Autoblog

One-off Mercedes 500K barn find discovered in South Central, LA salvage yard

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Etc., Mercedes-Benz, Specialty

Being agriculturally inclined to build barns in the country, we don't expect barn finds to turn up in the middle of a high-turnover metropolis. Yet that's been happening more regularly of late, and writer Michael Mraz has found another example in South Central, Los Angeles: a one-of-one Mercedes-Benz 1935 Caracciola 500K built especially for Silver Arrows race driver Rudolph Caraccioloa. It is pictured above in better days, after having been restored and displayed on the lawn at the Pebble Beach concours in the late 1970s.

What's amazing about the Caracciola 500K, and tragic for car lovers, is that it has a good deal of company: in a piece called "Wheels of Fortune" in the February issue of Town & Country magazine, Mraz found scaffolds full of vintage metal in awful condition, rusting outside in a parts yard called Porche Foreign Auto. They include:

...a pair of one-off prewar Maybachs; one of two Iso Grifo Spyders (designed and engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini, who also has the Ferrari 250 GTO on his résumé); one of 29 alloy-bodied Mercedes Gullwings...; a couple of BMW 502s and 507s; a half-dozen or so Lamborghini Miuras, with their mighty V12 engines; and the last surviving example of the seven Horch 855 Spezial Roadsters ever built, a specimen once owned by Eva Braun that was for a time on loan to the Audi Museum in Germany. (Audi was founded by August Horch.) Parked one on top of the other are dozens upon dozens of Porsche Carrera carcasses....

Porche Foreign Auto was started in 1967 by a German butcher named Rudi Klein, who bought the Caracciola 500K after it was shown at Pebble in 1978. He took it to a Mercedes show in Newport Beach in 1980, and when it wouldn't start he loaded it on a trailer and took it home. It hasn't been seen since, outside of the parts yard.

Klein passed away, and his salvage yard is overseen by his sons, who won't let any gawkers into to view the cars. Even Mraz was denied entry. But he spoke to folks who have seen the collection, and one said that there are vehicles people have sought for decades and thought had been destroyed. The head of the Mercedes Classic Center in Irvine believes the Caracciola 500K could be worth more than the 1937 540K Spezial Roadster that was auctioned for nearly $10 million at last year's RM Auctions at Pebble. But we might never know.

Town & Country doesn't have a proper website, so pick up the magazine to read the piece and see what the automotive world is missing. There's a sample of it in the attached gallery, but be warned, it's not pleasant to see.

One-off Mercedes 500K barn find discovered in South Central, LA salvage yard originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1965 Shelby GT350 barn find headed to a new home [UPDATE: w/video]

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:38:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions

We all dream of one day walking into a long-abandoned barn in the middle of nowhere and finding a classic muscle or race car, needing little more than some freshening to be restored to its previous glory. But that never happens, right?

Wrong. As evidenced by the 1965 Shelby GT350 that is being auctioned at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson auction. As the story goes, this car was still in the possession of its original owner (purchased on September 29, 1965) until 2009, and had only accumulated 44,000 miles. Since then, it's seen only basic care and maintenance to make it suitable for the road, but the entire body, paint and interior are all original and untouched. We hope it forever stays this way... a car is only original once, and it can never be unrestored.

We figured there might be a lot of interest in the car, but even we underestimated just how much. The final bid for the car was an astounding $350,000 with the final price set at $385,000 after auction fees.

Check out a video of the car hitting the auction block and read more about its story after the break, and check out our high-res images live from Scottsdale above.

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1965 Shelby GT350 barn find headed to a new home [UPDATE: w/video]

Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1965 Shelby GT350 barn find headed to a new home [UPDATE: w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barn Find: 1952 Ferrari 212 Ghia Cabriolet found collecting dust

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:32:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Etc., Videos, Ferrari, Specialty, Luxury

While rummaging through the wares on offer at an estate sale, Bobby Goins, a "picker" in Grand Blanc, Michigan, found the car pictured above: a 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Ghia Cabriolet. Hidden under a tarp and lots of detritus in a garage, once it was revealed Goins discovered that the car was almost completely intact. The only thing missing was the engine, and that was found in Wisconsin not long after the discovery of the car.

Without a serial number, it's difficult to place this car exactly, even though the 212 Inter was only made for three years. It came early in Ferrari's move to production cars, but was one of the most numerous models with the widest variety of bodystyles - no less than eight coachbuilders contributed designs and variations on those designs. For instance, this one has a Ghia grille used on another body, but a different hood treatment. No matter, it's been rescued from oblivion and sold to a good home: it was bought by a Ferrari collector for just $150,000.

Follow the jump to see local news footage of Goins' discovery.

Continue reading Barn Find: 1952 Ferrari 212 Ghia Cabriolet found collecting dust

Barn Find: 1952 Ferrari 212 Ghia Cabriolet found collecting dust originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Dec 2011 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 pace car found with just 13 miles [w/video]

Zach Bowman — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:57:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Chevrolet

Just when we thought the heyday of pristine barn finds had all but dried up, cars like this one bubble to the surface. Back in 1978, Chevrolet celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Corvette by pacing the Indianapolis 500 and releasing a handful of special-edition pace car replicas to the public. Just 6,502 of the black and silver Corvette models were ever produced, and the vehicles sold out quickly. Sensing a potential future collectible, the original owner of this 1978 Chevrolet Corvette pace car bought the car and tucked it away in his garage.

In 1995, the owner sold his house and had the Corvette pace car transferred to a Detroit-area storage facility, where it was locked away for good under a pile of boxes. Now the car is being offered for sale through Corvette Mike New England. According to the site, the original tires still hold air, and surprisingly enough, the engine still runs. We had to wince a little when we heard that the seller decided to run the original half-tank of gasoline through the engine. Dropping the fuel tank and draining the system surely couldn't have been that hard.

Head over to Corvette Mike New England to see a full gallery of the car and click past the jump for quick walk-around video. There's no word on exactly how much this macho '70s machine will set you back, but we're guessing it won't be cheap.

Continue reading 1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 pace car found with just 13 miles [w/video]

1978 Chevrolet Corvette Indy 500 pace car found with just 13 miles [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barn finds classier in Britain, Aston Martin DB4 convertible heads to Bonhams

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Auctions, Aston Martin

Aston Martin DB4 convertible barn find - Click above for high-res image gallery

In the U.S., there are plenty of stories about amazing vehicles found in barns. Tales of rare Cobras, forgotten Corvettes and misplaced muscle cars are the subjects of books and dreams. Now, a long-forgotten treasure has recently been unearthed in the United Kingdom, and somewhere David Brown is smiling. An Aston Martin DB4 convertible, one of only 70 produced, has been recovered and will cross the Bonhams auction block.

Richard Truesdell of AutomotiveTraveler breaks down the history of the DB4 convertible for us (and he does so in a very iPad-friendly format). This particular roughed-up example has a two-owner history, and shows just 60,000 miles on the odometer. The original engine is gone, but the mill that comes with the car is a factory unit, which was installed in the late 1970s. The convertible will be sold in its barn find condition.

Slated to face the gavel on May 21st, auction experts expect the car to go for £80,000 to £140,000, or around $130,000 to $227,000 USD. More is possible, however, because a recent 1958 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkIII ended up costing one bidder $319,000. Of course, that one was owned by David Brown himself. Regardless, this barn find will most likely wind up in the hands of someone ready to bring it back to life.

Gallery: Aston Martin DB4 Convertible Barn Find

[Source: Automotive Traveler | Image: Gooding and Company]

Barn finds classier in Britain, Aston Martin DB4 convertible heads to Bonhams originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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David Brown's rusty old Aston sells for £200k at auction

Noah Joseph — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:35:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Auctions, Aston Martin, UK

David Brown's 1958 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkIII Drophead - Click above for high-res images

How much would you pay for a rusty old car? A couple grand, if it had real potential? More? How about $319,000? That's how much one rusty old Aston Martin recently sold for at auction, and needless to say, it far exceeded pre-auction estimates.

Of course, this 1958 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkIII drophead is no ordinary old car. It belonged to the legendary David Brown himself, the former Aston boss whose initials still grace the company's GTs to this day. The car's been sitting under a tarp, hidden from the world for 30 years. Naturally it's not exactly in tip-top condition at this point, and it'll require a significant amount of work to be brought up to spec.

"A rolling restoration project" is how auctioneers Barons British Heritage called it. We'll call it a labor of love, and a mighty expensive one at that. Details in the press release after the jump.

Gallery: 1958 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkIII drophead, ex-David Brown

[Source: Barons]

Continue reading David Brown's rusty old Aston sells for £200k at auction

David Brown's rusty old Aston sells for £200k at auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 18 Sep 2010 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance starts "barn finds" category

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Misc. Auto Shows

Classic Chevrolet Corvette barn find - Click above to enlarge

Are there any among us that don't dream of that elusive barn find? As far as we're concerned, locating an ancient board track racer, Shelby Cobra or even the odd Bugatti at the bottom of a lake would be a life-changing event. For attendees of the upcoming Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance on September 12, 2010, such a find will at least get you entrance into a renowned classic car event.

So... just what is an eligible barn find? Says Tom Cotter, widely recognized enthusiast of the genre and author of several books on the subject including the evocatively named The Cobra in the Barn and The Hemi in the Barn, that would be "a vehicle that has been previously unknown, or known and unattainable, or discovered through obscure means; all with a great story." Such an example (in this case a classic Chevrolet Corvette and apparently the subject of Cotter's next book, named... well, we'll let you figure that one out) can be seen above.

Have such a machine in mind? No problem, just be sure that the car is in the exact same condition as it was when you found it; no 100-point restorations allowed in this category. You've got until July 1 to get your submission in, and only 20 vehicles will be chosen for the show. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got some serious scavenging to do...

[Source: The Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance]

Continue reading Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance starts "barn finds" category

Fairfield County Concours d'Elegance starts "barn finds" category originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google StreetView uncovers split-window Corvette "barn find"

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:31:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Chevrolet

This is no way to treat a 1963 Corvette split-window coupe. Found in Washington by one of Google StreetView's drones, there's actually no barn to this barn find, just a car left sitting in the gray mist that folks in the Pacific Northwest call "weather."

This Corvette had a 12-year shelf life, and then according to the owner, it's "been veggin' on the spot since '75." If you are interested, it's one of the fuel injected models and comes with an extra engine and other parts. Of course, if it's been sitting there for 34 years, it could fall to pieces when you try to move it... and you'll probably find more than a few dead (or perturbed) animals lurking thereabouts. But that wouldn't stop you, would it? Check out the gallery below of this forlorn '63 Vette.

Gallery: Abandoned 1963 Corvette

[Source: Corvette Blogger]

Google StreetView uncovers split-window Corvette "barn find" originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bought the Farm: barn-find Bugatti Atalante sells for $4.4M

Noah Joseph — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:06:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Auctions, Bugatti

Bugatti Atalantes don't come up for sale very often, so when one unused example was unearthed from the garage of the reclusive late Dr. Harold Carr, enthusiasts and collectors alike stood up and took notice. The rare barn find 1937 Type 57S rolled across the Bonhams "Retromobile" auction block in Paris this weekend as scheduled, where it sold to a European collector for the equivalent of $4.4 million. While that may sound like a chunk of change - and certainly is by most standards, especially in this economy - it's only half of the highest estimates placed on the Bugatti's value upon discovery. You can bet that, after decades of neglect, its new owner will put in another hefty sum to have it restored to pristine quality before it starts hitting the concours circuit around the world. Thanks to Zack for the tip.

Gallery: 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante

[Source: AOL]

Bought the Farm: barn-find Bugatti Atalante sells for $4.4M originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YARD FIND: 1954 Hardtop Corvette

Chris Tutor — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Performance, Chevrolet

Hemmings reader Joel says when he first heard about the 1954 Corvette sitting in a pine grove for 45 years, he figured he'd find a fiberglass shell sitting atop the rusted remnants of a frame. He thought the early Vette might at least make a nice street rod.

But when he finally saw the car way up in the Colorado Smokies, he was stunned. Not only did the car still have its original hardtop, but the frame was rust free and the "original painted frame stamp from the factory is still on the frame and very much legible," Joel tells Hemmings Auto Blogs.

The story is that the car's second owner drove the Corvette to a friend's house in 1963 to have the seats re-covered. He replaced the driver's seat with a wooden Pepsi box and drove home where he parked it beneath the pine trees until Joel pulled it out.

Now Joel has a conundrum. After getting the car running again, he's totally ruled out street rod, but doesn't know what to do with the car. Frame off? Survivor-car preservation? Currently, Hemmings readers are unanimously recommending the preservation route, arguing there are already too many half-million-dollar frame off restos out there.

We've all dreamed about this happening to us, so how would you advise Joel?

[Source: Hemmings Auto Blogs]

YARD FIND: 1954 Hardtop Corvette originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 01 Nov 2008 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Great Portugese Barn Find hoax debunked but still going strong

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:25:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Etc.

We receive a lot of tips here at Autoblog. Some implore us to check out camera shots of an Audi R8 spotted in Santa Monica, others relay breaking news in the industry, and still more are just personal rants about the state of all things four-wheeled. And then there are the tips we get about the Great Portuguese Barn Find.

Hundreds of tips about this amazing discovery have been pouring in for months. They all have in common the story of a New Yorker's retirement gift to himself - a house on a few acres in Portugal. The house he found had been vacant for 15 years, the owners having passed away leaving no heirs. The property was being sold to pay back taxes owed, and besides the house, there was also a large metal barn on the land with its doors welded shut. Nobody took the time to see what was inside, so the property was sold as is. When the new owner and his wife arrived, they got to work opening up the barn and found - the barn find of the millennium. Inside the structure sat around 200 dusty classic cars. What an unbelievable bit of luck for the new owner!

Follow the jump for the real story.

[Source: Old Cars Weekly]

Continue reading The Great Portugese Barn Find hoax debunked but still going strong

The Great Portugese Barn Find hoax debunked but still going strong originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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