Maui Arts Enthusiasts Create 'Burned Out Abandoned Car Association' Due to Recent Roadside Masterpieces

Most anyone familiar with Maui is aware of a phenomenon very unique to the Valley Isle: burned out abandoned cars along roadsides.

This week however it seems the arsonists are on a rampage along the Road to Hana ~ even stacking burned out abandoned cars now.

"We seriously don't know how they did it," said Marcus O'Sullivan with the Maui Police Department. "I mean, we've seen every type of car possible burned up and abandoned all over the island. But this one takes the cake."

So much so, in fact, that a group of local arts enthusiasts have appreciated the piles of burned metal and rubber for what they are.

"It's most definitely art," said Joanne Akaaka of Hana, a co-founder of the new Maui organization Burned Out Abandoned Cars Association (BOACA). "I mean, look closely. There's a VW bug stacked on top of another car so burned out we don't even know what it is or was. That's symbolic of something."

The initial aim of BOACA is to raise awareness of the burned out abandoned cars as works of art, and to encourage the general public to embrace the jalopies instead of frowning upon them.

"Think about how boring those stretches of road would be without these neat things to look at and wonder, 'Why would someone do that?' " said Karen Crabapple of Portland, Oregon, also a co-founder of BOACA. "There's nothing else like them in the world, and they sure work well for conversation starters."

The association's first activity was judging all the burned out abandoned cars along the Road to Hana this week, to rank them in order of the artsy-est. Here are the winners, in order:

"Notice how they left the VW's trunk open," Akaaka said. "It indicates hope, that one day the trunk shall be filled."

"The first thing we talked about with our 2nd-place winner is, Why did they leave just one rim?" asked Crabapple. "The second was, 'Did they steal the other rims before or after setting the fire?' "

"We especially liked the color with this piece," Akaaka said. "If you look really close, you can almost see a rainbow on that charred metal. It's priceless."

"We hope someone works with us to preserve these wonderful works of art, for thousands of visitors to trip out on for years to come," Crabapple said.