More Junkyard Discoveries from Rohner’s Auto Parts in Willmar, Minnesota

Slide of Welcome to our second and final visit to Rohner’s Auto Parts, one of Minnesota’s best-kept secrets. This 80-acre yard features miles of dirt tracks lined with thousands of cars. Slide of INTRODUCTION While many vehicles date back to the 1990s and 2000s, as you can see from this collection of images, there is an impressive array of older domestic, European, and Japanese autos as well. Slide of LINCOLN TOWNCAR LIMOUSINE We were hoping to cruise around Rohner’s Auto Parts in this 1990s stretched Lincoln Towncar, until we noticed the 'Not for Hire' sticker and a 'No Drinking' sign. Talk about ruining our fun… Its last ride is likely to be a suitably sombre one – straight to the crusher… Slide of AMC PACER One of the AMC Pacer’s many nicknames was the ‘Flying Goldfish Bowl’, on account of all that glass. Unfortunately, the fish seem to have all escaped through this one’s smashed front windshield. Produced from 1975 to 1980, in total 280,000 of these three-door compacts were sold. Slide of VOLKSWAGEN SCIROCCO Launched in the mid-1970s, the Volkswagen Scirocco replaced the Karmann Ghia Coupé. This model is a Scirocco II, identified by its elongated wedge-shaped body, softer lines, and a rear spoiler above the rear windshield. While US sales ceased in 1988, the Scirocco continued in Europe into the early 1990s, with a total of 795,734 units sold worldwide. Though the Scirocco made a long-awaited return in 2008 with a third generation, these models never made their way across the Atlantic. Slide of PONTIAC GRANDVILLE - 1972 The Pontiac Grand Ville, a trim package for the Bonneville, was only available from 1971 to 1975. Over the five years, 290,327 of these luxury liners were built, but fewer than 20,000 were 1972 coupes like this one. Although this particular car still boasts plenty of useful trim, its bruised and battered body panels are beyond salvageable. Slide of OLDSMOBILE JETSTAR 88 - 1964 In 1964, only 19,325 Oldsmobile Jetstar four-door Holiday Hardtops were built, and just a tiny fraction has survived. This one has long since lost its Jetfire Rocket V8, which, when pushed hard, could take the Jetstar to 60mph in about 9 seconds and on to a claimed top speed of 115mph. Slide of RENAULT FUEGO If scarcity equated to value, Rohners would be sitting on a fortune with its collection of four rare Renault Fuego hatchbacks. Between 1982 and 1986, 94,000 were sold through AMC dealers. However, that isn't the case; instead, it has four French cars that nobody wants. These models were also assembled in South America, where production continued into the 1990s. Slide of CHEVROLET VEGA KAMMBACKS And while we’re on the subject of undesirability, Rohners has more Chevrolet Vega Kammback wagons than you can shake a stick at. What they lack in appeal, they more than make up for in color. Though nothing in this lineup looks restorable, it offers a treasure trove of rare spare parts. Slide of PONTIAC SUNBIRD SAFARI At first glance, this might seem like another Vega wagon, but it's actually a much scarcer Pontiac Sunbird Safari. Depending on whether it was built in 1978 or 1979, it is one of either 8,424 or 2,902 examples produced. Either way it’s a rare car indeed. Making this one even more unusual is its wood veneer panelling. Slide of BUICK SKYHAWK - 1975 The first-generation Buick Skyhawk is another car that was based on the Chevrolet Vega. These subcompact hatchbacks were introduced to the world in 1974 and remained in production until 1980. The orange car closest to the camera appears to be a 1975 model, making it one of 29,448 built that year. The one behind it is likely a few years its junior. Slide of BUICK INVICTA - 1963 Just 3495 Buick Invicta station wagons found buyers in 1963, and the chances of finding other parts doner are slim to none. The Invicta name, meaning "invincible" in Latin, first appeared in Buick’s lineup in 1959. Essentially a LeSabre with the biggest engine, the Invicta was initially offered in various body styles. However, by 1963, most had been replaced by the Wildcat, leaving just the Invicta station wagon. Slide of OLDSMOBILE TORONADO – 1980s This early 1980s Oldsmobile Toronado has been off the road since 2002, and it shows. It's a third-generation model (1979 to 1985), which was considerably smaller than its predecessors. In addition to gasoline-powered versions, Oldsmobile also regrettably offered a 5.7-liter V8 diesel. This engine was notoriously unreliable, severely tarnishing Oldsmobile’s reputation. Slide of PONTIAC SUNBIRD - GT Convertibles tend to have a higher survival rate than their hardtop counterparts, but that didn’t prevent this Pontiac Sunbird from ending up at Rohners. This GT model was only produced in 1988 and 1989. While the bodywork remains solid and it still retains its h