BARNSLEY, England — Top-of-the-line issues about touring to the automobile graveyards of a distant land is that you just get to see discarded examples of autos that by no means got here shut to being bought in the US. I visited the breaker’s yards of northern England not too long ago and photographed loads of machines that by no means had an opportunity of coming to our continent, together with a 2007 Mitsubishi Colt, a 2008 Mitsubishi i, a 2005 Good ForFour, a 2005 Vauxhall Tigra, a 2009 Alfa Romeo Brera S and a 2010 Peugeot Bipper. At the moment’s Junkyard Scrapyard Gem is a really helpful South Korean MPV that the majority American automobile customers would have shunned as they backed away in horror from its not-at-all-truckish form: a Hyundai Matrix.
This automobile at present resides at Carlton Automobile Breakers in Barnsley, positioned in an industrial space between Sheffield and Leeds. There have been a number of boneyards specializing in transit bus components close by, with row upon row of British double-decker buses inside, however they gave the impression to be open by appointment solely.
Carlton’s is a conventional breaker’s yard (what we would name a dismantler in the US), so prospects can are available an take a look at the stock however typically should have workers extract components for them.
Inside, it is a wonderful maze of largely late-model autos.
You will must stroll sideways, rigorously, between the rows of double-stacked autos. Land is dear in England, so companies like this one have to be environment friendly of their use of area.
I discovered some fascinating older equipment, together with this first-generation Suzuki Wagon R+, however most of these automobiles had been too inaccessible to permit the taking pictures of a correct Scrapyard Gem picture set.
Naturally, I introduced alongside a 100-year-old British digicam to doc my journey, on this case a London-made Houghton Ensign. Taking pictures bizarre ASA 50 movie with a primitive field digicam in gloomy winter Yorkshire generally is a problem for the junkyard photographer.
Lastly, I discovered this mysterious Hyundai with sufficient surrounding area to shoot photographs from all angles.
The Pininfarina badges bought me instantly. What is this factor?
It is a Matrix, the export-market model of the Hyundai Lavita. The Lavita was primarily based on the third-generation Elantra and was constructed for the 2001-2010 mannequin years.
Its wheelbase is just like that of its platform cousin, the Santa Fe, however its total size is greater than 18 inches shorter and its curb weight is a couple of half-ton lighter. Positive, it’s kind of funny-looking (regardless of Pininfarina’s finest efforts) and was obtainable in front-wheel-drive kind solely, however there is a very spectacular quantity of passenger and cargo area inside.
Two within the entrance, three within the again, numerous cargo room behind the rear seats.
The MSRP for the U.Okay.-market ’06 Matrix 1.6 GSI was £10,995, or about £18,185 in at this time’s kilos (that is $22,977 in 2024 U.S. {dollars}).
Three engines had been obtainable in 2006: a 1.5-liter turbodiesel with 101 horsepower/173 pound-feet, a 1.6-liter gasoline DOHC straight 4 with 102 horsepower/104 pound-feet and a 1.8-liter gasoline DOHC straight-four with 121 horsepower/119 pound-feet. This automobile has the 1.6, which was the most affordable engine. Transmission alternative was between a four-speed computerized and a five-speed guide; this automobile has the guide.
Pininfarina designed not less than one South Korean automobile that was bought in the US: the Suzuki Forenza (aka Daewoo Lacetti) sedan.
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The Lavita/Matrix was a superb vendor in locations with costly gasoline and slim streets.
Matrix manufacturing in South Korea ended after 2007, however continued for just a few extra years in Turkey.
