M.J. Litfin & Son, Inc. began in a small Minnesota town called Delano, located about 30 miles west of Minneapolis. The year was 1936, and with few regular jobs available, Sonny’s father, Maynard John Litfin, decided it was time to take matters into his own hands.

He began by collecting unused or unwanted automobiles and various metals. After selling whatever parts he could, Maynard stripped the cars, separated the metals, and hauled the scrap to various recycling centers around the Twin Cities area. As soon as Sonny was old enough, he began helping his father in whatever capacity he could.

Without the use of power tools or heavy equipment, much of the work of wrecking and recycling the cars had to be done by hand. It was common for Maynard and Sonny to spend several days preparing each load of iron. As soon as a new load was ready, they contacted several recycling plants throughout the Twin Cities area, found out which one was paying the most money per ton, and proceeded to haul in their load.

Even though they only received about $2-3 per ton, it kept them busy—and more importantly, it kept food on the table.

By 1946, Sonny was 16, and the father-and-son team acquired their first commercial dump truck. In addition to using it for hauling loads of car parts and metals, they used their truck to provide various trucking and transfer services. They hauled everything from cement blocks, to gravel, to field corn—anything to keep busy.

Over the years their trucking business continued to grow. Later, the acquisition of an Allis Chalmers HD7G tractor/dozer and a Ford Backhoe allowed Maynard and Sonny to once again expand their business to now include excavating and grading services.

While their trucking and excavating business grew, Maynard and Sonny continued to acquire unused and unwanted automobiles. By 1963, it was time to relocate their salvage business because they needed more space. Maynard found and purchased 13 acres of land in Franklin Township—about one mile from downtown Delano.

This new location provided all the space and flexibility they needed to continue to grow their trucking, excavating, towing, and salvage business.

Now—more than 40 years later—Sonny’s Salvage continues to operate from this location. Unfortunately, Sonny passed away on July 10, 2005, but by the time of his passing, he amassed a collection of more than 1,200 rare and vintage automobiles (primarily from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s). Today we have over 300 vehicles that range from the late 30's to the early 70s.

It remains one of the most unique collections of classic motor vehicles in the upper Midwest, and people from all over the country have visited Sonny’s Salvage in search for that special, hard-to-find vehicle, accessory, or car part.

Therefore, if you’re a collector, refurbisher, or someone who just loves old cars and trucks, we invite you to visit the rest of our website today!