It often seems like there are fewer classic car salvage yards with each passing year. Either they gradually close and liquidate, or their stock rots too much for parts to be recovered. But a vast bastion of old, well-preserved American iron can still be found in Arizona. How vast? More than 10,000 cars in total, plenty of which are still in restorable condition.
This morgue of American automotive history was recently toured by YouTube user Remote Trooper, who captured aerial and ground footage at Desert Valley Auto Parts. Founded back in 1993, the family-owned business has been continually acquiring cars since, with a predominant focus on American cars from 1964 and earlier. In fact, its stock has become so vast that the company’s website says the inventory isn’t even entirely cataloged and sorted. That’s made tougher by how many long-dead brands, such as DeSoto, are represented there.
Nevertheless, Remote Trooper finds while walking through the neatly arranged rows that they’re roughly organized by make. The video barely gets past the General Motors section alone before the Arizona heat forces the host to retreat to his car before noon—a longer outing might’ve allowed for some good old dashboard baking. But while the environment is hostile to life, it’s surprisingly accommodating of the cars themselves.
There are dozens of complete, restoration-ready cars, plus others that are partially complete. Feasibly, they could be saved with enough effort and other parts cars. And while the Arizona sun can sear off any clear coat and paint, the dry climate means rust is minimal, and that the sheet metal is generally good. You’d want to check for desert predators taking refuge in the nooks and crannies of these classics, though.
As for restorations, it doesn’t seem the yard itself does them anymore. This site was the focus of a 2011 Discovery show, Desert Car Kings, that lasted but a single season. But no hackneyed reality TV show can match the entertainment of plumbing the depths of DVAP’s inventory, which you can do online. And should you visit in person, it’ll be easy to spend hours wandering the yard spotting American classics. Maybe you’ll even find one you want to take home with you—that Nash Metropolitan is certainly catching my eye.
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