10 Barn And Garage Finds That Stopped Collectors In Their Tracks

Every car lover has the same daydream. You are helping a neighbor clean out a garage, and under a dusty tarp sits something that makes your heart skip.

An old rusted car left to weather outdoors.

For a handful of people, that daydream came true. Using reports from Hagerty, Fox News, The Drive and Motor Authority, here are 10 barn and garage finds that stopped the collector world in its tracks.

A quick note on money. Where a source reports a sale, we say so. Where a source only gives a pre-sale estimate, we label it as an estimate, and condition and originality always matter to value.

1. Ferrari 250 GT California Spider Found Under A Stack Of Magazines

In a February 2015 Hagerty article, Rob Sass called the Baillon collection “The Barn Find of the Century.” The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider sold at Artcurial for $15,913,940, not including a 10% buyer’s premium, in unrestored, as-found condition.

The car had been found in a barn in France under a pile of magazines and was once owned by French actor Alain Delon. Hagerty adds that Americans know it as the car Ferris Bueller takes on his day off.

2. The Baillon Collection Had 59 Cars, Many Of Them Badly Rusted

A report from Zwischengas says Artcurial sold the whole Baillon collection of 59 vehicles in Paris. Every lot except two sold for at least five figures in euros.

Many of the cars were badly battered and heavily rusted, and one Artcurial employee called them “rolling sculptures.” The Ferrari sold for around 17 million euros.

3. 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster Sat In A Storage Unit For Decades

The Drive reported in November 2016 that this Speedster sold for a winning bid of $605,000 at Auctions America in Hilton Head, South Carolina, before buyer and seller fees. The auction house had estimated $200,000 to $250,000.

First owner John Casper drove it to Porsche Club of America events for about 25,000 miles from 1957 to 1975. Then it went into a storage unit in a Chicago suburb, where it stayed for decades, and it still has its original paint.

4. A Hidden Garage Held A Ferrari 275 GTB/2 And A Shelby Cobra

Motor Authority reported in January 2018 that Hagerty’s “Barn Find Hunter” series and host Tom Cotter found cars in a North Carolina suburb house slated for demolition. The estimated value of the cars was $4 million.

The 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/2 is one of only a handful with an alloy body, with 13,205.2 miles. A 1966 AC Shelby Cobra with 19,001 miles had a mouse nest in the trunk, and the cars had not moved since at least 1991, according to their odometers.

5. 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona Surfaced In A Small Alabama Town

The Drive reported in December 2015 that this Daytona turned up in a small town in Alabama, where the owner had it since 1974. It has a 440 Magnum engine and a Torque-Flite automatic, a dented nose and a large spider colony under the hood.

Only 503 Daytonas were produced that year. The article says Mecum expected it could sell for about $180,000 at its January auction in Kissimmee, Florida, which is an estimate, not a sale result.

6. A 1965 Jaguar E-Type Spent Decades Under A Tarp In Portland

A January 2016 Hagerty roundup of Scottsdale auction barn finds says the 1965 Jaguar E-type Series I Coupe was kept under a tarp in Portland, Oregon, since the Jimmy Carter administration. Bonhams gave a pre-sale estimate of $40,000 to $60,000.

It has a fiberglass bonnet instead of the original steel one after a hit on the left side, and about 48,000 miles on the odometer.

7. 1962 Maserati 3500 GTi Vignale Spider Napped For Two Decades In Enid, Oklahoma

The same Hagerty roundup says this Maserati was sold new in Italy, moved to the UK, then sat for 20 years in a garage in Enid, Oklahoma. Its original Lucas fuel injection is the likely reason it stopped running.

It was offered by Gooding & Company.

8. A 1974 Dino 246 GTS Waited In A California Carport

Hagerty says the Dino was stored in a carport in Antioch, California, after 10 years and two owners. It has a bent front bumper and a dirty, moldy red leather interior.

Gooding & Company offered it, too. The bent bumper and moldy leather tell the story of a car that was enjoyed, then parked and forgotten.

9. Two Mercedes Roadsters Parked Side By Side After A Note On A Windshield

The 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster belonged to a Los Angeles man who drove it daily in the 1970s and 1980s. His belongings included a slide rule and unused Disneyland tickets.

The 1960 190SL belonged to his longtime girlfriend, who found him by leaving a note on the 300SL, per Hagerty. They parked both cars in the same garage for over 20 years, and Gooding & Company offered them.

10. A 1932 Cadillac V-12 Convertible Sat In A Texas Barn For Four Decades

Hagerty’s Jeff Peek reported in May 2015 that an owner named Jack stored a group of vehicles in a new barn after moving from Wisconsin to Texas in 1972 or 1973, planning to restore them. They sat untouched for more than four decades.

Motostalgia estimated the 1932 Cadillac 370B V-12 Victoria Convertible at $285,000 to $350,000, calling it one of four Victoria convertibles built that year and the only one with a V-12.

Fun as these stories are, treat estimates as estimates. The real lesson is that old paperwork, original paint and a good backstory can matter as much as the car itself.

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