Tipped off by a friend, we hiked through the hills on the outskirts of Marseille, France, to find the Renault 4CV pictured below. This 4CV has been totally stripped inside and out but we can tell that it was built between 1951, when a bowtie-shaped instrument cluster was introduced, and 1954, when all 4CVs got three chromed slats up front instead of six.

We initially figured the 4CV had been stolen and dumped decades ago, a reasonable assumption considering that there is a huge number of stolen cars hiding in these hills. However, the 4CV is sitting next to the ruins of what was once either a house or a large shed. We still think it was most likely stolen but another possible scenario is that it could have been left behind when the house was deserted. Either way, it’s been in this very spot for decades. Trees have grown all around it and we can’t even imagine how we would drive up to it today without bringing a chainsaw.

On a different note, this 4CV is lucky to still be around. In July of 2010, a man set fire to his Porsche Cayenne in order to collect insurance money. Fueled by strong winds, the fire spread quickly and ended up burning nearly 2,500 acres in a matter of hours, forcing the evacuation of 1,200 households. It was put out less than a mile away from this 4CV.