Warhoops salvage yard sold by founding family
On the 25th anniversary year of Joe Bortz’s rescue of four Motorama concept cars rescued from Warhoops Used Auto & Truck Parts in Sterling Heights, Mich., the legendary salvage yard…
On the 25th anniversary year of Joe Bortz’s rescue of four Motorama concept cars rescued from Warhoops Used Auto & Truck Parts in Sterling Heights, Mich., the legendary salvage yard is marking another milestone in 2013: its sale by the Warholak family, founders of the yard.
“I am almost 70 and it was time,” said Harry Warholak Jr., whose father founded the business.
Ownership of the yard transferred from Warholak to Detroit-based U.S. Auto Supply on July 17. The Warhoops name is being scrapped for that of US Auto.
“They are in the process of changing it to update everything to today’s computer standards,” Warholak Jr. said. “I kept it in the back alley junk yard idea, because I knew I was going to try to sell it and to start updating it before someone came in with their own system didn’t make sense.”
Warholak admits, however, that “I liked to do it the old way.”
The Harry Warholak Sr., who passed away in 1997, started the yard in the mid 1950s, shortly before General Motors deposited four obsolete dream cars in the yard around 1958: the 1955 LaSalle II Sedan and Roadster, 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car and 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne.
Today, the 1955 LaSalle II Roadster, 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham Town Car and 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne are in concours condition. The 1955 LaSalle II Sedan is undergoing a complete restoration under the supervision of Bortz.
Related Resources
Read about other great finds in "Lost and Found" second edition
Enjoy pictures of other decaying cars in "Roadside Relics"
Angelo Van Bogart is the editor of Old Cars magazine and wrote the column "Hot Wheels Hunting" for Toy Cars & Models magazine for several years. He has authored several books including "Hot Wheels 40 Years," "Hot Wheels Classics: The Redline Era" and "Cadillac: 100 Years of Innovation." His 2023 book "Inside the Duesenberg SSJ" is his latest. He can be reached at avanbogart@aimmedia.com
