Junkyard Gems of Ernest Auto Wrecking, La Jara, Colorado

It doesn’t have a website, it doesn’t have a huge social media presence, but what it does have is an abundance of fantastic classic vehicles.  Located on State Highway 15, this family-run business has a few thousand cars, ranging in age from the 1930s to the 1990s. 

In addition to some great parts cars, on our pre-Covid visit we were tempted by some desirable restoration projects. Although the bulk of the inventory is American-made, we found a few European and Japanese oddities too. Let’s take a look:

How’s this for a tantalizing sight? We spent a hugely enjoyable afternoon wandering up and down these aisles, where we uncovered some real diamonds in the rough. While there isn’t a huge amount of order to the yard, the owners know their inventory well, and will very quickly point you in the right direction.

Although the high desert climate has been kind to the bodywork of this 1975 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, unfortunately the missing front windshield hasn’t done the interior any favors, and anyone brave enough to take on this restoration will definitely be looking for a new dashboard.

The Monte Carlo, which was marketed as a personal luxury coupe, was part of the Chevrolet line-up from 1970 to 2007.

Like its Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser sibling, the Buick Sport Wagon is a highly desirable tool amongst demolition derby racers, and plenty have gone out with a bang. Hopefully this late 1960s example is safe, although on our visit we did spot a handful of Ernest Auto Wrecking & Truck-sponsored demolition derby cars in the corner of the yard…

The 5.0-litre V8 engine inside this AMC Gremlin X, could take the car to 60mph in a respectable 8.5sec, with the quarter mile appearing in under 17sec. However fuel economy wasn’t so great, returning an average of 15 MPG. 

The car was originally sold by dealer Strode of Brighton, Colorado, which is about a three-hour drive from La Jara.

Normally we’d always photograph a 1972 Buick Riviera (in fact any 1971-1973 Riviera) from the back, on account of its magnificent boat-tail rear end. However, on this occasion we had to make an exception, to show you the effort that went into this homemade grille. It may be abandoned today, but it was clearly once much loved.

At the time of our visit, the yard owner’s 11-year-old son told us that this 1981 Trans Am belonged to him, and that he would sometimes drive it around the site. How cool is that? It certainly beats watching Smokey and the Bandit on VHS time and time again, which is what most of us of a certain age did. 

The LeCar was a French-built Renault 5, sold through AMC’s 1300 dealerships, The “French Rabbit”, as it was often referred to at the time, was supposed to take market share from the Honda Civic, VW Golf and other subcompact imports.

But Europe's best-selling car did not live up to the company’s hopes: it was too small for the US market. It was sold in the US from 1976 to 1983, before being replaced by the larger US-built Alliance (Renault 9) and Encore (Renault 11).

1969 Mercury Cougar ragtops command big bucks, so we were surprised to find this one at Ernest’s. Of the 100,000 Cougars built that year, fewer than 10% were convertibles. Look at the state of that driver’s headrest, it gives you a good idea of what the rest of the interior looks like.

Salvage yards that specialise in older cars find it increasingly difficult to locate fresh stock, and often have to travel long distances to collect the vehicles. This 1948 Chevy Fleetline Custom two-door sedan is a prime example, as the collection involved a 300-mile round trip.

A 1954 Pontiac Chieftain Deluxe, which is balancing on four logs, has been stripped of much of its running gear. However, at the time of our visit, it still had plenty of rust-free, straight metalwork to donate to the classic car cause.

The Chieftain was in production from 1949 to 1958

This 1958 Cadillac was driven into Ernest & Sons Auto Wrecking, according to the employee who accompanied us on our tour, and was apparently still a runner at the time. Look at those magnificent tail fins, which incredibly would be overshadowed by those that graced the 1959 cars.

Of the 68,068 Buick Wildcats sold in 1967, just 2276 were convertibles, making this a real rarity. These cars command serious money in pristine condition, and even in this state have a significant value. Although it’s complete, the tattered ragtop has been letting in the elements for many years, and the interior has suffered as a consequence.

By 1972 Toyota was becoming a big player in the US, having just sold its 1 millionth vehicle. Its success had been built mainly on the back of its pickup truck, and the Corolla. While the Celica and Corona also did reasonably well, the car-buying public pretty much ignored the Carina (1972-1973). That explains why you probably haven’t seen one for a long time

Between 1970 and 1977 Ford sold a staggering 500,000 imported Capris in the US. Unlike in Europe, the cars never wore Ford badges, and were instead branded simply as Capri and sold through Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. Mk1 cars, like this, were initially only offered with a 1.6-litre 4-cylinder engine. However, a V6 arrived in 1972, giving the car performance to match its looks.

Cadillacs wore tailfins from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, but undoubtedly the most outrageous belonged to the 1959 cars. Designed at a time when the US public were enthralled by space exploration, they had a distinctive rocket-inspired shape. What a shame the lenses are missing from this Californian rust-free example.

Here’s another fine pair of tailfins, only these belong to a 1958 Imperial LeBaron. Despite weighing in at 2318 kg, a 6.4-litre V8 mustered up enough horses to propel this luxury auto to 60mph in 8.7sec. 

While rival Cadillac sold 121,778 cars in 1958, only 16,101 Imperials found buyers. Of those, just 1039 were LeBarons, and they’re as rare as anything today.

The chances of this 1950 Chevrolet Deluxe ever being rescued from Ernest Auto Wrecking & Truck are somewhere between slim and none. Like the 1940 Plymouth just nudging into the picture, it has very little going for it, and we’d be surprised if it hasn’t since found its way into the crusher. Chevrolet used the Deluxe name from 1941 to 1952.

The Javelin was AMC’s pony car, a direct rival to the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Plymouth Barracuda. It was also the first AMC to attract youthful audience, with the average buyer being about a decade younger than usual. 

Although this first-generation car (1968 to 1970) is of course US-built, the Javelin was also made in Australia, Germany, Mexico and Venezuela.

This tidy 1970 Dodge Coronet two-door hardtop is one of 19,246 built, and is surely worth saving. It’s a 440, which in terms of trim levels, sat between the Coronet Deluxe and Coronet 500. 

An entry level Coronet with a 225cui 6-cylinder engine could manage 60mph in around 12sec. Meanwhile, at the other end of the performance spectrum, with a 383cui V8 under the hood, 6.7sec was possible. 

The Lincoln Continental Mark V coupe has the claim to fame that at 230in long (5842mm) it’s the longest two-door coupe ever sold by Ford.  This appears to be a 1977 example, which at the time had a whopping great $11,400 price tag. Yet despite the average US household income being $15,000, more than 80,000 purchased one.

The Buick Super, which was built through much of the 1940s and 1950s, had an emphasis on passenger luxury rather than performance. Cars like this rare 1957 Super Riviera two-door hardtop, would have featured a whole host of creature comforts, like full carpeting, electric clock, lit and lockable glovebox, dual horns, cigar lighter and variable speed windshield wipers. It is one of 26,529 built that year.

This 1947 Hudson Super Six Club Coupe is certainly rare. However, being riddled with bullet holes does little to enhance its value, or improve its chances of ever being restored. 

Hudson sold just over 100,000 cars in 1947, including its 3 millionth vehicle, a Commodore Eight convertible.

Look at the vista behind this 1961 GMC truck, which isn’t too dissimilar to the mountain outline on the famous Colorado license plate. It’s a 1000 series, the equivalent of the Chevrolet C/K series. The truck was powered by a ‘big block’ V6 engine, but we don’t know if it’s still in place.

This appears to be the corner of the yard where all the yellow trucks hang out...

It’s a 1966 Dodge D100, and we were told at the time of our visit that it’s still a runner, and in fact was driven into the yard several years earlier. The truck was offered with a choice of 6-cylinder (140 hp) or 8-cylinder (200 hp) engines, but we aren’t sure which was fitted under this particular hood.

With its turquoise paintwork, this 1966 Ford F100 is helping to brighten up Ernest Auto Wrecking & Truck. The retired workhorse, which was put out to pasture many years ago, is unlikely to hit the highways again. However, it’s safe for now, as it still has some great rust-free parts to offer.

This 1940 Chevrolet Master Deluxe looks particularly odd without its headlights. It’s riddled with bullet holes, and was presumably used as target practice. Either that or was a getaway car in a bank job. Look at the state of the roof, which looks like it’s been shot at with a machine gun. 

Chevrolet was the US’s best-selling marque in 1940, as it had been for the two previous years as well. Ford would be back in the lead in 1946, albeit briefly.

Here’s another Chevrolet with serious vision problems, having lost three of its four headlights. It appears to be a Biscayne two-door sedan, the poverty-spec car of the Chevrolet range. The sparse interior lacked otherwise standard items such as a cigar lighter, passenger sun visor and door armrests.

This 1952 Chevrolet appears to be complete, right down to its period sun visor. 

Throughout most of the 1950s Chevrolet took the top spot in terms of vehicle production, and 1952 was no exception. However, the figure (818,000) was significantly down on the previous year (1,229,986). It wasn’t just Chevrolet that was suffering though, as the whole industry was affected by a steel industry strike and a shortage of chrome caused by the Korean war.

In 1958 Fiat started exporting its rear-engined 600 to the US. Slightly bigger than the 500, which arrived Stateside a year earlier, it was powered by a 633cc water-cooled engine, which gave the car a top speed of 62mph. It sold surprisingly well, with buyers appreciating its frugal fuel economy.

But elsewhere it sold far better. Production took place in six different countries worldwide, and by the time the last one rolled off the line in former Yugoslavia in 1985, it had notched up an impressive 4,921,626 sales.

The Plymouth Suburban station wagon was built from 1949 to 1978, but this example is of 1957 vintage. In total there were three wagons in the range - the Deluxe Suburban, Custom Suburban and Sport Suburban, which equated to the Plaza, Savoy and Belvedere respectively. We reckon this is probably a mid-range Custom.

We’re assuming that this 1958 Ford Country Sedan is a project car, as it seems far too good to break for parts. This part of Colorado gets an average of just 9in of rain per year - compared with a US average of 38in - which helps to explain why its sheet metal is still rust-free. Also helping is the fact that Colorado doesn’t put salt on its roads in the winter. 

Ford built the Country Sedan from 1952 to 1974, with sales ranging from a high of 123,412 in 1959, to a low of 11,927 in 1952. In 1958 just shy of 90,000 were built.

This desirable 1956 Mercury Monterey ‘woody’ is another station wagon to benefit from the climate in La Jara, meaning it’s free from both tin worm and wood worm…

The Monterey name lasted from 1952 to 1974, and then made a three year comeback in 2004 as a minivan.

During our visit we were told that the yard owner was behind the wheel of this 1973 Ford Ranchero 500 when it crashed, and landed upside down in a ravine. Judging by the state of it, he was incredibly lucky to have survived.

The Ranchero coupe utility, or “pickup car” as it was described in the 1973 sales literature, was built from 1957 to 1979. By 1973 it was in its sixth generation.

The US public were captivated by the space race, so naming a car Galaxie was a stroke of genius by Ford’s marketing department. 

The model was launched in 1959, but this is a 1960 car, which featured totally new styling. Two of the most prominent features of the new cars were an A-pillar that sloped inwards instead of outwards (which aided access), and half moon upside down tail lights.

A 1958 Plymouth Belvedere two-door hardtop gained notoriety when it had a starring role in the 1983 movie Christine, derived from a Stephen King novel. At the time it was Plymouth’s top-of-the-range car. A year later, when this one was built, the Belvedere had been knocked off its perch by the Fury. There’s some interesting patina going on with this solid example.

We wonder whether it was the fender bender that caused this 1966 Lincoln Continental four-door sedan to end up at Ernest Auto Wrecking & Truck. Yes it would have been a costly repair, but surely worth it for such a magnificent machine. Powered by its 7.6-litre V8, the car would once have been able to do the quarter mile in 17sec, which is impressive for a car that weighed 2397 kg.

Here’s another Lincoln that’s definitely worth saving, a 1949 EL-series four-door sedan. Produced from 1949 to 1951, the EL shared much of its bodywork with the Mercury Eight, and indeed looked visually similar. One of its key identifying features were its recessed headlamps. It was the first Lincoln in almost two decades to be fitted with a V8 instead of a V12.

Until the Mazda Miata burst onto the scene, the MGB was the best-selling sports car of all time. Between 1962 and 1980 about 500,000 were produced, with more than half being exported to the US. They seem to have an incredibly high survival rate, and with so many still languishing in salvage yards, there’s no shortage of parts out there. 

Note the triple windshield wipers on this example, which were a US market regulatory requirement from the late 1960s onwards. Meanwhile, back in the UK where they were built, they continued to have just two.

There’s no doubting that the 1952 Chevrolet two-door hardtop was a pretty car. This example, which looks particularly resplendent in its distinctive pumpkin orange paint, definitely needs to be rescued. Without a spot of corrosion, it’s definitely more treat than trick…

British automotive journalist Will Shiers has been photographing abandoned American cars for 35 years. He has visited all 50 states on his tin-hunting trips, exploring barns, fields, deserts, ghost towns and salvage yards, while searching for hidden treasures. 

Will has been contributing to car magazines for three decades, and is the author of Roadside Relics - America’s Abandoned Automobiles.