While most derelict classic cars spend their retirement years in scrapyards, some of them are still with their owners. And I’m not talking about vehicles locked up in barns. Nope, some are stashed away in large crowds, hidden from civilization. Like the Mopar collection you’re about to see below.Documented by YouTube’s “Hot Rod Hoarder,” this stash may look like a junkyard, but none of the cars are for sale.
Sure, some were dismantled, and some wrecked beyond repair, but the owner is not yet ready to part ways with them. And that’s precisely why he wants to keep his name and the location of the property secret. So while our host was allowed to film the place, he was given explicit instructions not to reveal the coordinates of the yard. So don’t even bother asking if anything’s for sale.
What makes this place cool, then? Well, many of these derelict vehicles are actually rare or hard to find in any condition nowadays. The land is also home to no fewer than 20 Plymouth Barracudas. All of the second-generation varieties and all three body styles available at the time.
Sure, this means there are no super-rare HEMI cars among them, but hey, at least a couple of them are gems you don’t get to see very often. On top of that, some boast racing history as dragsters and dirt cars.
The rare ones are convertible from the final model year. While the 1969 Barracuda is far from rare at almost 32,000 units built, the drop-top body style is not that common. That’s because Plymouth sold only 1,442 units.
And with many of them scrapped, crashed, or rotting away in junkyards, the 1969 convertible is scarce regardless of condition. Unfortunately, the two examples parked here are in poor shape, but they can be brought back to life with the right amount of cash.
I also spotted a pair of 1940s Dodge Business Coupes. One is a derelict car awaiting restoration, while the second one was already hot-rodded some years ago. The Business Coupe was never very popular with classic car collectors due to its odd proportions, but many examples made it into the 21st century as chopped hot rods with modern engines under the hood. Needless to say, the unrestored example you’ll see early in the video is as rare as they get.
Moving over to cars that aren’t as rare, but you won’t see them on public roads anytime soon, the yard also includes a 1965 Plymouth Valiant. Yes, the company sold over 150,000 Valiants that year, but only 3% were ordered as convertibles. If this one’s also a Signet, we’re looking at fewer than 2,600 examples made.
If you’re into drag cars, you’ll see quite a few of them. Some of the Barracudas mentioned above show racing heritage, but the yard also includes a Dodge Dart Demon that spent a few years at the drag strip. And it still sports decals on the front fenders.
The Dart with the big hood scoop also looks like it has recorded mileage one quarter-mile at a time. There’s also a third-gen Cuda that was completely gutted out for dirt track duty and a first-gen Dodge Challenger with a race-spec hood.
But this yard is not all about two-door cars and track heritage. It also includes a 1960s Dodge Polara wagon and a pair of 1963 sedans. The 1962 Dodge 440 parked next to them is a one-year gem that likely has a big-block V8 under the hood. I’m not suggesting it’s one of those rare Max Wedge cars, but it’s valuable nonetheless with a 383-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) B-block.
But I’m an even bigger fan of the 1956 DeSoto Firedome that pops up at the 11:44-minute mark. Graced by Virgil Exner’s “Forward Look” design, the four-door sedan sports cool tailfins with tripe taillights like most Chryslers of the era. This feature made the Firedome a hit and gave DeSoto record-selling numbers in 1956.
Speaking of cars with fins, the 1961 Chrysler Windsor parked here is even more spectacular with those huge finds running from the front doors to the back of the vehicle. Yet another Mopar you don’t see anymore, even though Chrysler sold more than 10,000 of them that year.Finally, you’ll be treated to a 1969 Dodge Coronet 400 finished in what looks like Rallye Green. And even though it looks rough and had its roof replaced, this two-door still runs and drives.
Granted, it would be nice if more of these cars would have engines and would run, but hopefully, the owner is planning on restoring a few of them soon. The place includes at least a dozen classics worth bringing back to life. Check them all out in the video below, and tell me which one’s your favorite in the comments section below.