Wrecked in Motor City

Wrecked in Motor City

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Detroit, or Motor City as it is affectionately known, once stood as the proud symbol of U.S. industrial strength, home to the “Big Three” car makers; Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.

The city has since fallen on hard times after decades of population loss, rampant debt and financial mismanagement left it struggling to provide basic services to residents, who left in droves.

. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

Reuters photographer Joshua Lott documented old or damaged cars in the city, some of which were abandoned, a sign of Detroit’s change in fortune.

There is hope though. The city was able to exit bankruptcy in December and is holding the 26th annual North American International Auto Show.

Automobile sales in 2014 recorded their best numbers since 2006, which alongside the city’s now lighter debt load after exiting bankruptcy, is hoped to signal a nascent comeback.

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Slideshow

An older model of a Cadillac Eldorado sits in a parking lot.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

An older model of a Cadillac Eldorado sits in a parking lot.

A Cadillac Eldorado is blanketed in snow.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

A Cadillac Eldorado is blanketed in snow.

A damaged older model Lincoln Town Car sits in the backyard of a home.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

A damaged older model Lincoln Town Car sits in the backyard of a home.

A  battered Plymouth Breeze is parked in the snow.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

A battered Plymouth Breeze is parked in the snow.

A Chevrolet SS Impala, which is missing a wheel, sits on a cinder block.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

A Chevrolet SS Impala, which is missing a wheel, sits on a cinder block.

A Mazda 626 with a missing wheel sits next to wood pallets.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

A Mazda 626 with a missing wheel sits next to wood pallets.

A rusty Ford F-250 pick-up truck is parked in the yard of a home
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

A rusty Ford F-250 pick-up truck is parked in the yard of a home

A damaged car is parked in the snow.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

A damaged car is parked in the snow.

A Chevrolet Astro Van, which is covered in graffiti, sits parked outside Kings Auto Parts.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

A Chevrolet Astro Van, which is covered in graffiti, sits parked outside Kings Auto Parts.

An old rusty Ford van sits next to a tractor in a yard.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

An old rusty Ford van sits next to a tractor in a yard.

An older model Lincoln Town Car with a damaged wheel sits in a parking lot.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

An older model Lincoln Town Car with a damaged wheel sits in a parking lot.

A Chevrolet Suburban 1500 which was stripped of its parts sits in an empty lot.
. DETROIT, United States. REUTERS/Joshua Lott

A Chevrolet Suburban 1500 which was stripped of its parts sits in an empty lot.

"In Detroit it is common to see abandoned, wrecked and vandalised cars throughout the streets."
Joshua Lott, Reuters Photographer

Many cars are born here in the Motor City, home to the “Big Three” U.S. automakers: Ford, Chrysler and General Motors. They roll off the assembly line with a fresh coat of paint from bumper to bumper and a new set of wheels ready to roll the streets and highways of the world.

But of course trucks, cars, vans and SUV’s don’t survive forever.

In Detroit it is common to see abandoned, wrecked and vandalised cars throughout the streets. Not all of these vehicles are dead and buried, some are still drivable, but they are not quite reliable, especially in the harsh winter.

I set out with my cameras into the Midwest’s frigid temperatures to document these cars to coincide with the 2015 North American International Auto Show.

In a city that is recovering from one of the biggest municipal bankruptcies in U.S. history, it is not a rare site to see vehicles missing a wheel or two, windows gone or smashed and severely damaged exteriors stripped of several parts or defaced with graffiti sitting in the backyard of a home or some random street corner or vacant lot. They blend in with the thousands of abandoned and blighted houses that has been part of the city's landscape for numerous years.

Maybe in the coming months or years Detroit will find a way to claim these vehicles, remove them from the streets, get them to the proper junk yard, or auction off the ones that need some tender love and care.

I think American rap artist Xzibit would have a field day in the Motor City restoring vehicles in poor condition. He could re-launch his television series "Pimp My Ride" and customise a new ride every day.