A Barn Find...
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,954
Likes: 2
From: Obama=death for America
A Barn Find...
While the following isn't necessarily about Corvettes, being car afficionados, I thought you would appreciate the following true story.
A New York man retired. He wanted to use his retirement money wisely, so it would last, and decided to buy a home and a few acres in Portugal.
The modest farmhouse had been vacant for 15 yrs.; the owner and wife both had died, and there were no heirs.
The house was sold to pay taxes.
There had been several lookers, but the large barn had steel doors, and they had been welded shut. Nobody wanted to go to the extra expense to see what was in the barn, and it wasn't complimentary to the property anyway......so, nobody made an offer on the place.
The NY guy bought it at just over half of the property's worth, moved in, and set about to tear in to the barn.......curiosity was killing him.
So, he and his wife bought a generator, and a couple of grinders......and cut thru the welds.
What was in the barn...............? (At the top of the page, click "Next.")
www.intuh.net/barnfinds/afa70.htm
A New York man retired. He wanted to use his retirement money wisely, so it would last, and decided to buy a home and a few acres in Portugal.
The modest farmhouse had been vacant for 15 yrs.; the owner and wife both had died, and there were no heirs.
The house was sold to pay taxes.
There had been several lookers, but the large barn had steel doors, and they had been welded shut. Nobody wanted to go to the extra expense to see what was in the barn, and it wasn't complimentary to the property anyway......so, nobody made an offer on the place.
The NY guy bought it at just over half of the property's worth, moved in, and set about to tear in to the barn.......curiosity was killing him.
So, he and his wife bought a generator, and a couple of grinders......and cut thru the welds.
What was in the barn...............? (At the top of the page, click "Next.")
www.intuh.net/barnfinds/afa70.htm
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,383
Likes: 4
So I was out for a drive in Portugal, and it started to rain on my F1 classic racer. I pulled off the road and parked in some old guy’s barn. I walked into town and had a cup of chocolate done the right way with a bit of nutmeg and perhaps allspice added to it. When it stopped raining I tried to find my way back but got lost. So I went home and got one of my Alphas and went looking…yadda yadda yadda and now I can’t find any of them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 2,830
Likes: 20
From: Las Vegas Nevada
This is spreading like wildfire. It's become one of the latest internet legends. The real story was in Hemmings Sport and Exotic or Hemmings Classic car (I read both and can't remember which mag it was in) a few issues ago. A writer for the mag wanted to get to the bottom of the story so he researched as far as he could - and traveled to Europe and spoke to the person who actually took the pictures. I believe it is true that the barn is in Portugal but the owner knows exactly what he has and has owned the property for some time now. The photographer is a friend of the owners and after much persuasion the owner let the photographer post pictures on the internet only under the condition that the location of the barn not be disclosed under any circumstances. So far the photographer has kept his word and has not disclosed the location of the barn.
The Hemmings story might be online at www.hemmings.com I don't have time to search right now.
Great story and an incredible collection of cars!!
The Hemmings story might be online at www.hemmings.com I don't have time to search right now.
Great story and an incredible collection of cars!!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 8,246
Likes: 114
From: Watkins Glen NY
Thats absolutely incredible. Speechless.
About 10 years ago, there was a large steel prefab storage building Schuyler County NY which collapsed in the snow that winter. I had been in there before the collapse, there were probably 30-40 cars in there from the teens to 50s, along with a bunch of old gas pumps, signs, etc. Mostly American sedans, but there where a couple Daimlers, a LaSalle coupe, and an early 60's Chrysler 300series 413 there. Most had tags on them from the 50s and 60s still.
Nothing like this though.
I went back a couple years ago to poke around in the remains and there was still a 58 Buick, a couple of 30s pickups, and a couple prewar cars that I couldn't get close enough to ID still there, and remarkably the fallen biulding hadn't hurt them too bad.
About 10 years ago, there was a large steel prefab storage building Schuyler County NY which collapsed in the snow that winter. I had been in there before the collapse, there were probably 30-40 cars in there from the teens to 50s, along with a bunch of old gas pumps, signs, etc. Mostly American sedans, but there where a couple Daimlers, a LaSalle coupe, and an early 60's Chrysler 300series 413 there. Most had tags on them from the 50s and 60s still.
Nothing like this though.
I went back a couple years ago to poke around in the remains and there was still a 58 Buick, a couple of 30s pickups, and a couple prewar cars that I couldn't get close enough to ID still there, and remarkably the fallen biulding hadn't hurt them too bad.
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Barnfind??? 
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 40,156
Likes: 45
From: San Pedro CA
This is spreading like wildfire. It's become one of the latest internet legends. The real story was in Hemmings Sport and Exotic or Hemmings Classic car (I read both and can't remember which mag it was in) a few issues ago. A writer for the mag wanted to get to the bottom of the story so he researched as far as he could - and traveled to Europe and spoke to the person who actually took the pictures. I believe it is true that the barn is in Portugal but the owner knows exactly what he has and has owned the property for some time now. The photographer is a friend of the owners and after much persuasion the owner let the photographer post pictures on the internet only under the condition that the location of the barn not be disclosed under any circumstances. So far the photographer has kept his word and has not disclosed the location of the barn.
The Hemmings story might be online at www.hemmings.com I don't have time to search right now.
Great story and an incredible collection of cars!!
The Hemmings story might be online at www.hemmings.com I don't have time to search right now.
Great story and an incredible collection of cars!!
I read the same basic thing in Sports Car Market.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 269
Likes: 1
From: Anniston BAMA
It definitly is a dream find for any auto enthusiest.
Imagine being able to say "Hey, guys, guess what I found in grampas barn!
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 18,725
Likes: 709
From: Bergen County, NJ
I've got some hardware from a 36 Dodge a 54 and 63 Chevy in the shed. Total combined value about $1.73
Everytime he calls the real estate agent in Ireland to ask about its resale value, the agent tells my friend, 'the land is Dublin'.
