I discovered these old cars the other day in a small parking lot located a few blocks west of the Casa de Nariño, in a neighborhood which the government wants to turn into ministry buildings, but whose residents and business owners are fighting to remain. I guess the fact that these vehicles have been taking up space here for years, perhaps for decades, suggests that the area is being under-exploited in an economic sense. On the other hand, they do add a sort of beauty to the place.
The many millions of dedicated readers of this blog will know that I don't like cars, for their impacts on society and the environment. These cars, at least, have stopped polluting - the air, anyway. (They're probably leaching metals and chemicals into the soil.) But their presence here years or decades after they stopped moving demonstrates how cars continue occupying space long after they're any social use has ended.Th
By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours
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If you don't already know, you'll be surprised about this: Our trolleybuses from so many decades ago are still rusting on a parking lot on Carrera 24 with Calle 72.
Beautiful Classic old Cars - Daimler, Mercedes ... it's a shame someone doesn't take on their restoration, maybe one day.
If someone wants to restore those machines, their time is running out with each day of additional rust.
And thanks Juan for that address. I'd heard about that trolley graveyard, but never knew where it was. Someday I'll visit.
Mike
It is indeed a shame to see these cars rusting away. I'm sure somebody had big plans to restore them but never got them going. If the right people found out about this, I think that somebody would make a good offer for them. There is a surprisingly (to me, anyway) large community of classic car restorers in this country, and they probably have international contacts who would be thrilled to see this collection.
As for your statement at the end that cars continue to take up space even after they have no "social" value, I am sure you know that these cars are very much the exception rather than the rule. Most cars, even here in Colombia are sold for scrap at the end of their life and the majority of content, steel, is recycled. This has been true for a long time.
Hi Coolcoil,
But would restoring those old cars cost more than they'd be worth? In any case, the blogpost is up there for anybody in the world to see.
As for what happens to old cars. Yes, I hope that they're recycled. But recently I've noticed growing piles of discarded car tires in empty lots and on sidewalks.
Mike
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