A barn find isn’t just any classic car; it has to be one that’s been unearthed after a long time of storage. Often, it’s not in the best condition and it is typically found in a barn, hence the name. However, it doesn’t have to be a barn; it could also be a carport, shed, or even the bottom of a river.
These vehicles tend to be valuable and rare, which makes them a hot item for collectors and enthusiasts. Because these collectibles can score top dollar once sold, it makes sense why people search for them and put forth the effort to title a barn find.
Early in 2018, Hagerty's Barn Find Hunter video series stumbled upon five barn finds in North Carolina. This discovery brought him an E30-generation BMW 3-Series, a Triumph, a Morgan, an original Shelby Cobra 427 and a Ferrari 275 GTB alloy long nose. That’s $8 million worth of cars in one place! That gives us all a little hope that maybe one day, we’ll find something quite as extraordinary.
In the meantime, here are five barn finds that would send us reeling if we stumbled upon them. These barn finds might not have the sticker shock of a Ferrari, but they are all about as rare – and we would be just as thrilled to discover them.
1968 Ford N600 LCF
This 1968 beauty was featured on Hemmings Find of the Day for just $4,000. Even though it wouldn’t make a great daily driver, it’s still bad ass and well worth getting behind the wheel of – or towing a car behind.
The owner states that it doesn’t have much rust and features a nice body. Even the front floor pan, which has some rust, is still solid, so there would be no reason to replace it. What’s more impressive is that there are no dents, no bondo on the body and all the doors work fine. It even comes with a clear title, so dealing with the hassles of a bonded title or title replacement are non-existent.
This truck offers a lot of options. In fact, it wouldn’t be difficult to shorten the frame and add a 63-66 box on the back. That’s what the owner suggests and it makes complete sense.
The 391 V8 offers plenty of power and it’s paired with a five-speed manual transmission. It drives fine but could use a tune-up. The only issue we see is that the brakes don’t work, so that would need to be fixed before driving. But hey, when’s the last time you saw one? You’ll be the rarest car at the show wherever you go.
1956 Mercury Montclair Hardtop Coupe
Another option with a good title is something like a 1956 Montclair 2-Door Hardtop Coupe located in Oregon. This factory car came complete with power brakes, power steering, power windows and seats as well – in 1956. Alan Jackson would be proud!
There’s very little that had to be done to get this beauty on the road. It was running three years prior, but by the time it was listed there were some transmission leaks to deal with. It was also missing the A/C compressor. With that said, you won’t find many of these that have a solid floor and lower end plus minimal bubbles on the body. It’s a true score if we ever saw one.
1977 Ford Bronco
If we had an extra $100k to blow, we would surely be looking to buy the 1977 Ford Bronco from the private collection of Seth Burgett, the CEO of Gateway Bronco. You just don’t find collector vehicles in pristine shape like this one is. We sure hope the Bronco market doesn’t approach this example’s staggering price of $102,500, but if their website has anything to say about it, it won’t be the only one to do so.
Not only was this one the original paint and interior, but it only had 42,000 miles on it. It was also technically the last Bronco ever sold because it didn’t get a title until 2013 after spending 36 years with a dealer plate on the back. With this auction, there was also an available 1965 Apache camper trailer for those that were interested. Yes, please!
1954 Chevrolet Corvette
Imagine being the guy in Wisconsin who is offered a 1954 Corvette for sale by a local man. That’s exactly what happened when someone left this Corvette behind after passing away and that article is an awesome read that’s well worth your time.
It took the two men three months to agree on a price before finally selling the car. Plus, Larry, the buyer bought it sight-unseen. Imagine how he felt the first time they took the covers off of this car. He was quoted as saying it was better than he thought it could be, and for an extremely early ‘Vette it looks pretty solid.
Gary Kern, the owner that passed away, bought the car after he returned home from Vietnam in 1968. He painted it an orange metal flake. Then, he continued to work on it through 1990. That’s when it got parked in his barn.
This Corvette was part of the family for 50 years before finally being sold. Surprisingly, it only took Larry ten days to get the car roadworthy. It probably took about ten minutes for the first person to ask him if he’d ever sell it!
1954 Chevrolet Bel Air
Another beauty recently for sale on eBay was this 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air. It started, ran, and drove plus it featured a clear California title. There was a powerful 235 inline six-cylinder located under the hood paired with a three-speed manual transmission.
The car itself had been lowered two inches and came complete with the original steel wheels. This hot rod would have been the hit of any car show and we would be proud to be behind the wheel.
Tips for Searching Out Barn Finds
Don’t let anyone tell you that there aren’t any more barn finds out there. The country is full of back roads that lead to beauties just like these. It only takes a little searching to find that classic car, one that’s worth a bunch of cash or one that’s prime for your style of restoration. Here are some tips if you plan to go searching.
1. Start in an area you’re familiar with.
No one knows the back roads of your hometown quite like you do. Take a Sunday afternoon and start driving aimlessly down these roads to see what you can find – take your time and keep your head on a swivel.
2. Don’t be afraid of dead ends.
Go ahead and travel down those dead-end streets. While most people avoid these like the plague, you might unearth some barn finds on the road less traveled.
3. Winter could be your friend.
If you live in an area where the trees lose their leaves in the winter, you will want to search then. Once all the leaves have fallen, you can get a much better view of what’s in people’s yards.
4. Talk to a lawyer friend.
If you can become buddies with a lawyer, they always seem to have the inside scoop into who has an estate up for sale. Convince them to keep an eye out for classic cars looking to be liquidated.
5. Keep your head on a swivel.
Barn find cars aren’t just found in red wooden buildings. You need to look anywhere that could hold a car. This includes old warehouses, parking garages and even airplane hangars. Some geographic areas also produce more barn finds than others. Look closely near old dragstrips, military bases, racetracks, mining towns and automotive assembly plants.
6. Don’t forget about the title.
Not every barn find is going to come with a good title. If you need help titling that classic hot rod you discovered, Dirt Legal is here to help. We’ve done this countless times and we’ll get you a title the fastest and best way possible, even if the original title is lost, missing, or damaged.
We offer VIN Checks to help you gather the facts about a prospective barn find along with title replacement for cars, motorcycles, and almost anything with wheels. Click the links to learn more about our services.
We are not attorneys. This article is not legal advice. Cover image source
You found a classic car buried in a barn off the interstate, now discover how to get a title for it.