977-mile DeLorean found in a Wisconsin barn

[NJCher]

I just saw one around here the other day, so I was intrigued by this story:

Wed, October 11, 2023 at 3:27 PM EDT·2 min read

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We all dream about finding a perfectly preserved car in a barn somewhere, but despite what you see on TV and YouTube, they are exceedingly rare. A DeLorean restorer from Crystal Lake, Ill., near Chicago, was no stranger to beat-up old cars, but his most recent project is noteworthy, even compared to some of the impressive metal seen pulled from storage over the years.

Michael McElhattan of DeLorean Midwest got a call from a DeLorean owner about a low-mileage car in all-original condition, hidden in a shed in Wisconsin. Not one to miss out on a deal, he moved fast. “It happened pretty quick, because once I found out the car was close and it was a low-mileage car, I was excited to go take a look.”

McElhattan and his social media coordinator made the trip, and upon opening the barn, they found the car in a sad state. “We open it up, and the first thing I saw was a mouse running across the center console,” he said. The DeLorean had been sitting for two decades but showed just 977 miles on the clock, making it well worth the effort and cost to restore. Though rodents had infiltrated the cabin, the car lacked the sun damage commonly seen on others. “The condition of the leather, the condition of the instruments in the dash, and a lot of places where you see sun damage, and that’s one of the big killers on this – this car virtually has no sun damage,” McElhattan noted.

Why wasn't it driven over the years? McElhattan says the previous owner "said he would just go out in the barn and just look at it 'cause he thought it was a really cool car."

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[japple]

1. Hope there aren't any snakes in that car hunting for mice. I live in a very rural

area and my car was invaded by mice until the Subaru dealer told me that they were coming in thru the fresh air vents. He said that if you always keep your vents closed (cabin air only), the mice can't get in. They had built a lounge in the spare tire compartment, adding chewed up foam and stuffing from the seats and doors. Same thing happened to my sister's car. One day, we both saw a snake stick it's head out of the front grille. We were very fortunate that an outdoor cat came to live with us. He comes on the porch and will sometimes come inside, but he won't stay, and always wants to be outside at night in his heated cathouse. We don't have problems with varmints any longer.

[NJCher]

2. I'd be so out of that garage

One day, we both saw a snake stick it's head out of the front grille.

[japple]

8. It was just a little garter snake. We do have several very large rat snakes around here, but

they are very beautiful, peaceful creatures and they eat the venomous ones.

[NJCher]

9. Ok, great

We just have the little garters around here.

[brush]

3. They're stainless steel. Would sun damage be a problem for the exterior?

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Always wanted to find a '63 Split-window Corvette in an old barn somewhere.

[AZ8theist]

6. You and about 800,000 other collectors....

[multigraincracker]

5. A low mileage car like that

would be well worth a restoration.

I’m an attic, barn and yard sale treasure hunter.

A few ears ago I picked up a watch for a dollar. It was in a box marked a dollar each. I looked thru them and found I bought. Turned out to be a 14k 1958 Girald Perregany, Sea Hawk model. Best of all, it ran when I wound it up. Made a few bucks on it.

[NJCher]

7. That has to be very satisfying

To recognize and find something so unique. And for it to work, too, is nothing short of amazing!

[multigraincracker]

10. You just have to slow down and look at things.

Almost all men’s watches in 1950s look alike. Be they a Timex or Swiss. I have found gold Timex watches of that era. Pretty common for retirement gifs and back then gold was way cheaper.
I carry a magnifying glass in my watch pocket of my jeans now. Pretty bad vision.