Man has to scrap his dozen-strong Alfa Romeo collection in junkyard
- A vehicle parts shop is being forced to scrap a rare Alfa Romeo collection
- It’s been seized and is currently sitting in a junkyard
- He said he’s been inundated with interest from Alfa Romeo lovers
Published on Jun 14, 2024 at 12:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jun 15, 2024 at 11:04 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A collection of old Alfa Romeo cars from a vehicle parts shop in Michigan, US, is set to be forcibly scrapped and sits in a junkyard after a battle with the city.
Located in Sterling Heights, Michigan, in greater Detroit, and cared for by the yard’s owner, Dean Russell, there are dozens of old Alfa Romeo models previously used for parts that he’s now being forced to junk.
As famously unreliable as they are, the now out-of-production classic AF car parts are usually passed between Alfa Romeo owners to keep the classic cars going.
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So why does the junkyard have so many Alfa Romeo cars?
The Alfas are on the lot of US Auto Supply, with photos shared on the yard’s Facebook page earlier this month.
It read: “5 Alfas currently in the yard… That has to be all of them, right??.
“Nope, we have a ton on deck! (These are in the holding area. They will be sold as whole or put in the yard for parts. Watch US Auto Supply – Used Cars for vehicles being sold whole and this page for vehicles being parted).”
While it’s clearly not a car collection that’s been collated with any care and some are showing damage – the vast majority look like they’d run or could be used for parts.
The photos don’t reveal the entirety of the models that the yard has either.
However what we can make out are a few Alfa Romeo Spider sports cars, 164 sedans, and an Alfetta.
Alfa Romeo recently unveiled its first electric car, the Milano SUV.
Not long after it was unveiled, however, the name of the new Milano SUV was switched to ‘Junior’ because of Italian law.
What are they doing in the junkyard?
It’s said that Russell runs an Alfa Romeo specialty shop called Trail Auto.
And this is where the Alfas were located until his trouble with the city started.
Speaking to The Drive, he told interviewers that the cars were removed from his shop after a court order.
The court order is said to be the result of a zoning dispute.
However, Russell still has the cars’ titles – and he wants them back.
Without going into details about his plans, he did say he’d been bowled over by interested members of the public.
Of course, the comment section was overflowing with speculation about the reason for the mechanic’s haul being forcibly removed.
With conflicting and hazy reasons as to why, some allege a long struggle between the shop and the city.
In other words: nobody knows.
What’s next?
With Alfa Romeo unlikely to reproduce many of these parts, we just hope these automotive goodies make their way to where they’re needed.
As Russell’s Facebook page reads: “Bring your own tools & pull used parts in our auto salvage yard. All cars are on stands, organized by make. Easy online vehicle search & part interchange. We buy cars daily – get your parts now!”
Looking into the future, Alfa Romeo are ditching long-standing iconic tradition with a new Giulia coupe.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
