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Hidden Gems: The Coolest Classic Car Barn Finds Of All Time

Vukasin Herbez April 21, 2023

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.

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Lamborghini Miura S

Many enthusiasts will claim that the Miura was the first proper supercar in the world. It had all the right ingredients. With a fantastic design, high performance, and an expensive price tag, Miuras were produced in limited quantities. The Miura was also the first car to feature several technical solutions that later became mandatory supercar segment features, like the mid-mounted V12 engine. If it wasn’t the first, it is undoubtedly one the most influential (via Car Scoops).

So it makes sense that all Miuras are in well-guarded collections or museums. But there are still a few hiding in the barns. One of them was uncovered in 2015 in Germany, having been stashed for decades. The original owner passed and his brother took care of the collection but kept quiet about the yellow Miura. However, automotive detectives found it in a barn in the German countryside. The car was dusty but surprisingly original.

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Dodge Charger Daytona

NASCAR races were one of the most important battle arenas of muscle car wars. In the late 1960s, the superspeedways were places of many fierce clashes between Detroit’s manufacturers. The most exciting period was the late ’60s when NASCAR rules allowed modifications to car bodies to make them more aerodynamic. The Charger Daytona was one of the first cars that used a wind tunnel and new materials in construction (via Road and Track).

Dodge made exactly 504 Daytonas in 1969 and only some of those survived. When they are for sale, Daytonas are known to reach insane prices so even rusted examples are sought-after. It is strange that one red example manages to stay under the radar hidden in a barn for so long. It was located in Alabama and neglected for decades, filthy and rusted. This tired Daytona showed signs of using a custom paint job, but it had all the important parts and paperwork.

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Ford Mustang GT Bullitt

One of the greatest barn finds (or stories about one, depending on what you believe) is the legend of a Bullitt Mustang. In 1968, the legendary actor Steve McQueen starred in this detective flick, playing a detective who drove a mean-looking 1968 GT390 Fastback. They used two cars during the shooting, but they destroyed one of them. They used the other for close-ups and promotional shoots. McQueen, a racing enthusiast, drove and modified it, preserving it for the future (via Car and Driver).

They later sold the surviving GT309 car. After several owners, it finally settled on the East Coast of the United States. For decades, only a few people knew of the car’s whereabouts. The owner refused to sell it, even to McQueen himself when he tracked down the vehicle in the late ’70s. Then in 2018, Ford made headlines when it convicted the son of the owner of taking the original 1968 GT390 Fastback out of hiding and showing the car in public next to the modern Bullitt Mustang.

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Baillon Collection

European barn find hunters told stories about the mythical collection in France for decades. With over 100 cars, and various makes and models, it included some of the most desirable pre-war models and sports cars. However, nobody had any legit pictures or information. Then in 2015, the news shocked the car world that the collection was uncovered and that all of 100 cars, 60 of which could be saved and restored, were up for sale (via Auto Week).

The most exciting part of the Baillon Collection was the fantastic Ferrari 250 California Spider, once owned by famous French actor Alain Delon. He used the car in Europe and America. Produced in just 55 examples, it featured a race car drivetrain in a seductive roadster body. Even though this example was sold as a restoration project, it managed to fetch over $18 million in an ArtCurial auction.

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Shelby Lil Red

After almost 50 years of searching, in early 2018, the famous Shelby Lil Red was located in Texas. Known to only a handful of car enthusiasts, the Lil Red was the long-lost Shelby prototype and a missing piece of the Shelby puzzle. Technically it wasn’t a barn find since the car was sitting out in the open, but still (via Auto Evolution).

So what makes this old Mustang so essential and this barn find so significant? Well, it was a special 1967 notchback model, loaned to Shelby American and fitted with numerous experimental parts and a supercharged 428 engine. The car was the development car of the famous California Special package. However, in the late ’60s, the car was gone, and everybody thought it was long gone. Thankfully, it wasn’t.

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Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona

Colloquially called Daytona, the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 was an immensely important model for the factory. And it was also one of the most memorable Pininfarina designs from the ’60s. The car feature a race-bred 4.4-liter V12 engine with four camshafts, multiple carburetors, an independent rear suspension, and 352 HP. It also had a rear-mounted transaxle gearbox. Its combination of Ferrari technology and timeless Pininfarina styling resulted in the best-selling Ferrari to date. There were over 1,400 examples sold in its five-year production run (via CNN).

As one of the most accomplished classic Ferraris, it is unbelievable that one example had been sitting quietly for 40 years in Japan. The owner was very quiet about it. After his death, the car resurfaced in amazing condition but covered in decades worth of dust.

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Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6

The Chevelle was always a very popular muscle car. Its combination of affordability, excellent design, and powerful engines was a hit with buyers. In 1970, Chevrolet offered an expanded line of engines, including the famous 454 V8 big blocks. The regular version was called the LS5. It was very powerful, but there was an even stronger LS6 variant. This was in just 3,700 cars. And only about 25 were convertibles (via Motor Trend).

This is the car to mention when you talk about the holy grail of muscle car culture. It is even more surprising that such an icon would spend decades in a barn under a heavy coat of dust. The original owner parked it in 1978 and forgot about it until recently when a muscle car enthusiast discovered it and got it running in no time.

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Bugatti T57 S Atalante

A story about the 1937 Bugatti T57 S Atalante is crazy. This car was part of a private collection in England. The owner had numerous cars and was a prominent member of the classic car community. But this Bugatti was in hiding and no one knew it existed. Even his family had no clue that he owned the cars. However, after his death, they found one of the 17 Bugattis made in a shack in amazing original condition (via Auto Blog).

As one of the finest pre-war brands, Bugattis always fetch high prices at auctions. But the 57S Atalante, a gorgeous coupe powered by a straight-eight engine and covered with a beautiful body, is a true collector’s dream. This one found a new buyer for over $8.5 million. It could probably fetch a bit more if sold again. The wealthy customers held Bugatti’s exclusivity, performance, and unique engineering aspect in high regard, hence its extreme prices.

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Mercedes 300 SL Alloy Gullwing

This Mercedes was arguably the first supercar in the world. It transcended the limits of the sports car class and went beyond design, power, and technology. Using space frame chassis, a fuel-injected straight-six engine, a host of components, and race-proven parts, Mercedes created a masterpiece with unusual opening doors and fantastic performance (via Hemmings).

A car like this one belongs in museums or even art galleries. However, one example spent days and years in a suburban garage in Santa Monica, under a pile of junk. The car was a graduation present and was purchased second-hand in 1971. It is one of only 29 made with an alloy body and semi-racing components. The owner drove it for a few years and parked it in the id-’70s. It was discovered 40 years later.

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