Junkyards are a common sight all over the world. Usually home to thousands of cars, they're easy to spot. Abandoned properties, on the other hand, can be hidden from sight and they can also conceal old cars in backyards and barns. Like this one here, which is home to a pack of European cars, including a couple of rare Eastern European vehicles.
Located somewhere in the United Kingdom (the exact location isn't disclosed), this abandoned home was recently explored by YouTube's "The Bearded Explorer." It's the same guy who ventured into a former airfield packed with rare Dassault Mystere bombers earlier in 2021.
While exploring the property, which appears to have been left behind decades ago, he stumbled across a few cars almost completely covered by trees and bushes. Most of them are just mundane automobiles from the 1980s and 1990s, but two of them are from a brand you don't see very often today, especially in Western European countries.
They show up early in the video, around the three-minute mark. The explorers don't know what they are at first, but they eventually identify the vehicles as FSO Polonez models. These cars were produced from the late 1970s until the early 2000s by a Polish company called Fabryka Samochodów Osobowych (FSO).
Developed in cooperation with Fiat, the Polonez was based on the same platform as the Polski Fiat 125p, built by FSO under license from 1967 to 1991. The Polonez was offered in numerous body styles, ranging from sedans and station wagons to coupes and pickup trucks. Both a hatchback and a sedan were abandoned on this property.
Quite popular in the Eastern block, the Polonez was also exported to Western Europe, Asia, and South America. Some made it to the United Kingdom, where the Polish car was marketed until 1997. Granted, they're far from valuable nowadays, but they fit the bill as automotive curiosities.
And they're arguably the most exotic cars found on the property, alongside an old Volkswagen Golf station wagon, a fifth-generation Ford Escort, an Austin Montego, and an unidentified van.
Cars aside, the house itself is also quite interesting. It appears to have been suddenly abandoned, so it still contains furniture, books, clothes, and family photos. It includes a massive collection of books from the late 1800s, while some rooms are packed with junk, a sign that whoever lived here was somewhat of a hoarder.
Definitely an interesting place to spend time in, even if you're not a car enthusiast. Check it all out in the lengthy video below.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News