Unfortunately the term "Barn Find" has evolved into little more than a marketing ploy. That’s not to say that these discoveries don't occur, but with every new "story" our threshold of doubt increases. I've seen firsthand a few of these "barn find" cars of various marquee's that on the surface seemed plausible but after doing some digging didn't make the grade. Sometimes the story itself contradicts the car, other times the owner falls short of substantiating their claim either because it's not true or at some time in the past they too were misled. On occasion though, the story is true, they have a story, the proof, and a strong connection to the car.
And no, it's not for sale.
Here is one such firsthand story:
In my formidable years…how long ago that was eludes me…
I happen to be driving a side street due to a traffic accident detouring me. As chance would have it, I spotted a Hertz car parked next to a house. After a quick U-turn I made several passes noticing damage to the rear quarter. Finally mustering the nerve to stop I walked past the car up to the door and knocked. There was no answer. I made a few trips around the car and decided to return another day.
My return trip offered me the opportunity to bring along my trusty 110 Kodak. After knocking and again finding no one home, I took a few snapshots and noticed the hood was open, just closed enough not to have noticed originally. I gave it a quick lift and snapped two photos before quickly shutting it again and getting out of there.
My third visit proved fruitful as I happened upon a man in the yard who told me the car was his sons and…was gonna fix it up again. Not interested in selling and already knowing I was out staying my welcome, he agreed to let me take a few pictures and be gone. As luck would have it, our brief conversation yielded information about the driveshaft that they had
just put back into the car after welding washers and pennies to it to balance it out.
Fast forward quite a few years and while browsing HMN I come across an ad for a Hertz car. Placing a call to the number listed I discover it's only a short drive away and arrange for a look. Low miles, original and relatively well kept. The price? Twelve thousand bucks. But I was too late. Someone had just left a deposit for the car.
Having driven out to see the car that has now been sold, the owner and I walk around the car talk about the Shelby and he shares some interesting history. A Hertz employee bought it for his son, babied the car, washed it almost every day etc, etc, etc. Son eventually moved away and the car sat inside his garage until it had to go to make room for a new car.
Everything sounded like a sweet little deal until I happened to be checking out a few small rust spots in the door corners under the paint when I looked under the car for floor rust and what did I see?
A drive shaft with washers and pennies welded on to it.
I made a mental note of the vin and thanked him for his time and headed home. A few weeks later I received a package from my childhood home with a scrapbook I had made years ago and asked to be sent to me. Just as I suspected, inside were those original snapshots I had taken years before with the very same car…verified by the vin in my original photos…far from well maintained and garage kept.
In the years since, the car has passed through more than a few hands and with each, the story grew. Today, the current owner, who has had the car for many years knows the facts and makes no outlandish claims about the car, but was told the story by the previous seller which for years he admitted seemed plausible.
Fortunately registries and websites exist today that can provide a cars history much better than they did all those years ago. Somewhere along the line the facts got skewed willingly or not and unfortunately this owner paid a premium for his car in part due to its "history" at the time.
As hobbyist, collectors or enthusiasts we've become jaded to these type stories because they seem to appear all the time, and with them usually a for sale price. Who hasn't dreamed of finding a 'Vette inside an attic, a Porsche speedster sealed in an underground bunker or a Cobra in a storage box?
Yep, me too, but before I hand over any hard earned green you'll need to prove it to me.
just my .02 cents
