Inside town abandoned after nuclear horror filled with hundreds of vintage cars

08 June 2023 , 22:03

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One of the cars Bob Thissen came across (Image: Bob Thissen / CATERS NEWS)

Hundreds of abandoned vintage cars have been discovered inside a town that remained empty after a huge nuclear disaster.

The Fukushima exclusion zone in Japan became home to thousands of abandoned cars after the nuclear fallout in 2011 - one of the most well-known disasters in human history that saw over 160,000 people forced to evacuate the area.

On March 11, 2011, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan shook the country for six minutes, killing nearly 20,000 people and devastating communities.

Reactors close to the earthquake, including those operating at Fukushima Daiichi, shut down, and due to insufficient sea defences, the plant's backup generators, meant to pump cooling water through the reactor, were destroyed by the 15-metre tsunami.

The explorer discovered thousands of abandoned sports and JDM cars (Bob Thissen / CATERS NEWS)

The cores of units 1-3 then largely melted over the following three days and there were several hydrogen explosions, provoking as the release of nuclear material into the surrounding environment.

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Thousands of people were evacuated due to radioactive contamination.

Now, an eager explorer has travelled through the Fukushima exclusion zone to admire the thousands of abandoned sports and JDM cars scattered there.

Bob Thissen, 34, and his team of urban explorers travelled through the area visiting old car dealerships that he had researched beforehand, and went on to find a variety of abandoned cars.

The Fukushima exclusion zone in Japan became home to thousands of abandoned cars after the nuclear fallout in 2011 (Bob Thissen / CATERS NEWS)

Despite a lot of the cars looking like they are in pretty good condition, they are all worthless because the radiation levels in their metal made them not fit for purpose.

Bob, who is behind the YouTube channel 'Exploring the Unbeaten Path', said: "It was a sad sight to see these collectibles in a bad shape, especially when you know every car had an owner, who couldn’t retrieve their vehicle.

"The cars can be found in the affected villages of the nuclear fallout."

He added: "Some fields have been used to dump cars, which were collected from the streets.

"I believe most of them are irretrievable because many cars were parked outside and nuclear particles penetrated them.

The cars are in pretty good condition but are unusable (Bob Thissen / CATERS NEWS)

"There were countless cars in the exclusion zones and former exclusion zones. Over the years some cars got town away, but there’s still a large number of them left."

Some of the cars Bob and his team discovered are a Porsche 911 Carrera (964), Nissan Skyline, Mercedes S Class, Nissan 300ZX, Nissan Silvia, and Japanese hearse cars.

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They also found Chevrolet Impala SS, Jaguar XJ, Honda S2000, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Subaru STI.

The exclusion zone in Fukushima is evolving, with efforts being made to remove radiation and renovate or demolish structures.

Local guides also arrange tours for those who want to visit the area and learn about the disaster, 12 years after it happened.

Charlie Watton