Friday, July 22, 2016

The Mysterious American

Almost all of my classic car finds have a unique backstory- this one is not an exception. It all started with an ordinary phone call. A friend of mine, whom I hadn’t seen for ages, phoned me early in the morning. We started to chat about our own affairs. Having learnt about my passion for classic cars, my interlocutor shared a quite interesting memory from his youth with me.
Situated fifty kilometers away from our city, there was a popular ski resort, which my friend used to visit with his family since childhood. Before reaching the spa town, on the main road there was a car workshop, next to which there was an ownerless car, which had been unattended for years. The neglected American coupe from the beginning of the 70’s was obviously rusting through in open air. Unfortunately, my friend couldn’t make out the brand of the car. All he remembered was that year by year the car became more and more dismantled and the only remaining identification sign was the license plate. In the early 2000’s the car disappeared from the spot at all.




The whole thing seemed to me quite thrilling and I decided to arrange an investigation, in order to find the owner or something, which will provide a clue as to the whereabouts and destiny of the car. Although, after such a huge amount of time, there remained very little chance for any positive result, I took up the challenge all the same.
Firstly, I had to find the workshop, which was a very easy task, since it was the only place for car repair in the district. I met the guys who appeared to have “settled” there quite recently, therefore they never heard of the mysterious American coupe. Lots of effort had gone, before I got the first clue. Indeed, the car had stood idle exactly there for many years, after which, one day, its body was taken by the local junk collector, in order to be used as a fence material. After a while, I was able to admire the remains of the mysterious car, which was disconsolately decaying, along with other bodies with the same fate. Here found its final resting place the car I was looking for. Judging by the license plate, it was an Oldsmobile of 1973 release, but, most probably, the date was entered incorrectly during the registration.
It is extremely difficult to understand exactly what car it is. The body bears obvious marks of a master’s intervention, who changed the shape of the front, probably due to the absence of the original windscreen. The car unfortunately has no identification signs. All the mechanical parts, as well as the trunk and the hood, have gone missing. Most likely, this car will never be restored to its former beauty. However, there is a slight chance that this post will be read by an anonymous enthusiast, who will consider as a matter of honor to restore this vehicle.