"Cars in Barns" ACD Pictures?

Remember Hank Williams died in the back seat of his Cadillac from a heart attack on the way to a concert in 1955?
No barn for this baby,
It seems the big baby blue car still exists at the Hank Williams museum in perfect condition.
www.thehankwilliamsmuseum.com/mtour.htm
Now to find out what happened to James Dean's lost Porsche...

I wouldn't mind the Lancia Flaminia, or the Peugeot 202 with those headlights behind the grille.

Most barn finds are not so much the result of blind luck as good research and having the guts to ring doorbells.

So even if it is a fun story there is still a chance lightning will strike. Maybe Amelias plane will show up soon.
www.snopes.com/autos/dream/elvis.asp

Ah, the Portuguese Barn Find Story. Right up there with the $10 Harley-Davidson Owned by Elvis and the Curse of James Dean's Porsche.

Anyone familiar with that Phaeton Sedan in the barn? Where is it now? Has it been restored?

Well, Balinwire, that story has been floating around for awhile. It is interesting but not exactly true....

Here's the scoop:


www.snopes.com/photos/automobiles/barnfind.asp

The Barn.. An Amazing Story

There may be an ACD in there somewhere!

A recently retired New York man wanted to use his retirement funds wisely, and decided to buy a home and a few acres in Portugal

The modest farmhouse had been vacant for 15 years; the owner and wife both had died, and there were no heirs.

The estate was being sold to pay back taxes. There had been several lookers, but the large barn had steel doors, and they had been welded shut. No one wanted to go to the extra expense to see what was in the barn, and it wasn't complimentary to the property anyway... so, no one made an offer on the place.

The New York gentleman bought it as is, paying just over half of the property's worth; moved in, and set about to access the barn... curiosity was killing him.

So, he and his wife bought a generator and a couple of grinders... and cut through the welds.

What was in the barn...?




The Barn

The doors were welded shut, but a grinder took care of that.

A warehouse full of vintage high performance cars!

Aston Martin?

Opel GT, Lotus Elan FHC, Lotus Super Seven Series IV, Lotus Elan DHC.

Porsche 356, Austin Healey Sprite MkII, Volvo PV 544, Ford Y?

Giulietta Sprint, Giulia Sprint Speciale (SS), Nash Metropolitan.

Alfa Giulietta, Lotus Europa, another Lotus Elan FHC, Matra Djet?

Lancia Flaminia Coup?

Abarth 1300 Scorpione

American (inspired) design

Interior of Alfa Romeo

Lancia Flaminia Coup?, Peugeot 504 cabriolet & 404 cabriolet.

Mini, Alfa 1900 Super Sprint, Balilla.

Fiat Topolino II, Triumph TR4, Peugeot 202.

BMW V8, Formula racers, Chryslers, Mercedes, Austin A30.

Formula racers, Chryslers, Mercedes, Austin A30.


Amazing!

Total value of all vehicles over 35 Million!
The man and his wife had full title to the complete lot of vehicles.
They're having a great retirement!

I think this is a great idea. I find that I almost like looking at the unrestored cars and find them more interesting then the 100 point restored cars. Every car has a story and sometimes the story is more interesting then the car itself. Too many cars that should of been left original get restored. There are alot of Cords sitting around in garages that never got restored for one reason or another that may have been in the family for years and years.. ACD cars seem to stay in families for several generations.. The people that have had them for 50 plus years are getting older and they are starting to show up or there kids are getting them. I know that there was a barn fresh Cord sedan in Auburn a few years ago and it got more attention then the restored ones. We don't have to tell anyone where these cars are unless the owner wants us to. There was a very rare L-29 that came out of 50 years of storage here in Minnesota a couple years ago.

I was going through the "Cars in Barns" website www.carsinbarns.com/ and they do have a classic section. I was wondering if there would be any interest in a special photo section just for "as found" or rough condition cars. I can spend more time going through junkyards then going through a car show. Something about seeing the cars as they were used leaves more of their character revealed. That, and you can picture each car as "you" would finish it!

Derek