Dusty & Crusty: British And German Group Find
There must be one heck of a story that allowed these cars to just sit in Rocky Mount, North Carolina for long enough that they look like this! The cars are listed for sale here on craigslist and consist of two Mercedes Benz SLs, two Triumph TR6s, both of which look relatively solid considering their location and occupation for the last who knows how long, and two MGBs, both of questionable structural integrity. If you are looking over the B’s and drooling I would highly suggest an in-person inspection.
I’d guess this is an early car from 1969 through 1974 due to the placement of the parking lights.
The body shell on this TR6 illustrates a potential suspension issue with the left front. It at least needs bolting back together to fully be roadworthy.
On the other hand, what I can see of this MGB doesn’t look too bad. The easy way out is to buy them all, decide what ones you want to keep and restore or refurbish and sell the rest to fund the parts and supplies you will need. So what would your plan of action be? We don’t know pricing but assume for a moment each carcass will cost you $1,200. Which ones would you keep and which would you sell? I’ll give you my answer below as a start: I’d start with the light blue TR6, followed by the silver Mercedes. Both Bs would be packaged together to see; I’ve done MGB sills once and I never want to do that particular task again. After the blue 6 and other Mercedes were gone through for anything I might need, they would be sold as well, leaving me with just the cars I want. How about you? Rules are that all cars originally cost $1,200 and you have 6 months to finish each project off. Let us hear your path to fame below!
Auctions Ending Soon
2006 Ford Mustang Saleen S281 SCBid Now7 hours$15,000
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now3 days$333
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now3 days$3,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now3 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now5 days$10,500
Comments
Link?
Sorry, Patrick, fixed now.
Wow, XL’s are rare!
XL for Xtra Leaves? Sorry, Doug, apparently I was asleep at the keyboard on this one. Fixed now.
thankx but no thankx those leaves will trap moisture heaven knows what it is like beneath them
Flood?
Wow, that’s some ugly looking cars
If you check out the CL listing, the TR6s and MGBs are so rusted that they are barely parts cars. Any serious restoration would put you underwater very quickly. The silver MB is also showing a good bit of rust. The charcoal gray one seems to be intact, on the surface. Who knows what hidden evil lurks and MB parts are not cheap. Jamie’s suggestion of $1200 per car is optimistic in my mind for the British foursome…perhaps for all of them, but to what end.
I got a nice 71 B and a nice 72 TR6 I need to sell, someone can buy those, drive them right now, be waaaaaay ahead of the game
I’m all ways surprised by the ‘junk yrd guys’. I’ve seen them drop 1 on top of the other for storage (no more windshield, other glass, top, often hood’n trunk gone too frm the drop /or/ weight over the yrs), never throw a board or anything over a ‘vert to save the insides, etc, etc. If I had a yrd I’d do better w/my investment (which I bought low, so I could sell even higher). Even surprised by rec evolution (here)…no rigs over 10 yrs old (all off to the crusher), parts on delivery, ‘puter use & obtaining prts 4 U frm another yrd (w/o my knowledge), yards set up like a filing cabinet (frames to hold bodies 5 high, areas for ford rear ends v dodge, and on & on) no more admittance 2 da yrd, long waits, hi prices (a used @ same price as new…
This guy coulda done better (4 self’n others). At least he put the 450SL down on some wheels’n tires rather than just in the mud. W/alota research I might grab that 1 (it’s condition, ease/cost of restore, desirability on restored mrkt, how far to go for optimal return) as I’ve found older prt availability good.
I’d rather look at the pair of 1960 Chevies in the background. Wonder if those are also going to the highest reasonable offer? And I’m a British car nut! I’m not seeing a suspension problem on the TR6–that’s just a very dry old tire flopping outside the front fender arch.
Parts cars.
The only car I really know here is the MGB – and it looks rough! Nuthin’ wrong here that can’t be fixed with the great body panels available, but why? This is not a metal dash pull-handle early B; it’s a garden-variety post-1971 model. Unless there’s something unseen going for it, like a rebuilt engine and/or overdrive transmission, I’d say $200 tops. Unless a guy is trying to punish himself, the body is not worth salvaging.
Likewise, the Triumphs look rough. These cars are not so rare and sought-after that these kind of projects can be justified. And I’m a diehard, impassioned vintage Brit guy!
Wife drives a 72 SL benz, great car, had it for years. only thing it ever needed was a new set of injectors and one exhaust system in all the years she has owned it, must be why they are called BATTLEWAGONS! they go forever, and the little V8 just sounds better than any of my big Fords! and its pretty frugal on gas!