Junkyard Classic: The British Car Boneyard – Something For Everyone

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– Posted on June 14, 2012

As you frequent readers know, the CC graveyard in Eugene is extensive, (click here to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5) but would you believe there is a British CC junkyard here in the Midwest? In Brougham Central? Well, it’s not all British cars – there’s a Falcon, an ’80s Supra and some VWs, but yes, it is true. I know, I’ve been there.

I recently was able to access this eclectic collection of parts cars after hearing about it from my brother. It is not a big place, but it has some pretty interesting remains of yesteryear. For instance, this Jaguar S-Type. Produced from 1963 to 1968, it was intended as a slightly fancier version of the venerable 3.8 Jaguar Mark II, and in fact was a Mark II save for a new roofline, rear quarters and trunklid. It didn’t really take off though, and only about 25,000 were sold in six model years. It’s hard to see in the photo, but the one visible wheel is sporting a redline tire, like a late ’60s muscle car.

What reputable British car yard would be without an MGB? This one actually still looks fairly solid. Just to its left is a 1966-70 Ford Falcon coupe. And we’ll get to that orange doorstop shortly.

These early to mid ’80s Supras have all but disappeared in the Midwest, so I was happy to see a survivor here. These used to be very common in the ’80s and early ’90s, even around here.

Here we have a very weathered Jaguar “Mark I” sedan. It was actually called either the 2.4 or 3.4 Litre by Jaguar, but when the legendary Mark II came out, the earlier versions were retroactively called Mark Is. They are most easily distinguished from Mark IIs by thicker door pillars.

Though very rough, the 2.4 Litre is in better shape than the S-Type, as it still has all its glass and most of its interior – including the wood dash.

These cars were very nice looking, and one of the first really sporting four door sedans. Before this car, sport sedans were rather few and far between. In a way, the current XF is the spiritual successor to this car, as it fills a similar market niche.

Most of the trim is there, including the Leaper and the grille badge, which confirms this car is a 2.4 Litre. This car has a lot of character, even in its current state. The XF I previously mentioned, although attractive for a modern car, looks like a bar of soap next to one of these.

This is the first TR8 convertible I’ve seen in a long time. The TR8 was essentially a TR7 with the Rover V8 instead of an inline four, and a convertible joined the coupe at the same time. It was too late for Triumph though, and the TR8 would be the last sporting Triumph. Let us not speak of the rebadged Honda Accord known as the Triumph Acclaim. Acclaim? Really? Oh, those wild and crazy guys at BL.

Here’s another MGB, looking a little more tattered than the BRG one nearby. Looks like the same color orange as the TR8. And remember the oh so ’70s “MGB” stripe? I’ve seen a restored one with that stripe and it looks pretty good.

This Spitfire looks like its taking a nap, with the XJ6 hood over it to keep it warm – and protecting it from bird target practice, apparently.

Here’s another photo of that S-Type. As you can see, the interior is basically nonexistent, though the steering wheel looked nice. It still had the horn ring and Jaguar emblem too.

How about a “Bugeye” Sprite? Oh, it does need a few parts though. That Beetle on the right was a pretty solid convertible, although in need of a new top. I always liked orange Beetles, they just look so cheerful. It also has the accessory styled steel wheels, as also seen on contemporary Karmann-Ghias and 914s.

Here’s a TR3, looking much more complete than the Sprite nearby. Do you know what car is sitting to its right?

It was hard to tell at first, but I’m pretty sure it’s a ’70s Triumph TR6 – a severely smashed one. That chrome tubing and blue square towards the top is the trunklid and accessory luggage rack. Something very big rearranged this poor car. I hope no one was in it at the time.

I actually thought it was a Spitfire, but as I was writing this article, I noticed that the hood doesn’t extend down to the sides. The remains of the rear taillight and what I can see of the instrument panel changed my mind.

If you love E-Types, you may want to skip the next few pictures. Yes, there were a couple here. This one looks to be a Series 1, as it has the smaller taillights above the bumpers. It may be missing its front end. There was so much vegetation it was hard to tell for sure.

This one, like the S-Type, has no interior, though in this shot you can see the tachometer is still there.

This may be the saddest one. It clearly had an engine fire at some point in time, and looked to be in good condition before that happened. The paint and chrome – what was left – still looked pretty nice. Shame.

Towards the front of the lot was a bunch of parts engines. I think this one is an XJ6 engine, but I’m not sure.

Further down the row was an upside-down Jaguar straight six. I know this one was a Jag engine as the side of the block is stamped with a vintage Jaguar logo. If you click on the photo, you’ll probably see it.

The shop also had some cars for sale outside. I especially liked this late ’80s 924S, complete with the classic “Porsche” rocker lettering. While the 944s were nice, I like the combination of the original 924 styling and phone-dial alloys. Nice cars, and underappreciated today. I’m sure Syke will agree, since he owns one.

I will end our visit with an especially odd couple – an ’80s Alfa Romeo Spyder and a ’63 Rambler Classic. A Rambler? What’s a Rambler doing here? Well, I’m glad it is, as these cars are rarely seen these days. And it’s a ’63, with the classier front end that was lost in the ’64 restyle. Hope you enjoyed your tour. And now back to our regularly scheduled Curbside Classic…