Your Junkyard Find Treasure Trove Awaits

There’s something poignant about Murilee Martin’s Junkyard Find photos. Dejected, tired, forgotten by multiple owners, and stripped of their parts (and dignity) by self-interested scavengers, these once proud vehicles sit motionless, quietly collecting rust and dust in various scrapyards across the American West.

And yet, for some reason, I can’t get enough of them. Murilee’s sharp eye picks out peculiarities with Colombo-like precision, and there’s a distinct joy to be had as he envisions various episodes in the vehicles’ roadgoing lives. Wouldn’t it be nice to have all of this junkyard goodness all in one place, you say?

Well, you’ve got your wish.

Murilee’s been hard at work itemizing every Junkyard Find post and slapping them in a nice new in-your-face gallery. Just look at this. Could life be any easier?

If you’re bored this weekend and feel like spicing things up by reading about the coarse, 86 horsepower Iron Duke stuffed under the hood of an ’81 AMC Concord, Murilee’s your man. Maybe the ’85 Dodge Lancer Turbo — a sedan designed with the help of “computers” to take on the best of the Germans and Japanese (!) — is more your style.

Still wishing it was Memorial Day weekend? Bring up this ’89 Olds Ninety-Eight in a new browser window and make every day a patriotic affair. If you’re a Northeastern professor, look no further than the Volvo page for the perfect compliment to your elbow patches and tweed. Love astronomy, but don’t have the cash for that new telescope? Murilee’s got more Galaxies than you’ll know what to do with.

Your kids will wonder if they’ve disappointed you. You spouse will wonder, with growing suspicion, why you’re spending so much time on your phone or desktop. They just don’t understand the pull of a Junkyard Find.

Happy online scavenging.

[Images: Murilee Martin/TTAC]