A Car Graveyard in the Heart of Eugene

I have known about this stash of 1970s/80s era cars and parts, mostly BMWs and random parts thereof, located in the Whiteaker area of Eugene, Oregon, for many years, and have always wanted to get close to them, take pictures, and maybe even rescue a car or two. Well, I got the first two out of the way, and building a Revell plastic model kit of an E21 BMW 320i, similar to one of the cars here, will have to do for now as far as rescuing a car from here goes. 

The cars here include a W107 Mercedes-Benz SL roadster with a hardtop and some front-end damage, an early-model Datsun 240Z that was so badly wrecked that it would be impossible to rebuild but undoubtedly has at least a few usable parts left on it, a chrome-bumper BMW 2002 that looks to be a viable project car if it's not too rusty, an E21 BMW 3-series coupe, an E30 3-series coupe that would make great parts cars (or 24 Hours of LeMons/ChumpCar race cars, if one could be bought for under $500), and an extremely rusty "boattail" 1970s Buick Riviera. The parts include many doors, boot lids and bonnets from BMW E3 (Bavaria) and E12 5-series sedans, numerous tires, wheels, suspension struts, hubcaps and other bits that (for the most part) look to have come from BMWs and Datsun Z-cars, and many nuts, bolts and other fasteners. Due to all the interesting stuff out front, I would think that the garage/warehouse directly behind these cars would have similar if not better contents.

2002, E21 3-series and Buick Riviera in background, E30 parked in front

SL, Z-car and E30, E21 and Riviera in background

SL and BMW body parts

SL with 1970s slot-mag wheel, janitor's plastic mop bucket and unidentified steel disc wheel in foreground

A Genuine Freebie: 1973 Datsun 240Z Project Car

Note: This is NOT the car being given away in this ad. This is a file photo of what it could be when restored.

While searching the Seattle Craigslist, among the random household items, ratty furniture, camper shells and scrap metal usually found in Craigslist free-stuff sections, there was a genuine classic car: a 1973 Datsun 240Z. This car is an automatic with two sidedraft carburetors, it does not run, it is purported to have a straight, solid body with rear-hatch damage, and has title issues along the lines of needing "registration only" from the Washington DMV, which as an Oregon resident, I don't understand anything about. There are no pictures in the ad, making it a true pig in a poke, but this could be a great project for the Z-car enthusiast, or even a 24 Hours of LeMons or ChumpCar racer for those who partake in one of those two race series.

Find it here, in Seattle, Washington:

 http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/zip/1120673165.html

More Street Shots: Import Edition

Late-60s Fiat 850 sport coupe. This design was one of Fiat's most attractive sub-1000cc car designs, and was done in-house by Mario Boano, formerly of Carrozzeria Boano. This appears to be an abandoned or partially finished project.

Same Fiat, different view. You can see the surface rust taking over the grey primer, and the overall neglect of the yard and house.

Rear view of Fiat 850. It's a shame that this car has to sit in that neglected yard like it does.

Datsun Roadster and 510. Both in very nice condition from what I could see, and just a few houses away to the right of these cars, there was a neglected brick house with a long driveway leading to a Honda N600, a mid-60s Buick Wildcat and numerous 30s-40s-era cars and trucks behind them. I didn't want to commit trespassing, so I'll just be patient and wait until I can find an owner or caretaker of the property so that I can look at and photograph the cars and trucks legally.

Split-window-era Volkswagen Microbus. This bus appears to be rusty but restorable, and I've heard of all kinds of cars, from VWs to Bugattis, in far worse shape than this being restored.

Volkswagen Rabbit, circa 1979. This car doesn't appear to have moved from its current spot in years, but is still appealing with its dealer-applied decal package and weathered esthetics.