NFT: Greatest "barn find" ever! (Friday "car guys" thread.)

To watch the entire 34 minute episode, could you give us a cliff notes version of what they actually found?

Name 50 sought-after antique of classic luxury, foreign, American muscle cars. Multiply by 2. He's got them. In multiple barns and buildings on his property deep in the woods. A small handful of the cars are likely worth a quarter-million dollars. None are for sale.

my old man sold a '55 Chevy and a '57 Chevy for the grand total of $225 dollars. Late 60's, yes, so they weren't classics quite yet.

It's the Holy Grail of barn finds.

I have a 2000 Trans Am ws6. A bit newer than a classic, but it will be eventually. I hardly get to drive it, so sometimes it's hard to justify keeping it. Anytime I consider selling I think of how much I'd probably regret it.

I love these barn finds. Thanks for sharing.

In comment 14258046 jimvinct said:

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I have a 2000 Trans Am ws6. A bit newer than a classic, but it will be eventually. I hardly get to drive it, so sometimes it's hard to justify keeping it. Anytime I consider selling I think of how much I'd probably regret it. I love these barn finds. Thanks for sharing.

Ah, but technically, your 2000 IS a classic, depending on what state you're in ... and headed for antique status. :)

I had the same thoughts about my Mustang. It was a convertible, so wasn't super-conducive to running the quarter-mile without a roll cage, and it just wasn't THAT fast (high 12s/low 13s on Cooper Cobras). Don't yet know how the Pontiac will run, but it's geared for the track. Has a built 454. Not the number you'd admit freely t a purist, but I couldn't care less about that.

In comment 14258046 jimvinct said:

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I have a 2000 Trans Am ws6. A bit newer than a classic, but it will be eventually. I hardly get to drive it, so sometimes it's hard to justify keeping it. Anytime I consider selling I think of how much I'd probably regret it. I love these barn finds. Thanks for sharing.

Let me know when you're ready to sell it and I'll take it off your hands. That was always one of my favorites back in the day.

because of that barn find website, people are breaking in to the barns and taking parts from those cars. And the guy with the website refuses to take it down (if this is indeed the same thing)

had it in the late 80s. Awesome car, was built some but not a lot. Been looking to buy an Eliminator for some time but they're hard to find.

If theres one thing I wish I was better at it would be wrench bending. Id love to take on a barn find cafe racer or some other restoration project, but I just know Id hit a wall I couldnt get past very early and frequently.

any chance you would share a pic of your Trans Am?

In comment 14258068 Beezer said:

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In comment 14258046 jimvinct said: Quote: I have a 2000 Trans Am ws6. A bit newer than a classic, but it will be eventually. I hardly get to drive it, so sometimes it's hard to justify keeping it. Anytime I consider selling I think of how much I'd probably regret it. I love these barn finds. Thanks for sharing. Ah, but technically, your 2000 IS a classic, depending on what state you're in ... and headed for antique status. :) I had the same thoughts about my Mustang. It was a convertible, so wasn't super-conducive to running the quarter-mile without a roll cage, and it just wasn't THAT fast (high 12s/low 13s on Cooper Cobras). Don't yet know how the Pontiac will run, but it's geared for the track. Has a built 454. Not the number you'd admit freely t a purist, but I couldn't care less about that.

The 73 is a big car, no? What does that weigh? There can't be many of those left. They were serious rust buckets. I'm sure it's a head turner.

The other good barn-find show is "Chasing Classic Cars" -- Wayne gets calls on some nice vintage cars.

I'm another Pontiac Guy. I had a 1967 GTO back in the day. That car was 10 years old when I got it, it was loaded with the Hurst Dual Gate Shifter and cold AC. It was Triple Black, and I waxed the hell out of it with Mac's Glaze-It. I had to fix a few things under the hood -- the QuadraJet Carb was all gummed up (I think the previous owner ran cheap gas thru it). That was a Boulevard Cruiser, but if challenged at a stop light.....it could giddy-up. I saw a car just like that on Mecum's Auction show recently and it sold for $80K.

I bought my DW a 1980 Grand Prix....one of the last of the bigger body style. I've always like the Pontiac Interiors, with just the right touch of wood grain on the dash....I believe John DeLorean had a hand in those early designs.

In comment 14258136 x meadowlander said:

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In comment 14258068 Beezer said: Quote: In comment 14258046 jimvinct said: Quote: I have a 2000 Trans Am ws6. A bit newer than a classic, but it will be eventually. I hardly get to drive it, so sometimes it's hard to justify keeping it. Anytime I consider selling I think of how much I'd probably regret it. I love these barn finds. Thanks for sharing. Ah, but technically, your 2000 IS a classic, depending on what state you're in ... and headed for antique status. :) I had the same thoughts about my Mustang. It was a convertible, so wasn't super-conducive to running the quarter-mile without a roll cage, and it just wasn't THAT fast (high 12s/low 13s on Cooper Cobras). Don't yet know how the Pontiac will run, but it's geared for the track. Has a built 454. Not the number you'd admit freely t a purist, but I couldn't care less about that. The 73 is a big car, no? What does that weigh? There can't be many of those left. They were serious rust buckets. I'm sure it's a head turner.

Pretty big. Just registered it so I can move it around on nicer days. I think 3700 pounds. Mine isn't the GTO version of that body style, and not RARE rare, but rare-ish, as it has the factory Hurst 4-speed. I basically was able to steal it from a guy who said he wanted to see me have it ... he's an older duffer and a HUGE car guy and street racer from back in the day. Just can't work the clutch anymore, he said. I guess he stole it from a guy 6-7 months prior to me getting it ... the guy early in the year ran into money troubles and had to unload it for a song.

The drive train alone is worth more than what I got it for. Just went through it on a lift last Friday with my cousin, who's a mechanic. The front end has been completely redone. Insane. Frame is rock solid. Couple little holes here and there but Ricky Keesler has agreed to work on it for me. (If you know his business, x, you'l know that's a big deal. He's terrific ... we graduated high school together. Great guy.

Anyhow, looking forward to some fun with it. Will have to swing by when the weather changes. You'll hear her come. lol

Oddly sexual faux pas, but hey, we're talking girls here. Recently decided the Le Mans' name will be Alice ... because driving her makes me want to blast Alice in Chains. :)

..that an entire collection of this quality ends up as a barn-find.

Humans are amazing creatures.

I can't imagine having that many cars, just to have them, but that's just me. If you're on Instagram, follow the hashtag #barnfind to see some amazing things people just keep lying around, and sadly letting go to ruin. Also reminds me a bit of the Peter Max collection of Corvettes, which thankfully got sold. No classic yet, but maybe one day.
Peter Max Corvettes - ( New Window )

In comment 14258220 Racer said:

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..that an entire collection of this quality ends up as a barn-find. Humans are amazing creatures.

Its not really a barn find. The guy actively collects and restores and just happens to store what he collects in barns. (again I could be talking about a different story, can't watch the youtube vid at work)

you're technically right. Still damn amazing.

In comment 14258127 Beezer said:

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any chance you would share a pic of your Trans Am?

New phone, only a couple pics on Instagram.
T/A - ( New Window )

That is unbelievable. I wonder how many millions of $$ he has on that property? Crazy.

Motorcycle's are my passion now (cheaper... lol), but before kids I had a first year ('68) convertible Stingray. I have had other muscle cars but that was the only classic one (at the time I owned it).

In comment 14258127 Beezer said:

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any chance you would share a pic of your Trans Am?

33,000 miles and basically all stock except for a Borla exhaust. I go back and forth on doing anything to it.
One more - ( New Window )

beautiful! Thanks.

In comment 14258007 section125 said:

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my old man sold a '55 Chevy and a '57 Chevy for the grand total of $225 dollars. Late 60's, yes, so they weren't classics quite yet.

I bought my neighbors 1972 Karmann Ghia in 1976 for 1500. Sold it 2 years later for 1200

Worth between 20-30K now

Bought in 87(?) for $3k, put another $4k into it and sold it for $10,500 in 93. Only car I ever made money on and I still regret it to this day. Such a fun, bad ass car

Thank you for sharing that link. So many really cool cars. But it is really sad too. Most of those cars are just wasting away. Too many to maintain and the owner is too old to do it himself. I bet if he just sold a few, he could finance the construction of a proper storage facility and maybe a staff of mechanics for upkeep. He could make his collection a museum and make people pay to see it.