Bukit Brown is a wonderful 1940s and earlier wildly junglefied cemetery with elaborate overgrown graves, and is one of our favourite hiking spots. So we were surprised to learn that there are decaying cars off-piste in this jungle! As you can see, they're in excellent condition!
Now when I say off-piste, I mean it took us two tries to find them up and down hills, through vines, and nowhere near roads. It's lots of mysterious, so we've done some sleuthing!
This first beauty is an early-mid 70s Peugeot 504, as determined by the lights, bumper, and dashboard.
This first beauty is an early-mid 70s Peugeot 504, as determined by the lights, bumper, and dashboard.
Here is a similar car in happier times.
We didn't expect to find much inside.
However there were (standard, undated) bowling pins in the trunk, so that adds a touch more mystery.
The second car is trying to blend in, but it has aftermarket red racing stripes, which may be a clue.
A bit harder to get good dashboard pictures.
This logo sent Barry down an erroneous Plymouth rathole.
This car is a Toyopet (Toyota) Corona Mark II Sedan, ~72-76, probably the 2000GL. Barry even found the brochure.
Front match.
So it's called a Corona, it's from the 70s, it has a logo that looks like a virus, and it was abandoned in a graveyard with graves from the 40s, where there haven't been roads since the 70s. Some creepy.
Here is the butt match. The Corona became the Cressida in North America and the Crown, which is still used as taxis, in SE Asia. Corona, Corolla, and Camry, are all descendants of the word Crown.
To our further surprise, there were actually 4 graveyard jungle cars, including another Corona Mark II, the station wagon ~1971.
This one offered an easier mystery, but was worse for wear.
We have no idea what 4 cars were doing in a cemetery which has been closed for graves since the 40s, and where roads ceased to exist in the 70s. Were they junked then, or later? Were they an offering for the ancestors, or some kind of accident? This, we couldn't solve.
The fourth and final car was a lovely mint green.
There wasn't much left, but the dash was distinct enough that Barry could narrow this down to conclude it's a Fiat, probably 600, circa 1963!
Look how pretty! A very fine car to abandon amongst the graves.
