Wheels: Why My Heart Aches When Worthless Cars Go to the Crusher

Benjamin Preston A V-8-equipped 1965 Rambler Classic is taken to the crusher at a scrap yard outside Denver.

Expanding upon my previous rumination about today’s worthless cars becoming tomorrow’s relatively pricey classics, I had another experience involving a car that isn’t worth a whole lot that was dumped, whole, into a line of cars to be crushed at a scrap yard on the outskirts of Denver.

I was getting a set of used tires placed on the rear wheels of my brand-spanking-old 1980 Chevrolet pickup when a flatbed trailer arrived with a slightly sad-looking, but remarkably intact, 1965 Rambler Classic sedan. Naturally, I went over to investigate. It didn’t run. Part of the driver’s side upholstery was tattered. It had two flat tires, and the rear window was broken. But it wasn’t rusty. The interior was in great shape (although it needed a good scrubbing), and it was one of the rarer V-8 models.

Before getting any deeper into this, I must explain that at heart, I am one of those guys who, should it be feasible, would have a row of ratty they-could-be-nice-someday beaters parked beneath a stand of overgrown trees behind my house. That I live in an apartment building in Brooklyn is irrelevant. I come from Virginia. (You can take a man out of Virginia, but you can’t … well, you get the idea.)

Anxiety and regret gnawed my insides as I watched this perfectly good piece of machinery loaded onto a forklift and placed amid a pile of decrepit Caprice Classics, Ford vans and rusted-out Toyota trucks. I asked why, why for God’s sake they were casting it away. Apparently, the car’s owner had lost the title and lacked the energy to deal with the paper trail associated with getting a new one. Without really thinking about what I was saying, I heard myself offering $200 for the car. The forklift operator looked at the guy who was draining the fluids from the engine.

“Cuanto? Quinientos?”

“Five hundred’s too much,” I replied, saying over and over what a shame it was to let such a little gem go to waste. I briefly considered offering up $400 for a car that didn’t run and had no title. Someday, I reasoned, this relatively worthless car would be worth something. But first I’d have to put tires on it. And tow it back east. And get it running. And park it somewhere in Brooklyn where it wouldn’t get smashed, stolen or towed. And …

In the end, I realized the stupidity of such a purchase and watched helplessly as a piece of history succumbed to the ravages of reason and practicality. Years from now, when someone is selling a car like this for $50,000, I’ll be kicking myself for passing up such an opportunity. Think I’m kidding? In 1940, how many people thought a brand new Ford woodie station wagon, which sold for $950 (just under $16,000 in today’s dollars) then, would sell at an auction for almost $200,000 today? My guess would be not many. Even fewer 20 years later when surfers and Beatniks could pick them up for next to nothing.

It all comes down to who has the space, time and patience to hang onto cars through that long period of low value and little interest. Looking at it long-term, a car like that could be a good investment. But in day-to-day life, keeping one (or more) around borders on madness, and you run the risk of becoming, in your later years, one of those old guys who dies with dozens of decrepit wrecks hoarded in a weed-choked mess behind the garage.

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Wheels: Maserati to Recall 7,400 Cars for Suspension Problem

C.J. Gunther Maserati will be issuing the recall for rust-prone tie rod ends that could lead to component failure and increased crash risk.

Maserati will recall about 7,400 vehicles because a rear suspension failure can cause the driver to lose control, the automaker has informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a report posted over the weekend on the agency’s Web site.

The models affected by the recall are the 2005-8 Maserati Quattroporte and GranTurismo and the 2008 Alfa Romeo 8C. Maserati said the threaded ends of the rear tie rods might rust and fail due to “insufficiently applied zinc-nickel anti-corrosion compound material.” Such a failure could result “in loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash.”

Maserati said it learned of the problem through the warranty claims process, although the report did not say when. The automaker also said it was not aware of any accidents related to the defect. Maserati says it will replace the left and right rear tie-rod assemblies.

The automaker described the recall as voluntary, but once a manufacturer is aware of a safety problem it is required to inform N.H.T.S.A. within five business days or face civil fines.

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Wheels: Argentines Win the 2013 Mille Miglia

Jerry Garrett Juan Tonconogy and his co-driver, Guillermo Berisso, streaked toward a Mille Miglia victory Saturday in a 1927 Bugatti T40.

BRESCIA, Italy — A sky-blue 1927 Bugatti T40, driven by Juan Tonconogy of Argentina, on Saturday won the 2013 edition of the Mille Miglia Storica. Mr. Tonconogy, and his co-driver, Guillermo Berisso, arrived at the finish line shortly after 10 p.m. in the re-enactment of the famed Italian road rally. They had left the start line here at 7 p.m. on Thursday, embarking along with 415 competitors on a 1,000-mile odyssey to Rome and back, through 196 cities on the Italian peninsula.

The cars, all selected from among vehicles that either did race or could have raced in the 24 editions of the Mille Miglia held from 1927 to 1957, had to perform dozens of time, speed and distance trials along the way. Mr. Tonconogy tallied 35,417 points, 576 more than the runners-up, Giordano Mozzi and Mark Gessler, in a 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Gran Sport. That same Alfa had won the rally a year earlier, in the hands of a different team of Argentine drivers.

A 1933 Aston Martin Le Mans, driven by Giovanni Moceri and Tiberio Cavalleri, was third. Something of a surprise in fourth place was a 1933 Ford Model B roadster. One of just a handful of American cars entered, it was driven by Gianmario Fontanella of Italy, who finished just nine points ahead of the 1927 Bugatti T37 of Bruno and Carlo Ferrari.

Jerry Garrett The Bugattis of Giulio Felloni (21) and Bruno Ferrari (23) battled for dominance on a highway through Emilia-Romagna. The No. 23 Bugatti ultimately took a fifth-place finish.

It is the fifth attempt by Mr. Tonconogy, 34, to win the rally, and he is now the youngest winner in the 31 years that the tribute rally version of the event has been staged. He is the developer of a winery, resort and spa in the Mendoza region of Argentina; he is also involved in his family’s business interests in Miami, according to published reports.

“I raced with the best co-pilot in the world,” Mr. Tonconogy said of Mr. Berisso on the victory podium. “We are extremely satisfied with the outcome reached, especially since this edition was packed with talented drivers and extremely competitive vehicles.”

The race has grown in recent years from something of a nostalgic, parochial remembrance for a bygone era of dubious street races to an international celebration of a golden era in automotive history.

Jerry Garrett Although rare in the Mille Miglia, a handful of American cars were entered this year. This 1933 Ford Model B roadster, driven by the Italian Gianmario Fontanella, finished fourth.

Automakers supported the event — emptying out their museums in some instances — to help teams field cars. Among the manufacturer-backed participants were those driving entries from Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, BMW, Bentley, Bugatti, Ferrari, Fiat, Jaguar, Lancia, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

None of the race’s many celebrity participants — pro golfers, Olympic athletes, actors and actresses, auto executives and assorted executives — figured among the top finishers; most seemed to be, quite literally, just along for the ride. Scoring reasonably well among that group was the racer Andy Wallace in 137th place, the fashion model David Gandy in 169th and the businessman-racer Roger Penske in 202nd.

The race, organized this year by 1000 Miglia S.r.l., was plagued by almost constant rain, although no major incidents were reported. Worker and student demonstrations in Bologna — not rare occurrences — did little to disrupt the rally. It toured some areas in Emilia-Romagna that were particularly hard hit by a major earthquake that struck in the final hours of the 2012 event.

Of the record entry number, 340 were classified as finishers, even though more than a few had to be pushed across the finish line. The last stragglers did not arrive until the predawn hours on Sunday.

Jerry Garrett This 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 won the Mille Miglia last year in the hands of different drivers. On Saturday, the car clinched a second-place finish for Giordano Mozzi and his co-driver, Mark Gessler.

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