Rust in peace in rural Devon

Whilst chatting with Adrian Crawford (aka Mr Porsche) recently, he mentioned the whereabouts of some old cars that have been stood untouched for many years. It transpired that I'd actually driven past the site on the Volvo V60 Dawn Raid and it was only about 20 miles away from PetrolBlog HQ.

So with an hour to kill, I took the Chrysler Delta (review coming soon) for a wet drive in Devon.

Turns out the cars are situated in an old garage on the way down to the Cornish border. Many of the cars are of British origin, with Jaguar and Triumph being the standout models.

It's an altogether evocative site.

There's something about old, rusting cars that evokes thoughts of past glories and adventures. Naturally, I'd rather they were still roadworthy, but your imagination is free to run riot when a car is in disrepair. As a petrolhead, you, of course, dream the impossible dream of putting the car back together again. If your name is Ralph Hosier the degree of impossibility may be decreased, but there's always a rose-tinted vision of the future when it comes to car restoration.

To my eyes at least, the majority of cars look beyond economical repair, but that probably wouldn't stop people from trying. The rather forlorn looking Triumph TR3A is sat outside, exposed to the elements, with only the garage canopy for cover. It's a similar story for the Jaguar XJ-S and the Triumph Stag.

Inside there's a Triumph TR4 which somehow manages to look rather cool without its windscreen and front bumper. I was taken aback to discover a seemingly solid 1998 BMW Z3M Roadster languishing inside. According to the DVLA, it was last taxed in March 2011, so there's at least been some movement in the garage within the last 18 months.

So an altogether sad but somehow fascinating sight. One wonders what fate awaits these cars. Time will tell.

 

[caption id="attachment_20019" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Moss covered Jaguar XJ-S[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_20023" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Joseph's Triumph Stag of many colours[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_20027" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Triumph TR5, minus bumper and windscreen[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_20016" align="aligncenter" width="800"] BMW Z3M Roadster[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_20022" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Triumph Stag and Jaguar XJ-S[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_20024" align="aligncenter" width="800"] So why so sad? Triumph TR3A[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_20020" align="aligncenter" width="448"] Old Michelin Tyres sign[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_20021" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Ramped up, never to come down[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_20018" align="aligncenter" width="800"] In need of minor TLC[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_20026" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Wrecked Maserati Merak SS[/caption]

Apologies for the quality of the photos. It was raining and I only had my phone. Also, the windows were very dirty, making the inside shots very hard to capture.