With some great collections of cars turning up across the country in rural barns and sheds, finding an interesting little treasure trove in suburbia makes a bit of a change. This collection isn’t extensive, but there’s no doubt that it’s interesting. It has been unearthed in St. George, Utah, and is the property of a gentleman named Steve, who owns and runs a hot rod garage. The first car to catch our eye is this chopped Volkswagen Squareback. This work was carried out by a previous owner but has never been finished. Steve says that the car runs and that he would be willing to part with it “for a couple of grand.” Of course, the option would probably be available to get Steve to wave his magic wand over it, and to drive away in a finished product.

The next car to jump out is this 1952 Chrysler New Yorker. Steve currently owns this one but does have a buyer for it, so it won’t be far from moving on. This imposing looking car features a 331ci Hemi V8 and is said to run and drive. Its new life will be as a promotional and shop vehicle for a local business in St. George.

Sitting forlornly in a quiet corner of the yard is this 1957 Ford Country Sedan. This is a car that has an interesting story, as the owner was actually brought home from the hospital in it as a new-born baby. Many years later he took the car to Steve with the intention of having it restored to surprise his mother, but has now changed his mind. Tragically, the car has been parted out by the owner, and there is a real chance that the shell is going to find its way to a junk yard. The shell appears to be solid, with good floors and rockers, and we can only hope that someone grabs this and uses it as the base for a cool project.

Hidden away in a storage unit is this cool hot rod. This car is owned by Steve’s daughter, and will eventually be repainted in her choice of black and teal. That will make it one nice looking car, but there is a part of this car that Steve has every intention of removing and keeping.

While the full story of the vehicle’s past is not clear, it is the trunk lid and filler panel that Steve intends to remove and preserve. Those pinstripes were hand-painted by the legendary Ed Roth. It isn’t clear whether he had a hand in any other aspects of the car, but with his name integrated into the pinstripes, this is something that is definitely worth preserving.

One of the more interesting vehicles in Steve’s collection is this Volkswagen Pickup. That unassuming exterior, with body damage, hides a bit of a secret. The VW is no longer home to a rear-mounted flat-four engine. Powering it is a mid-mounted Corvette V8 engine, although Steve doesn’t elaborate on the size or origin of the engine. Apparently, this conversion was done properly using the Corvette engine and rear end, and the Pickup saw road use up until it was broad-sided. It was then taken off the road and has been sitting waiting to be repaired. I wish that we could get a look at the conversion work, as this would be really interesting. I’m just picturing the surprised look on people’s faces when they hear and see this thing take off from the lights.

That’s just a very brief snapshot of this collection. There are a number of other vehicles in the collection, and a surprising number of them run and drive. The full video is below, so take a look, because it does make for interesting viewing.