Scrap Cars Lost To History
16th Feb, 2017
We’ve already once talked about famous movie scrap cars, but sometimes the events that befall classic cars aren’t all fictional. However, they can be equally theatrical! These real-life scrap cars have been lost to time – sometimes claimed by astronomical bad luck.
James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5
Image Credit: Classic and Performance Car
Goldfinger is a memorable entry into the James Bond film franchise, and that’s partially to do with the beauty that is the DB5. Taking less than 13 minutes of screen time, it nevertheless vroomed into our hearts as one of the most famous cars in the world (and it’s not the only Bond car we’ve discussed recently). Tooled up by the lovably grumpy Q, Bond’s car was outfitted with bulletproof windows, revolving number plates and an ejector seat, just to outline a sample. Offscreen, there were actually two cars that performed the role of the famous spy-car. One was the ‘Road Car’, which remained intact, while the ‘Effects Car’ – originally a test model from Aston – was extensively modified for the gadgets in its performance. It was back in Aston’s possession once the film wrapped, with all its mods removed. Then the film became a huge hit, so they were all hastily screwed back on again and the Effects Car went on the promotional tour. Technically, it never officially became a scrap car. After all that legendary screen success, the Effects Car had an ignoble end – it was simply stolen from an aircraft hangar in 1997 by a person or persons unknown, never to be seen again.
Renault Coupe de Ville
Image Credit: Wheels Age
One of the many scrap cars claimed by the boundless depths, the tale of the Renault Coupe de Ville is often eclipsed by its context. Everyone knows the story of the Titanic – as the single worst maritime disaster in history, those who weren’t already aware of its historical importance were educated in the matter by the 1997 film with Rose and Jack (and a really spacious bit of floating wood that has plenty of room for the both of you, Rose). One of the lesser-known casualties of the disaster was the Renault Coupe de Ville, belonging to a William Carter. It was the only vehicle known for certain to have been on the ship, and was located in the cargo hold. The hold itself is still resting relatively intact (and we use that term extremely loosely) on the seafloor. A century of seawater doesn’t tend to do a car any favours, though, so it’s uncertain how much of the de Ville remains. Carter made a $5000 insurance claim for the loss of his car, which is about $120,000 in today’s money. There have been replicas built since, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely anyone’s ever going to get their hands on the original.
The 1956 Chrysler Norseman
Image credit: Dream Cars
Almost comprehensively wiped from history, even most of the photographs of this mythic concept car are lost to time. The ones that remain are monochrome, meaning that we don’t even know if the plating was green or silver. (Or a disco gold, for that matter. It literally could be anything.) Designed by automotive geniuses in Turin back in the 1950s, the Norseman was on its way to its first public appearance in the United States on board the 697-foot Italian ocean liner Andrea Doria when disaster struck. En route, the Doria collided with the MS Stockholm, which resulted in the loss of around 50 lives, most of whom were killed upon impact. Maritime engineering and emergency drills had advanced significantly since the Titanic, and the Doria remained afloat for 11 hours after impact, giving its passengers and crew plenty of time to evacuate. Sadly though, concept cars aren’t known for their ability to make their way to the lifeboats under their own steam, so the Norseman went down with the ship. It’s had just over half a century underwater now, and like the de Ville, it’s likely the salt water isn’t doing it a ton of favours. Which is a shame, because it reportedly cost about $200,000 to build – which is a staggering $1.7m in today’s money!
So, Enough About Them – How Can I Scrap My Car?
At Scrap Car Network, we’re sadly short of crack diving teams to retrieve your beloved rustbucket from the ocean, and we’re notoriously rubbish at tracking down long-lost movie relics. What we’re brilliant at, though, is getting you the best deal possible when you scrap your car with us. What’s more, you’re helping out both the environment when you do it! Click here for other reasons to choose us, or get right to it by entering your details on our website.
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