Apr 21, 2016 • For Sale Stories • 45 Comments
Classics Under Water In Houston
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Reader Glen L sent us an email with a snapshot of a field of classic cars that are currently sitting in water somewhere near Houston, Texas. Yes, it’s really too bad to see classics submerged in the flood waters, but our thoughts go out to all those individuals caught in the flood. If you are in the Houston area and are being affected by the floods, know all of us here at Barn Finds wish you the best! Stay safe and keep dry out there everyone.
Image courtesy of: HoustonChronicle
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Comments
all studebakers?
Would appear so. The original photo shows an early Ranchero near the bottom of the frame, but other than that, South Bend’s finest.
The Bugatti Veyron drowned years before . . .
Deliberately, as it turned out. The owner “double-insured” it, and then drove it into a salt marsh. He claimed he was avoiding a large bird. His bad luck was that a car that rare was sure to be video’d. Guess where he is now?
http://news.boldride.com/2014/08/bugatti-drowned-going-to-prison-wvideo/55323/
I don’t think they are in too much danger of being ruined. Mostly Studebaker parts cars.
Your probably right about these cars, but think about all the other classics located in that area. If they weren’t rusty before, I’m sure they will be now!
Yea right. It would just be a tragedy if something rare like….say a 55 Chevrolet got rained on.
Some of those Studes are far rarer than a 55 Chevy
Have fins but can’t swim… :-(
Funny :)
Junk under water in Houston.
doesn’t look like the first time this has happened
The EPA had something to do with this I’m sure. Like them trying to stop us building race cars with our own vehicles. Where will it end !!!
What?
Don’t worry, grant–not an issue.
Just because the car is old, doesn’t make it a classic car. Why didn’t the owner cash in on cash for clunkers when he had a chance. Just think of all the great old “classics” that were destroyed for nothing.
Cash for Clunkers is a bad word around here lol, that program is terrible. Plus, it’s worse for the environment to continually dispose of cars and replace them. The drive should be to maintain cars, and to push the manufacturers to build them to last again.
Thee sensible thing to do, but will never happen.
Money talks……
Yes we should no longer dispose but rather keep everything on the road. Just look at Cuba! They’ve been keeping American tin on the road for close to 60+ years.
Most cash for clunker programs require the clunker be road worthy and has been licensed for at least the past year. These may have “ran when parked”, but they haven’t been road worthy for decades.
Mainly 2 door Commanders and Hawks. All worth saving. The Commanders were/are the favorite with drag racers and land speed record guys.
Read the ( Houston chronicle ) link there is a lot more at stake in the area where those cars are, than a bunch of rusty Studibakers. It’s a shame about the cars, but it’s a tragedy as to what is happening to your Texas wetlands due to urban expansion. I wonder where our concerns should be in this case.
Mark, thank you sir. I am not from Houston but I am a Texan and what they are going through is horrible.
Mostly Studebaker C K models..little hard to find parts for especially here in Canada, A dose of water will do them no good, ‘Tis a shame really.
They will dry off and be good as new!
Up side! At least it’s not salt water.
Don’t think I’ll be buying any Stude’s from Texas anytime soon!
Meanwhile in downtown Houston…
You know, perception is an interesting thing isn’t it? While the worldwide media has been hyperventilating all week long about the “historic” flood we just had that flooded a little over 1000 houses and most likely several thousand cars, this is just another yearly event that Houstonians are used to. The Memorial Day flood we had last year was worse than this. Compare this flood to Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, which FLOODED 73,000 houses and totally destroyed, as in they had to be DEMOLISHED another 2800 houses. Entire neighborhoods disappeared when they were bought out by FEMA and leveled, and now many of these former neighborhoods are city parks. And just how any cars were lost you ask? Right around 100,000, enough to fill up every large parking lot in the city that could be found while the insurance company processed and cleaned them for auction. So while Sunday night WAS inconvenient and costly, it’s just another normal day in swampland Houston. If you live here and know how it is, you know how to keep your classic cars away from the water.
427vette is correct. We in Houston have an historic flood about every two years. We have a regular flood about every 6 months.
And don’t let the media photos fool you. Houston’s streets are designed to be part of the flood drainage plan. The problem is that people can’t NOT drive in the water until their car floats away.
I’m amazed at how many times I’ve seen presumably knowledgeable auction site writers post listings about Houston cars that refer to “Texas car, so rust not likely!” Apparently a lot of people think that all of Texas is arid desert. As 427 and Brad point out, this is a regular occurence, and I saw many floods in my 38 years in the area. I was always been leery about buying a used car in Houston especially a couple of months after a flood. It’s easy enough to detect if you know what to look for, and I’ve seen a number of ex-boats for sale.
Cars will still be fine when water drains.
It is fresh water,not salt water.
interesting pic. but there are all parts cars so when the freash water goes away they will be what they where
Been sitting out in the rain forever. But no need to be trashin the silver or Goldwings just cuz you think a shoebox chevy is better looking. It ain’t. I had a 55 and a 57.
Most of these are Studebaker Hawks.
I have heard this flooding before. Aren’t they going to build dykes and dams to prevent this in the future from happening?
You can’t stop flooding when the city’s elevation is 50 to 75 feet and you get an 8″ rainfall. And that’s not at all uncommon. Most I ever saw in Houston when I lived there was 27″ over 2 days (TS Allison). Any city would be under water, no matter what the elevation for a tropical event like that!
i am in england and a friend has just come back from texas after being to see an old friend and he said the hailstones were as big as tennis balls, and the amount of cars that were damaged is unreal, the body shops are going to busy for a long while, if the cars are not written off, dave
Not certain, but i think the chevy comment was sarcasm. Sadly even fresh water can cause a lot of damage to cars. It goes through vent openings in machanical components and floats the oils out then in your texas summers will evaporate out leaving engines, gearboxes and rear ends froze up with rust. It will also ruin any salvagable interior parts. Particularly wrapped cardboard door panels.
DAMN! glad i live in chiraq! thought 1000 shot 500+/- dead,highest taxes,unemployment,9.1/2finger mayor,bankrupt,school strike looming,pension,prob.100,000people a yr. leaving blah,blah,blah!…glad my 74 shovelhead keeps me sane,cept wife,texters,bicycles,bangers,blah…etc. sorry for ranting. we all have our own cross to bear. peace!
Look at the top car….a hardtop C/K….look at the trim pattern….the paint….looks like what’s left of a 55 speedster or a 57/58 Golden Hawk….you guys do notice the quarter panels bolt on and off like a front fender ?…..
I just finished restoring a Studebaker and ordered several small parts from a Studebaker salvage yard in Houston. A really nice guy to to business with. Pray for these folks.
I love the bush growing inside of the engine bay, of what looks like a Jaguar XK120 Coupe on the left side of picture. Priceless…
Should have stacked them.
The whole point here is, whether you agree or not that we have created this strange weather, we lose many fine old cars in floods, tornadoes, hail, etc.and that is a real shame, but all the good people who suffer through these disasters are brushed off by the people who could have fixed it….our politicians. Yet, here are all us old car guys driving our ancient carbon spewing antiques.