Abandoned cars in forgotten junkyard 

And to think, each one of these, at one time, was sitting in a dealer's showroom, gleaming and mint condition and with that "new car" smell inside...

I am not American but I do think you Americans made some of the greatest looking cars to have ever existed between the 1920s to the 1970s. That's why it is hard to sit and see these old gems rotting away like that. Almost sad really!

I am a model car builder, and am currently working on a large junkyard diorama. What you show here will live on in the diorama that I'm constructing, with much of the same type of horticulture. This video is quite inspiring and a great asset to me. I'm truly appreciative to still have it available some 13 years after it was posted.

Who would have known, those cars were once rolled off the showroom floor. So many stories in that place, too bad :(

The owner could sell those old wrecks off and never have to work another day. That Hudson, in particular, is worth a mint. Great vid... thanks for sharing!

hope this will remain "forgotten" by the metal hunters and saved by cars lovers

I agree. These cars once meant something to someone. The people who owned these cars decades ago might have fond memories of road trips, first cars, and cherished moments never to be forgotten. These old cars were once a part of someone's life. Now they just sit there, never to be driven again, never to even be seen by those to whom they meant so much. They'll only live on in their memory.

Thx for yhe update. I haven't been back by there in a long time. It's good to know that someone is maybe saving some of these cars.

It really is sad to see something like that.

As that kid says to Toad in American Grafitti - "What a waste of machinery!"

Wow, I awesome to see. My father in-law had an auto salvage yard here in SW Maine. He passed away several years ago. He save saved some hood emblems, and quarter panal marques. I found them cleaning his garage. I painted a board up and mounted them on the board. Ahhh....I wish it was still here. We cleaned up the land, as my mother in-law had no one else to carry on the JY. ( I had a full time job at the time). Thanks for the vid. JF Maine

This junkyard looks like the one you can see from the highway when the leaves are off the trees just south of Harrison Mi.

Judging by the size of most of the trees, this j/y was closed around 1984.

Two miles from my house there's a 5 acre plot loaded with UK cars from the 30s, to the 70s. They too are just rotting away, covered in brambles and scrub. The two barns on the property contain classic Rileys, Wolesleys, Rovers, Talbots and MGs. The man who owns them, won't sell one bloody part... Thanks for posting, I saw a 1967 Cuda, and a 61 Impala in there, the man should be arrested, it's a f**king CRIMINAL waste..............

That's one of the greatest junkyards I've seen on you tube. Great presentation. Thanks for taking the time to make the video!

Thanks for your hard work to make this video. It's sad to see them like that. Hope with help, someone can bring them out or to life again.

we can build spaceships from those

Lots of great hard to find parts just going to waste. What a shame.

Whenever I see things like this it hits close to home. I used to work at a junkyard and all that was in there was 30's-80's cars and most were restorable... I used to take lunch and just walk through staring at the history.....

I had the pleasure of talking with Irv a few years back. He told me how he started picking up and bringing cars home he saw out in fields and yards on his way home from work in Lansing. What a guy. I wish I could have spent more time talking with him and I hope he is doing ok. I asked him if he would allow camping out in his fields but believe it or not that far out away from cities he was still having security issues. His son has it under control. And yes all are for sale money talks bs walks and posts on ut. I also was allowed to take the tour, I laughed but understood when he told me no smoking, no tools and no kids.

roadkill be like MINT

I've seen late 90's vehicles with more rust, this is a museum

I note with satisfaction the fact that red cars appear to be a little less rusty. I have always suggested that anything red will run faster (Keds), fly higher, and last longer.

The reason places like this are getting rare is because the old guys who own them are starting to die off and their families would rather call in the crusher than try to sell each car or parts. The high prices of scrap metal aren't helping this either. Another reason is some counties are getting super aggressive with their beautification and cleanup bylaws. I know of several people here in Alberta who've been forced to sell, remove or otherwise crush their (neatly parked in rows) project car collections due to bylaw enforcement. It sucks but that's the direction we're heading in.

Note the defiantly shiny chrome on the mid-range '57 Studebaker at 2:32Think about it: Every one of those derelicts once was the bright, shiny apple of someone's eye when they wheeled it into the driveway for the first time while admiring neighbors looked on. Every one of them held someone's hopes and dreams. Where are those owners now?

To me it looks like the case of an inheritance and potential treasure trove that whoever has it now is too overwhelmed with lack of time or lack of knowledge to really know what to do with it. So it just sits rusting away.

My friend, Jim MacSorley has owned over 4,000 cars and feels the same way!!! Restore them!!!! He has purchased "new" parts for every car out there - now, in his 60's he's attempting to inventory his 50 years of purchases, he has it all He lives in LA and can sell you any part you ever thought of in any car ever made!!! Our auto heritage is in those woods!! Maybe a group effort like the "Nature Conservantcy" but the "Car Conservantcy" and lots of people spend the next 10 year fixing them!!!

Having watched my Dad and uncles rebuild and do engine swaps on everything from Corvettes to Jeeps, this is painful to watch. But it is comforting to know that some of these cars will get the attention they deserve and be restored.

where in Michigan is this at? id like to get a hold of the owner?

I would bring a 6 pack of beer, and spend the day gawking at all of this, wondering, who was the first owner of these magnificent vehicles, and who was the last owner, just ponderous! Why would a junkyard be permanently closed? Seems stupid to me?! Anyway, an interesting video, fascinating.

"yes" you are a wise man, and i share your love for old cars , and like me , just the chance to have a walk around a place like this ! ! ! well what can i say , it gets the hairs on the back of my neck standing right up, , places like this are a shrine to us ,," who are we" lovers of history "cars " or are we "artist"s and we do not know yet,,,,,,,,,,," you know who you are", you are just like me, love you , mark

I love places like this, its like a treasure hunt ! But also sad to see these beautiful cars knowing some are / will be to far to salvage ! 😥

There is a junkyard like that on us 23 between Ann Arbor and ohio

I Love 1965 Pontiac B-body ever since a was kid and to see that Catalina (2:26) kind of upset me >:/

* Such a shame to see so much American Iron left to rot ! And think of all the personal memories each one held. Left to disappear like tears in the rain !

I love the care from about 1955 through the end of the '60s. This video is interesting because it shows so many, but it breaks my heart to see the condition they're in.

I can hear the owners now ....well were going to fix them up and sell'em for big money one day ...better hurry there turning to dirt .

None of them are made in China, that's why they are still around.

"Enjoy the pics, places like this just don't exist". Well, yes they do by this account. There are many of these places that may only be seen by air and or word of mouth. My brother would travel from Fl to PA and back twice a year for 20 years or so to the Hershey and Carlisle swap meets. He would stop on the way to and from at places just like this one only spread out throughout the southern states. I took many pictures also of some of those yards as I traveled with him once. Something very tranquil yet very disturbing about the metallic carnage. Trees growing through engine bays, cars literally rusting right back into the Earth, and most will never ever hear the voices of owners ever again. Quite fitting that this yard is in Michigan I guess. Thanks for taking the time to photo and post these, very poignant.

Amazing!!! it's like an old car show that the people just disappeared from. What a piece of history!! Should be a museum!!! What a waste of beauty !!

i would love to have one of them

American Auto History wasting away!

Nice vid but sad as well. Saw a lot of classics. Thanks for the post!

This is probably the end result of a car hoarder who thought what he had was worth more than actual worth. So there it sat and sits until rust corrodes it all away.

I would save ALL the mustangs

Beautiful. There is very little plastic on these cars...so the components will return to the earth and the cycle will continue. Love the Michigan woods.

This could be a gold mine of old parts, original stuff from old cars

Where in Michigan is this located?

I'm in Montreal Canada, where salty roads make cars rust away within 8 years. Makes me nostalgique to see see those cars just laying there and rusting in time!!! Could of find owners for a few 100 bucks back then!!!

To the owner of the 67' Ford you left your lights on......, your hood. Ha, Thanks for the tour Xcape, I miss seeing cars with charachter.

Some good restoration vehicles here.

Awesome pictures, thanks for posting them. I always say... better lost and forgotten than crushed and turned into a Civic! At least if they're lost, there's still a chance!

Pretty nice to look at. thanks to the owner to allow the footage for many to enjoy. Lot of history there...and from Michigan. cool

In high school 1980 I got a 1966 galaxy with a 289 hi-po with a 9" rear end a 4 speed for 750 bucks.I had the fastest car in the parking lot after a new cam and holley carb with what we called cheater slicks.I blew it up 2 years later and sold it for 1500 and the block had a hole in it.I miss that beast and my 8 track player Jensen 6X9's with a power booster lol.I have a 2003 cobra now that would smoke that galaxy.But you can't beat the sound of a cammed push rod V8 with glass packs!!!

Back in the day people didn't really give a shit about these cars as much as we do today because we now view them as a rare classics, but back then they were just everyday cars of that era. Really sad...

Just to think all these cars were someone's pride and joy at one time.

The man that let you see these beautiful cars must be GOD, and that is HEAVAN,..

"You mean there's a couple hundred thousand dollars in parts and restorable bodies out there? We better lock it all up and post no trespassing signs and let it rot into nothing..."

To be familiar with Michigan junk yards means that you know that the majority of these vehicles came here with excessive rust and interior rot. A "rust bucket" was not worth fixin on, so off to the junk yard it went. Sorry to say this folks, but it is true.

That 52 or 53 Hudson at 2:55 is ultra cool..... When you go to find a part or a body panel for a restoration project, you'll see how valuable what you're looking at really are....

this is michigan folks. these cars were rusted out when they were brought to this yard. theres not enough frame left to even winch one on a trailer. the only good parts are trim and glass.

PartingOut is a site where these cars need to be posted as a whole and let all us car lovers request the parts off of them. People who have these cars get tired of looking, confirming & sending pictures to buyers who never follow through. Make an offer that states who, where and what along with a price that you are willing to pay and then we can help you. That is how buyers and sellers deal on PartingOut. I personally have several thousand cars and over 500 pre1980s cars that are parts cars.

Imagine rescuing one of those wrecks, and only fix whatever needed for passing car inspection. Imagine the inspectors face when he realizes he has to let that corpse of a car through!

Wow that place is special. Most people see junk but I see treasures even though there is no way to restore any of them cars. Still very cool to see them

My mouth is dry and my eyes are full of tears. So sad to see so many beautiful and rare machines rotting away.

I can somewhat understand people like this who just keep these cars around and not even sell them. In the end, it's their cars, not the community's cars and they can do whatever they want with em.

yep! I know somebody with that car here and whenever he parks he leaves his park lights on absolutely paranoid as hell about not being able to find the rear window again!

How can you wown the property knowing that you have all those cars in there and not do anything?! If i owned that i would have one hell of a restoration project! Love it

Plenty of great projects there..... I would love to have the money to gather a bunch of old forgotton beautys and restore them. Great video!

So much potential in that yard, but will never see them again.

At one time they were all brand new and someone's pride & joy!!! 2101

the more I see the more pissed off I get!!!!! What are these kind of people thinking ? Is it hoarding to the Max !!! Having them and not taking care of them is a crime !

I know of a place like this, that isn't quite as large and the owner won't sell any of them. His quote "I'm going to restore them." What an absolute waste.

0:51,red 63 Impala convertible.My brother bought one identical to this one new back in 63.A beautiful car.

This person is sitting on a gold-mine here. There is someone somewhere looking for every single usable part in that place, plus I saw several restorable ones like the Edsel, the Corvair, the Mustang, Barracuda's, etc, etc.

The car lovers over the US could band together, take charity offerings; create a "non-profit?" or something - and take turns fixing what's in the woods!!! A heritage museum outside!!! I would give money to such an endeavor!!! all of us love those years and the cars that took us everywhere!

Thank you for the reply. Didn't know if he had enough solid parts to piece together for one good one.

@ Ricky - Aloha friend, at 1;36 is a Barracuda from 64-66. The V badge was 65-66 as they were the only ones where the 273 was offered. Most of them were stripped from the wussy 225 S-6 and swapped with 413 (early hemi) and were brilliant drag cars. I had 3 running junkers, a 62 Power wagon with a 413, and about 2 months spare with more stolen tools than I could use, but I had me a relic drag dogfish Barracuda for a bit Cheap and EZ work even or the novice builder -

Most of these cars were to far gone. They had served their purpose and left nothing but a shell. Miss it

I saw a Chevy Nova (a Toyota-based one) and a Plymouth Reliant K-car, both were made around 1984-1986. So whoever owned this was still putting cars here at that time.

alot of michigan history in that one spot

it's crazy. these cars that have became a part of past American life are just rusting away..my grandmother told me she remembers being in the back seat of a brand new '57 Chevy when she was little. how much you wanna bet it ended up like this? it's a shame we cant save 'em all, but atleast some are saved. I love going to car-shows and seeing them as they were when new.

I live in Michigan and restore old cars. Lots of good parts sitting there, but the cars are for the most part, too far gone to restore. Michigan uses tons of salt on the roads in the winter, so they were rusty when they were parked. Then they keep on rotting. Most of these cars will fall apart if moved. Personal experience has taught me that.

Alot of those cars can be saved or stripped for parts even though these cars are from Michigan. There is a lot of top dollars parts in there too. That junk yard should be stripped, part out, and rest of the metal scrap which will make so much profit of the metal itself,lol.

This annoys me, I'm only 15 years old but I have a love for beauties like this, my dad collects classic cars and I find this depressing. If my dad ever found out, he'd find out where this place is, pull them out, and fix them up, and put them back on the open road, where they belong.

Looks like a bunch of Michigan salt rust buckets. Might have the odd part or two, but mostly junk.

1:36? Plymouth Barracuda +/- 1965. That glass is super valuable...just like so many bits and pieces of those cars. Itlooks like much of the good stuff was removed in the day that it was an active junker. The Michigan weather isn't exactly known for preserving metal. Sad. 20 years ago this place would have been a dream!

I would buy the pickup trucks just so I could have such cool old things sitting in my yard

I go by this place all the time.

Oh man those cars look like there hurting big time ! Thanks for taking the time to post this .

This is my the worst nightmare seeing such car cemetery :(

nice..appreciate them while they are still with us.

This guy really likes his mopars, especially cudas. Beautiful stuff going to waste.

Yeah the cars are too far gone , but possible may yield usefull parts.

this place aint a junkyard, its a treasure chest full of priceless gems that are now, thanks to the owner of the property, undrivable and rotting away in the forests of michigan, when i move there i am going to find the place and not leave until the 69 chevelle from 0:55 is in my posession

My wife's maiden name is Hilliard, any family discounts. It is a friggin sin to see those cars like that.

its sad to sit here and see how all these restorable cars will just sit here and rust right back down like they never even existed....

here by the Mississippi River a similar junk was located...the owners did not want to see anything...but then a big flood came and covered all of the vehicles....then a big auction was held :)

I'd pay large for a sweat equity project from there; Lot of fine projects . Cheers to the creator!.

I wish that guy would let people buy or take some cars so some of them can be restored and put back on the road.. Nice find!