Far too often when an old junkyard full of classic iron closes, decades of restorable cars and valuable parts are cashed out for whatever the per ton rate of scrap metal is at the time. Thankfully this is not one of those stories, at least not yet. Although the owners of the 50 year old salvage yard in Maxwell, NE have decided to auction their amazing inventory instead of crush it, it doesn't necessarily mean these cars have escaped the crusher.
The hundreds of potential restoration projects or parts cars seen here will go up for auction this July. As Hemmings points out, if collectors don't buy these cars, the scrappers will. Metal recyclers often clean out auctions like this with minimum bids. The thought of all of this old American iron going to waste is certainly a painful one, especially when a few of these cars look better than many New England "project cars" of the same era.
If you are in search of an old project car or a parts goldmine, Maxwell, NE is the place to be on July 17 to get a chance at these old cars. If you are thousands of miles away from Nebraska like us, at least you can enjoy these excellent pictures and keep your fingers crossed in the hope as many of these old cars are saved as possible. Anyone have a car transporter we can borrow?
[Fowlkes Auctions via Hemmings]