Rusting Beauties
There might be a car sitting around in your garage that needs attention. But there are cars out there that haven't been touched in a few decades. These poor machines are rusting away while their owners are oblivious to the value that they have.
It's not just cheap heaps either. Some people have left truly custom cars, performance, or luxury alike to sit and gather dust. Even underneath dirt and rust, there can be a beauty that's still worth something.
McDonald's Barge
This beaut was shown off at the Expo World's fair in 1986. She's been left to sit here ever since. It's a fully operable McDonald's diner that floats on water.
The barge has been slowly wasting away on the water for over 30 years. Some folks thought of giving it back it's former beauty, but only vandals that graffiti the walls ever come aboard.
Batmobile
Movie props are often taken good care of by either the production company or some fan who has the money to acquire it. They want to keep the nostalgia alive by keeping the prop in good order.
So it's sad to see Tim Burton's Batmobile waylayed to the side and left in the woods to rust. The photographer never gave up its location. Maybe they have plans for the Caped Crusader's ride of choice.
Bagger 258
This 160ft tall, 500ft long beast of a machine has been untouched since 2002. It's called The Bagger 258 and it's origins lie in East Germany.
The enormous machine was designed to sustain itself on coal while it dug into the ground. Unfortunately, once all the coal was dug up, the poor thing was left in this field.
“Mystery Men” Battle Jitney
This vehicle is a prop from the 1999 movie Mystery Men. It's outlasted its time on the big screen and has since been forgotten.
The vehicle was on screen for a total of 5 minutes. Even though its screen time was short, it's a beauty of a machine. If you're wondering where it is today, it's rusting away in some junkyard. Passerbys will never even know it came the big screen.
Spasatel Ekranoplan
This amazing plane was built in Russia. Construction was nearly finished so it could take to the skies, but unfortunately, the project was abruptly scrapped.
The engineers abandoned it for an unknown reason. But years passed and there were ideas to turn it into an ambulance. Even though the idea was planned for some reason, no one ever acted on them.
Narco Tank
When looking at this vehicle, you'd think it's another prop, most likely from a Mad Max movie. Funnily this vehicle is in fact scrapped together by Mexican drug smugglers.
This vehicle comes complete with one-inch steel walls and the ability to drop nails behind it onto the road. It can hold up to 20 people and strikes fear into the Mexican government -- although, thankfully, they've never actually had to deal with one.
Ghostbusters
What may look like a hearse was actually made to resemble and old Miller-Meteor ambulance. The Ghostbusters' vehicle of choice is instantly recognizable for fans of the classic film franchise.
The vehicle is currently at the Sony Pictures Studio. They had plans to give it a nice new coat of paint and fix it up. But more recently it seems to just be slowly fading away.
Burning Man Bicycles
When people attend the Burning Man festival it's a rule that they shouldn't leave anything behind when they leave. This rule isn't always followed, though.
Over the years people have left a lot of bicycles for some reason. In 2017 they found 5000 and decided they would be in a much better place if they cleaned them all up and gave them all away to charity.
Rental Bikes
Thought Burning Man festival was the only place where people abandoned their bikes? Well, ride-sharing businesses were recently discovered to have been dumping huge amounts of bikes after the business went under.
These companies were sighted taking what looked like nice new bikes and just dumping them into landfills. This is a complete waste and the companies could at least take a page out of the Burning Man festival's book.
Largest Diesel Submarine
This submarine was built in the 1980s by the Russian navy, who utilized it until it was retired by the Northern fleet in 2001. So, why has it been abandoned on a grassy field?
After it was transported out of the water, the 2,000-ton sub was bought by a museum and turned into a permanent exhibit for tourists.
General Motors Aluminum Train
In the 1950s, many companies experimented with new technology including General Motors, who designed a high-speed aluminum bodied train.
Although it was fast at the time, its top speed was only 100 miles per hour and it was so light that it couldn’t climb steep hills, so the prototype was abandoned by the company.
Fordson Snow Devil
The Fordson Snow Devil was invented to solve the tough problem of navigating through snowy terrain.
Its rotating screws on the lower half of the vehicle were meant to grip any terrain and move you across snow. But, after succumbing to motor failure in icy Alaska, many models were abandoned.
SS Palo Alto
The SS Palo Alto was unique for its time because it was built out of concrete instead of steel because materials were in short supply after World War I.
The oil tanker was later used in the ‘20s as a casino and dance hall, but after the Great Depression it was closed down and left to rot, where it still is falling apart today, in Monterey Bay.
Caojiawan Metro Station
Hidden among overgrown weeds is a unique metro station that sees very few passengers. The Chinese subway stop was built in hopes that it would help urbanize the area, but that hasn’t happened yet.
During rush hour it isn’t uncommon to see just one passenger waiting in the station.
Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress
This plane ran out of fuel and crash-landed in the Agaiambo swamp in Papua New Guinea during the second World War.
It was rediscovered in 1972 and the ruins were later shipped back to the United States in 2010, when it was placed in the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Long Beach, California.
Eritrea Tanks
These tanks were used from 1974 to 1991 during a fight for liberation for the people of Eritrea, Africa. Now they still stand in the same places in which they were used for battle because of their enormous size.
Every year they become more and more reclaimed by grass and sand and the tanks have become a symbol of those who lost their lives in battle.
Abandoned Tank on Flamenco Beach
This abandoned tank has become a tourist attraction in the area after it was left behind by the United States Navy in 1975.
The area used to be a weapons-testing ground for the U.S., but now locals decorate the tank while they wait for the ocean water to continue eroding it.
Abandoned Racing Cars
The Lotus 97T was a Formula One racing car built for use in the 1985 Formula One World Championship. It bore the name John Player Special on it as a sponsorship for the tobacco company.
These racing cars have been rotting away since the ‘80s after some faster and better cars came along for the racing circuit, leaving these ones immobile.
Ferrari Enzo in Dubai
Incredible wealth often leads to incredible waste, as the people of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates know very well.
Several luxury sports cars, including this Ferrari Enzo, have been abandoned across the country and left to collect dust after their owners moved on to bigger and better things.
Customized 1941 Packard 90
This customized behemoth is a real collectors item. More than 20 feet long, its extra seating allows up to 12 people to ride and it was built with extra side doors for more passengers.
Its canvas hood opens over the entire body of the car and its 356 flathead engine is equipped with three speeds. Even though it is in ill-repair, its value is still incredibly high.
1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler
One of only eight of its kind, this Mercury Cyclone needed some serious restoration after it was left to rot in a Florida garage for decades.
Even though it had many missing parts, it was bought by someone who painstakingly restored it back to its former glory. Now, the Mercury is shown at car shows around the world.
Mercedes Maybach S600
This expensive vehicle is a customized luxury car worth about $200,000. But, it was found in a public parking lot in Vietnam.
When found it had no license plates, meaning that its owner probably bought it, parked it and never moved it again.
1948 Norman Timbs Special
This unique vehicle looked incredible in its heyday. Designed by Indy 500 designers, it took over three years to fully complete.
Its curvy aluminum body was formed by hand and it was equipped with a Buick V8 engine. Its owner, a former Air Force officer, forgot to keep it in good condition after buying it in the ‘50s.
Jaguar XK 140 SE Coupe
This Jaguar XK 140 is the only one of its kind and when it was found abandoned by the owner’s family, they unknowingly gave the car away to charity.
It is one of only three left of its model and it is the only one installed with a C type engine, meaning nothing else like it exists in the world.
1936 Bentley Vanden Plas Tourer
This Bentley is the last surviving model of its kind, bought by a British war veteran in 1952 for $400. When it was found by his family after being locked in a garage for 30 years, it was in poor condition.
But, the grimy, rotting vehicle still managed to go for $600,000 at auction.