There's just something about an old abandoned car that catches my attention. Sitting sad and dejected, apparently forgotten and unloved, these vehicles I occasionally see call to me as if to say "Please, fix me up!". This was the case two summers ago, on a trip to Portugal, when I saw a rare (at least to me) Vauxhall Victor looking dirty and lonely: Old automotive finds in Shanghai are extremely rare, so sometimes I have to make a stretch. This Wuling passenger van caught my eye last weekend, party because it instantly reminded me of the Victor. It as well was grey, covered in dirt, sitting on flat tires, and parked up against a wall in an alleyway where people almost certainly walk by every day without even noticing it. The tiny van is not something that would interest me normally, but seeing it missing a few parts from the front end and clearly not in running condition, I couldn't help but picture getting my hands on it and putting it back on the road. If I'm honest, I know full well that I will never buy and repair an old car in Shanghai. It's simply not possible. But that doesn't stop me from dreaming about rescuing one of these abandoned street cars one day and tinkering away until it can be driven again. ideally the vehicle in question will be a bit more exciting and unique than a boring grey 'microvan', but beggars can't be choosers when it comes to wayward automotive orphans in this city!
2 Comments
Alex Darre
5/19/2015 05:06:23 pm
You tell me.. I not only notice them, but buy them on ocasion, with no profit on mind but rather to make them live again :)
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5/24/2015 01:44:35 pm
SOS Abandoned Car! We need to start a group, Alex! :)
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AuthorWelcome! My name is Paul, and I am an old-fashioned, low-pressure, low-buck car fan with lots of automotive stories to tell! Archives
February 2020
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