TAKING a spin through his home state, photographer Dax Ward’s eyes widened as he spotted a sprawling estate of abandoned cars.
But on closer inspection, he was stunned to realise the 20-acre site was packed with rotting classic cars as well as custom boats, vans and trucks.
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Delving into its history of how so many vintage vehicles ended up in a graveyard on a hillside in Arkansas, Dax discovered the owner had vanished years ago.
The site is now a magnet for opportunistic thieves with their sights set on selling parts.
Dax said: “The junkyard owner once took great pride in his collection, even having shot a thief in the past and pistol-whipping another to protect his automotive treasure trove.
“However, the owner has not lived on the property for some 20 years and rarely visits, having abandoned the location after a messy divorce.
“There are many cars still remaining, but a number have been stolen over the years and the ones that remain have been stripped for parts by thieves.”
Jaw-dropping pictures show once indulgent vehicles weathered by the elements and sat rotting on the sprawling 20-acre ground.
Antique cars including Cadillacs, Chevys, Buicks, and VWs have been taken over by rust.
Dax said: “The property owner once owned a tow truck company and many of the vehicles were sold to him at very low prices from the customers who he served.
“He amassed an enormous collection of valuable antique vehicles over the years, which would now be worth millions of dollars.
“The collection is still valuable, but thieves regularly visit and the cars are slowly disappearing, piece by piece or body by body.
“Local law enforcement sometimes catches intruders, but prosecution is often halted as nobody has seen or heard from the owner in years and he cannot be located, even by authorities.”
Dax visited the location twice, and was shown around by a neighbour who had not heard from the site’s owner, a childhood friend, in years.
The explorer added: “He gave me a roundup of the history of the property, the owner and automobiles, as well as describing regular incidents of thieves raiding the property.
“Watching the beautiful cars, as well as valuable antiques and other rare and expensive items be stolen or picked clean over the years has left him in frustration.
“Unfortunately, there is little he can do but watch. He tries to keep watch and notifies police regularly if he sees trespassers, but they often arrive too late to catch the intruders.”
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The neighbour told Dax how the owner abandoned the site more than 20 years ago after going through a divorce.
Dax said: “His ex-wife’s custom Cadillac – sent to Italy and then re-imported after customisation – sits parked in the driveway of the uninhabited house, in the same spot that it was parked and left behind two decades ago.
“He left derelict the posh house and many vehicles, became addicted to gambling in casinos over the border in Oklahoma and worked up a severe debt.
“While exploring and documenting this fascinating location I was simultaneously awestruck by the amount of classic cars, many of them expensive and rare, and saddened by the loss of such a collection, the remnants of which sit and rot.”
Dax previously visited Taiwan’s space-style holiday park that is now nothing more than an explorer’s paradise.
With its UFO-like buildings the star of the show, the resort’s space-age retro splendor continues to slowly fade away.
Perched on Taiwan‘s northern coast in Wanli, the unusual collection of buildings was supposed to act as a holiday park.
But what remains is a series of bizarre, decaying structures nestled beside a beach that Dax captured on camera.
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How to report an abandoned car
Reporting an abandoned vehicle is important for keeping city streets safe and clean
Not only is an abandoned car an eyesore, it’s also a hazard to the surrounding community as pests and rodents can take refuge in the interior, engine bay, or trunk.
Leaking fluids can be dangerous for the environment, as many vehicle fluids are toxic and can wreak havoc on ecosystems if they enter waterways.
They can also encourage crime with several cities like Oakland, California reporting that drug dealers may use them to hide and side drugs or weapons.
Abandoned vehicles can also lower property values.
Therefore, they’re worth Specific contact information for your city’s abandoned car hotline may vary, but the necessary information on the vehicle is the same.
When reporting an abandoned vehicle, police will need:
- The exact address of the vehicle
- Information on the steering column (broken, missing, intact, etc)
- Condition of the vehicle (severely damaged, windows broken, leaking fluids, missing body panels or doors, etc)
- Make and model
- Color
- Body style (pickup truck, SUV, sedan, etc)
- License plate number and state, if applicable
- VIN
Many cities will allow residents to report abandoned vehicles online through an online form, or it can be called in.
Source: ABC affiliate WPVI-TV
