’49 Coronet sedan was easily the oldest vehicle on site with an asking price of $1,200. Powered by a straight-six backed by a manual trans, it was essentially complete – minus a few trim items.
According to information scribed on the windshield, this V-8 equipped 1963 Ford Galaxie has power steering and an automatic, all for $1,995 o.b.o. – it also runs and drives, though we opted not to try it for ourselves.
Hard to miss those obnoxious crash bumpers on this 1973 Chevy Malibu – misspelled “Malibou” – with an asking price of $1,300.
The 1974 Toyota Celica ST really caught my attention, mostly due to the rather sizeable concave appearance in the roof. I thought that these no longer existed up here in the northeast, and with an $895 sticker, I wonder how long it will be before the dent becomes a hole.
Nearly lost, but rather obvious in hindsight, was this 1974 Ford Rollback, complete with light bar, 390 and four-speed. It was likely the most expensive offering at $3,995; surface rust and tow damage was free.
More coming up shortly…