One of the greatest thrills in the car community is opening the rusty, creaking doors of an old barn or garage and finding a forgotten car that was sitting there for decades. These barn finds were been considered lost by many. There was nothing but legends claiming their existence. They often need restoration projects to be presentable, but they’re well worth the time and money.
The rarest classic car barn finds were someone’s pride and joy at some point. Yet they were forgotten and neglected for years. The internet is full of such stories. Enthusiasts have even scored high-profile barn finds such as Ferraris or Rolls Royces as a result. Some car archeologists even strike gold by finding a multimillion-dollar machine. Other barn finds uncover relatively ordinary cars that were just left to rot. Today, we’ll spin the tales of the most impressive barn finds and the stories behind these fantastic cars rescued from hiding.
Shelby Cobra 289
This barn find deserves a special place since it inspired a book called “Shelby in a Barn” and started a worldwide fascination with uncovering rare cars. The Shelby 289 is the first car by Carroll Shelby and a fantastic piece of automotive history. The small-but-powerful American V8 in a light and nimble European body proved a match made in heaven. Soon, this roadster started dominating domestic championships by beating Corvettes, Ferraris, and Jaguars (via Legendary Motor Cars).
However, a small number of road-going Cobra 289s were made, and they were expensive and sought after by collectors. This particular car was bought in Indianapolis in 1963. After a few years of use, it was parked in the barn, where it spent a long time amongst the farm animals. Shelby collector Bob Weaver found it and documented the process.