OVERVIEW

Six hundred classic cars that have been neglected and left to rot in an Alberta field will be auctioned off in August. The cars range from 1920s American cars to a select few foreign cars, including a Fiat and a Mercedes.

The cars, which are part of “the yard” from Kustom King’s hot rod shop, belong to shop owner Murray King and are located in Spruce Grove, Alta. About 600 of them will go up for auction on Aug. 16 and 17.

Some of the cars were restored through Kustom King, but with more than 600 vehicles on the property, it would be near impossible to restore all of them. The cars were not available to the general public (the field wasn’t used as a scrap yard), but instead served as a quasi parts warehouse for his business.

As is the story with many of these decades-old yards, the land it sits on is now worth more than the cars. According to an article by Hemmings, King paid $35,000 for the property 35 years ago and was recently offered $1.3-million for a portion of the land. The cars are being sold off to clear the land for sale.

What are the cars in question? The classics range from the 1920s to the 1970s, but most are from the ’50s and ’60s. Highlights include a 1972 Mercedes, 1929 REO Speedwagon Coke truck and a 1962 Nash Metropolitan. If you’re looking for a winter project, the complete list of vehicles can be found here.