On an unseasonably warm Saint Patrick’s Day I drove my wife and son up to the small town of Portland, Connecticut in our current test car, a 2012 Honda Civic Si coupe. Sure, we enjoyed fine Irish fare at a local pub, but what I really wanted to see was the classic car dealership just down the road, F40 Motorsports. While F40 has a national reputation for buying and selling antique, classic and exotic cars, it has also gained recognition for being the center of the TV series ‘Chasing Classic Cars’.
Sure, I love admiring the shiny exotic cars parked in the showroom-it’s not often I can drive 45 minutes and look at a pair of Ferrari Dino’s, a Lamborghini 400GT and a ’58 Corvette without even moving. While that’s all good fun, I also get great enjoyment on viewing cars that are in a slow state of decomposition, but more on that in a moment. You’ll see pictured above a 1950 Jaguar XK120 fixed head coupe. On returning home that evening and seeing Chasing Classic Car’s Facebook page, it appears the Jag was a barn find that had just been pulled out that day, seeing daylight for the first time in years. The appeared straight, but missing a lot of trim. It should be interesting to follow the car on the show to see its future.
There is an irresistible lure to seek out the abandoned, forgotten cars that are left to the elements at shops like these, and it was with delight I was able to get up close. Check the image gallery below, but what we found varied from the eclectic Lancia and VW Transporter, the classics, including a Rambler and Mustang, and the sad Alfa Romeo Alfetta and Triumph TR-4, the latter seemingly tethered to the earth with weeds. Finally, I did find the shot of a Mercedes-Benz 300E whose roof appears to be getting chewed by the hood of a Jaguar XJ-6 amusing.
I hope all of you had a fun and safe Saint Patrick’s Day. It was a pleasure admiring these cars, and I am thrilled to share them with you. Enjoy.
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That Jaguar is beautiful! Which one was your favorite?