The city of Detroit—also known as Motor City—is as much a part of culture in America as Apple Pie, as the saying goes. The city has always been defined by its automotive industry, even when it was bailed out in the early 2010s. Sadly, the city has been in decline for quite some time, and has been well documented over the years.
But things are beginning to look up. In 2014, a judge declared that the city was fit to emerge from the largest municipal financial failure in the history of America. The city began to reinvest in some of its less-fortunate neighborhoods, and Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler—finally began running smoothly again.
It’s refreshing to see that the city, once one of the largest steel manufacturers in the States, is beginning to climb out of its despair. Its revival has captured the curiosity of the nation and the rest of the world, including photographers like Joshua Lott. Now, it is a hub of artistic endeavors, though many remnants of the past still remain, most often in the form of forgotten and abandoned vehicles and factories.
The city has yet to fully recover from its decades of crime and money mismanagement, but it’s on the rise again. The abandoned and neglected classic cars showcased in this article are shown in direct juxtaposition to how the city is doing nowadays. These are symbols of a past that won’t be forgotten, no matter how hard the city tries. It will always remember the tough times—as it should—because this is part of the country’s history.
Here are 20 abandoned cars and automobile factories scattered around Detroit, Michigan.
20 2000s Lincoln Town Car
Almost like a mirror reflection from the image above, this 2000s Lincoln Town Car juxtaposes the woes of Detroit’s troubles in the ‘80s with the continued woes and inevitable downfall of the 2000s, most likely during the bubble crisis recession.
This Town Car sits deserted in front of a likewise deserted local business.
It’s missing its back wheel and is covered in snow, much like all the other pictures taken by Joshua Lott. This third generation Town Car was given the most extensive revisions of any other Town Car, so it’s a shame to see it so neglected and forgotten.
19 Late-90s Mazda 626
The Mazda 626 from Japan might not have been built in Detroit, but it was quite a popular car in the States regardless. This 626 from the late 1990s sits next to a pile of empty pallets, gathering snow and dust. It’s missing its left rear wheel and looks completely out of commission. It seems like the factory/warehouse building to the left is still intact, though it could also be abandoned. The 626, or Mazda Capella, competed against such popular cars as the Honda Accord, Toyota Corona, and Nissan Bluebird since the 1970s, and was a stalwart competitor until it was replaced by the Mazda6 in 2002.
18 These Cars Used As Erosion Control
Another strange thing you might see if you travel through Detroit is the plethora of cars used as erosion control, to keep the rivers at bay. These rusted cars are scattered along the banks and bottoms of rivers that are remnants of a time when the rivers were less regulated.
Self-reliant people were trying to figure out how to battle the escalating problem of erosion, and this is what they came up with!
They took the abandoned cars and gave them new “life”—the cars used were relics of a 1950s erosion control experiment when the cars were taken from wrecking yards and dumped into the river to stabilize the eroding bank. It’s quite a sight to see, and something you might not see anywhere else on the planet.
17 The Detroit Riprap: More Cars Used For Erosion Control
The cars have had their engines and innards removed—and any valuables of course—by cutting torches. They’ve been hauled down the streets and, once in the water, if the cars held they became a sturdy bank. The cars resisted the river’s strength in ways that soil couldn’t. Some cars would inevitably drift down the river to become another odd sight. This method of embedding cars in the cut banks of streams and rivers to stop erosion became known as the “Detroit Riprap.” Though you might only see an abundance of this practice in Motor City, it’s not only relegated to the Midwest. For a while, this was a popular way to put old cars to good use.
16 Oldsmobile Delta 88
The Oldsmobile Delta 88 was a full-size car that many people from this modern generation have probably never heard of. Heck, many people probably don’t even know what an “Oldsmobile” is, even though it’s such a part of America's heritage.
The fact is that the Delta 88 had a lifespan of 50 years!
It was produced from 1949 to 1999. From 1950 to 1974, it was Oldsmobile’s top-selling line and was an image leader for Oldsmobile, particularly in the early years. Unfortunately, this 88 has clearly seen better days and isn’t going to be the image leader for any such thing. It’s rusting out, covered in snow, and looks pretty sad in its permanent resting place.
15 1980s Ford Econoline Used As Target Practice
Depending on where your head’s at, this Ford Econoline clearly has some history—and some of that history looks like it might be pretty ugly. Passersby are left to wonder what ill fate became of this van, that led to it being riddled with questionable holes, though more logical thinking leads us to believe that it was simply used for target practice after it was left abandoned for so long. But who knows? The van sits next to a tractor (also deserted), with rust spots covering its panels, including where the impact was made. Like all of Joshua Lott’s photos on the subject, its vacancy is only accentuated by the snowy backdrop it sits in.
14 Chevrolet Astro Van With Graffiti
Chevrolet is another company that has almost as much of an impact on the culture in America as Ford. The Astro was their rear-wheel drive van/minivan that was produced by the company from 1985 to 2005.
It was marketed as a passenger and cargo van, featured a V6 engine, unibody construction, and a seating capacity of up to eight passengers.
We have a feeling this graffiti-laden Astro isn’t going to be sitting anyone for quite a while, and it probably doesn’t even have an engine under the hood. That being said, since it’s so covered by ice, at least the graffiti adds a little color to the otherwise sad depiction of destitution in Detroit, though some might not see it that way.
13 1980s Ford F-250
Ford F-Series trucks are pretty tough, so this abandoned F-250 found outside of someone’s front yard probably still runs. Still, it’s clearly seen better days. It seems to be slowly becoming part of nature itself, sinking into the snow and rusting at the doors. It’s a sad fate for the upgraded version of the best-selling vehicle in the United States. The F-250 first came about in 1952 when the F-2 and F-3 were combined into the bigger, badder version of the F-150. This F-250 is either a seventh generation (1980-1986) or eighth generation (1987-1991) model. With its rounded front clip, it looks to be an eighth generation, which was the first one to introduce the rounded front to improve aerodynamics.
12 Mid-70s Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Coupe
The Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme was a great example of automotive engineering from America during its heyday. Now, this mid-70s Cutlass sits near a fence, abandoned, rusted, with its rear bumper partly falling off.
This mid-size car was around from 1965 to 1997, and in the mid-70s when this particular model came about, it was the highest selling model in its class and Oldsmobile’s most popular car.
The Intrigue eventually replaced all Cutlass models in 1998, though it had no direct replacement. In the ‘70s, it was quite a cool looking muscle car, with a standard Rocket 5.4- and 5.7-liter V8 engine.
11 1970s Cadillac Eldorado
Another awesome car from America was the Cadillac Eldorado. This one was built around the same time as the Oldsmobile above. It now sits peacefully in a parking lot, where it gathers snow and awaits a savior that will probably never come. The Eldorado, a personal luxury car, was manufactured by Cadillac over 10 generations and 50 years, built to compete with the Continental Mark series, the Buick Riviera, Oldsmobile Toronado, and Chrysler Imperial Coupe. The original 1953 Eldorado convertible was the most expensive model Cadillac offered. This sixth generation Eldorado ran on a 234-hp 7.0- ot 8.2-liter V8 engine, and it would be completely redesigned and downsized in 1979.
10 Plastic Window Chevrolet El Camino
The Chevy El Camino was a novelty when it first came out, though it quickly became hugely popular. Half-car, half-truck, this abandoned El Camino is in bad shape, though it seems to straddle the gray area between abandoned and simply forgotten.
With its aftermarket plastic front door window and frozen stature, it is a painful reminder of how Detroit fell from its glory days.
The El Camino was a “coupe utility vehicle” that was built between 1959-60 and again in 1964-1987. Unlike a pickup truck, it was adapted from a two-door station wagon platform that integrated the cab and cargo bed into the body.
9 1990s Chevrolet Impala SS
The Chevrolet Impala was Chevrolet’s most expensive passenger vehicle through 1965, and is still one of the best-selling automobiles in the United States of all time. It was originally distinguished from other models by its triple taillights, when it was first introduced in 1958. The car is still in production today, though it’s lost much of its allure and become a simple, generic mid-size sedan. In the 1990s, the Chevrolet Impala SS, as shown here, was quite an imposing muscle car. The SS was a 404-hp, V8-engined car that could reach 0-60 mph in just 5.9 seconds, and the quarter-mile in 14 seconds. It’s a shame this one has been forgotten, with its lost wheel and rusting rear.
8 Late-90s Plymouth Breeze
The Plymouth Breeze was one of Chrysler’s many failed attempts to make a dent in the mid-size sedan market. That being said, this particular abandoned car has clearly made a dent.
The car was first released in 1995, and it did manage to sell 230,000 units throughout its life, which ended in 2000.
The Breeze was constantly revised, with a 2.4-liter I4 engine added in 1998, a revised suspension tuning in 1999 that promised a smoother ride, a new center console, added storage space, integrated armrest, and more in 1997. This red Breeze probably is no longer running, with its rusted wheels, dented door and backside, and glacierized state.
7 This Car Used As A Painting Canvas
In 2011, BBC wrote an article on the rebirth of Detroit amid its modern-day ruins. The city was fighting for its life, trying to recover from its failure, and artists and visionaries went around the town to breathe life into tragic symbols of abandonment and decay. This nicely painted car is a great example of an artist trying to turn an abandoned ruin into something beautiful. Artist Tyree Guyton said, “I see the magic here. This city has been known to come back. There’s this new energy that’s creating art all over the city. [A colleague] said in the past that the new industry in the city of Detroit is art and culture. I believe it. I see it.” (via BBC.com).
6 Fisher Body Plant 21
Believe it or not, this building was a car manufacturing plant once upon a time, founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908. It was originally a division of General Motors before Fisher & Company became a company.
The plant traces its genesis to a horse-drawn carriage shop in Norwalk, Ohio in the late 1800s.
They flourished during wartime of the ‘40s, but by 1982 the factory closed. It’s now a creepy, abandoned warehouse, though it will likely be around for quite some time, knowing Detroit. Down the street, the Ford plant has become a museum, while in the other direction Studebaker became an empty lot. “Body by Fisher” is stuck somewhere in the middle.
5 The Packard Factory
The Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit was Packard Motor Car’s base of operations, and later the home of the Studebaker-Packard Corporation. It was a 3.5-million-square-foot plant first opened in 1903 as the most modern automotive manufacturing facility in the world, employing skilled craftsmen in over 80 trades. The factory closed in 1958, though other businesses like Chemical Processing remained all the way until 2010. In the 1990s, the buildings were host to huge underground races and techno parties. In 2017, Arte Express held a groundbreaking ceremony to renovate 121,000-square-feet of the building. The office space in that administrative building could become available by 2019.
4 Ford Mustang Without Wheels
The city of Detroit is defined by the automotive industry, and it has been for eons. Sadly, the city has declined in well-documented ways, and abandoned cars like this vintage Ford Mustang without wheels are all too common a sight.
This particular Mustang appears to have been raised, maybe so it could be worked on, but clearly that detailing or work never happened.
Now it’s a permanent fixture in the snow, gathering stalagmites and stalactites and rusting away. Because of the cold weather of Detroit, it will take quite some time for it to truly rust away, so it will always be a statue of remembrance until it’s claimed or taken down.
3 Stripped Chevy Suburban
Reuters photographer Joshua Lott ventured into Detroit in 2015 to document the city’s recovery from decades of crime, financial mismanagement, and population loss. He documented one of the most apparent struggles of the city: its abandoned and neglected classic cars. Here he found a Chevrolet Suburban van from the early 2000s, lost and partly scrapped in a vacant lot. It had been stripped of its engine, a few of its wheels, and most of its more valuable parts, and left for the figurative vultures. The added ambiance of Lott’s pictures, being taken in the snow, only adds to the sorrow and dismay of his pictures.
2 1980s Lincoln Town Car
Ford is one of the most notable companies ever to come from the United States, and Lincoln is a well-known subsidiary of that company. Cars like this Lincoln Town Car from the 1980s were probably made in the very same Ford plant that stands as a museum now, next to the Packard facility. This is one of the very first generations of Town Car available, from the ‘80s, and it looks like it’s been sitting in someone’s backyard for about just as long. If the snow was cleared away and it maybe got some new tires, this car actually doesn’t look like it’d be in such bad shape. For now, it’s simply lost in time, like much of Detroit.
1 Old School: Great Lakes Steel Plant
Great Lakes Works is a steel plant situated along the Detroit River. It consists of both steelmaking and finishing facilities. The hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and coated sheet steels that are made are primarily used by customers in the automotive industry. Great Lakes Works has an annual raw steelmaking capability of approximately 3.8 million net tons.
In this picture, probably taken from the ‘40s, you can see hundreds of abandoned vintage cars that were probably used for scrap metal for wartime efforts.
It’s quite a sight to behold. If you look closely enough, you can even see a derogatory poster on the side of the foremost car in the picture. It’s just a reminder of how far we’ve all come since those dark days.
Sources: businessinsider.com, bbc.com, amusingplanet.com, team-bhp.com