HOLY SHIT The Ten Greatest Barn Finds Of All Time

[DainBramaged]

Could there be anything better than uncovering a priceless classic sitting lost in your garage? Jalopnik readers know the ten greatest barn find fantasies ever made real.

Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!

Before we go on, let us say that for every real story of an amazing barn find, there are a dozen fakes, none greater than the Portuguese barn find legend. Autoblog covered these myths a few years back.

They all have in common the story of a New Yorker's retirement gift to himself – a house on a few acres in Portugal. The house he found had been vacant for 15 years, the owners having passed away leaving no heirs. The property was being sold to pay back taxes owed, and besides the house, there was also a large metal barn on the land with its doors welded shut. Nobody took the time to see what was inside, so the property was sold as is. When the new owner and his wife arrived, they got to work opening up the barn and found - the barn find of the millennium. Inside the structure sat around 200 dusty classic cars. What an unbelievable bit of luck for the new owner!


http://jalopnik.com/the-ten-greatest-barn-finds-of-all-time-451436381


A great read

[JohnnyRingo]

1. I love Jalopnik.

The term "barnfind" has been abused as late partly because there were times the word added a huge premium at auction, but true time capsules unearthed in old garages and barns never cease to amaze.

I'm sure there are many classic examples awaiting discovery where an owner parked a car for whatever reason and lived his/her life while it sat unmolested. "Barnfind" sounds better than the old "ran when parked" which more describes a car or bike that fell into disrepair from neglect.

[JohnnyRingo]

2. I think one very important example is missing the list

An heir to the Macy's fortune parked his new 1931 Duesenberg in a NYC parking deck and left it sit for 70 years. For decades, the millionaire simply paid the parking fees as the car sat idle in a forgotten corner of the deck:

Enter Jay Leno in 2005 when he caught wind of "the last single owner Duesy in existence". Unfortunately it seems Leno took it upon himself to spread false rumors about the car's condition while he negotiated a deal with the by then senile and ailing owner, including lies that the car would no longer fit in the elevator and would have to be removed by knocking out an exterior wall and expensively lowering it to street level it by crane.

http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/news/hobby-news/leno_lands_last_original-owner_duesenberg

The Hollywood caliber lawsuits that followed that quick sale made this notorious Duesenberg a true star in auto collecting circles. Duesenbergs are the automobile equivalent of gold in that it causes irrational and reckless behavior among those who seek them out and collect them. Call it "Duesy Fever". With legal fees and settlement costs, Leno probably paid near fair value in the end instead of the paltry $180,000 he initially tendered, but I doubt he minded too much. He now owns one of the most coveted and original Duesenbergs in the world, and his is only the second name listed on the title.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/regional/item_0DyZl1aBi67u3BEQJVAYyI

[rl6214]

3. I've often day dreamed of finding a barn find car

Maybe one of these days.

Closest I've found is a 76 FJ40 Landcruiser hidden behind a house.

[Separation]

4. A friend and I found a great barn find 15 years ago

We were just a few miles north of Millington Tn and saw an old Thunderbird sitting under a rusted out carport in the side yard. We pulled over and knocked on the door to inquire about the car. The lady that answered the door told us that the car belonged to her late husband and it hasnt been driven in over 10 year and no longer ran. My friend offered her to buy it and she said its yours for $500. My buddy ended up giving her $1000, we got a trailer and brought it home.

After draining the gas, cleaned the carb, and replaced the battery it started up on the first try. The tires were a little dry rotted as well but that was about it.

My buddy called me up3 years later telling me that he was selling the car as he was expecting a new baby, and would sell it to me for $3000 since I helped him restore it. Unfortunately I didnt have the money to buy it, but that was probably better off as he got 12k for it.