Can YOU IDENTIFY THESE abandoned Arizona arroyo antiques?
We at Hemmings are always on the lookout for fascinating photos of derelict old cars and trucks that can potentially star in our popular annual Hemmings Abandoned Autos calendar. One of the contributors to the 2025 calendar that’s now being printed is Pedro Maya, an Arizona native who’d shared an image of a roofless, bullet-hole-ridden 1954 Ford Customline Ranch Wagon surrounded by rocks and cacti near the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
Much to our delight, Pedro shared more photos with us, including this set that had our jaws on the desk.
Here was a natural desert ravine that was apparently chockablock with the rusted remains of Fifties and Sixties vehicles. Since they were piled indiscriminately, many had crushed roofs, no glass, and any usable parts or trim seemed to have long been removed.
When pressed for details, Pedro says:
“When a friend and I arrived at the scene, I was speechless! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. These cars are located southeast of Tucson. We were limited to how close we could get. They are piled up in the middle of an arroyo -a desert wash- about three stories high. Some I could make out, while others I needed a closer look but was unable to do so. Most of these photos are taken from the upper banks of the wash.”
“The story I was told was that those cars were dumped there from an old salvage yard that once existed in the area; the railroad came through and those cars needed to be removed- so there they are. I can identify some, but not all, without a closer look. Plus, some are severely damaged and disfigured, making them more challenging to identify. Many have been there before me -you can tell by all the parts removed- but they are still beautiful to me, just as they are.”
Have a good look at these photos and leave a comment with the years, makes, and models that you recognize!
If you’ve taken any photos you feel might be good for inclusion in Hemmings’ Abandoned Autos calendar and that haven’t been published in the U.S. within the last 10 years, please consider submitting them to us for consideration. You can email digital files to Tom Comerro at tcomerro@hemmings.com.
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