As the automotive industry hurtles at light speed towards electrification, autonomy, and whatever else the great minds at different car companies are cooking up, the old ways of 20th-century enthusiasts are slowly being phased out by a new generation eager to forge its own path forward. Many of the designs and technologies used in classic cars of the last century are getting harder to find on roads today, as they're either considered uncool or obsolete.
This is exactly why gearheads love barn find stories. It's always a special occasion when someone stumbles upon an old car that was left untouched in a barn for decades, even if it's in terrible condition. It serves as a time capsule, reminding gearheads how far the industry has come. Let's explore five fantastic American muscle car barn finds versus five even better European sports car barn finds.
10 American Muscle Car: 1968 Ford Mustang ‘Bullitt’
The 1968 Ford Mustang GT was a special car, but that's not why it's on this list. This particular 1968 Mustang GT is one of the most iconic movie cars, as it's the same one that Steve McQueen drove in the 1968 Action film Bullitt.
Two Mustangs were built for the movie, with one being used as a stunt double. After filming, the stunt double was sold and would ultimately resurface years later in an old Mexican scrap yard. The Mustang was barely recognizable, as it wore a faded coat of paint and lacked vital parts, including the engine. However, a Ford specialist confirmed that it was the long lost Bullitt Mustang's chassis number.
9 European Sports Car: The Buried Ferrari Dino 246GTS
The Dino 246 GTS is not among the greatest Ferraris ever built, as it was considered to be underpowered. However, it's still a Ferrari, and no one would expect to find a Ferrari forgotten in a barn, let alone buried in the ground. That's exactly what happened in 1978 when children discovered a Ferrari Dino 246 GTS buried in their backyard while playing.
As it turned out, the Ferrari belonged to a California businessman who buried it himself about four years earlier as part of an insurance scam. The Ferrari was restored and now wears a plate that reads "DUG UP."
8 American Muscle Car: 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
When naming the greatest Dodge muscle cars of all time, it's impossible to leave the 1969 Charger Daytona out. Developed to dominate in NASCAR, the Daytona was super quick and super rare, with only 503 examples built. This is why gearheads were shocked when restorers found one forgotten for decades in an Alabama barn.
The Daytona was bought in the '70s and has spent most of its life in a barn. The bodywork and most components were still in good shape as it was hidden away from the elements, but rats had chewed up the seats and left a mess inside. The car was restored and later sold at an auction for $90,000.
7 European Sports Car: Lamborghini Miura
In 2018, the automotive world was shocked when 81 classic cars were discovered on a French farm. Most of the cars were housed in a large barn, while the others were scattered in the surrounding fields, hidden under brambles. The cars belonged to Henry Ruggieri, who was described as a compulsive buyer.
Among the cars found in the barn was a rare Lamborghini Miura. After investigation, the Miura turned out to be a 1968 P400 with matching numbers, and despite its poor condition, it sold for almost $700,000 in 2019.
6 American Muscle Car: 1970 Boss 429 Mustang
For over 45 years, Alan Rietz accumulated more than 100 classic muscle cars and stored them in a series of barns in his 1,100-acre farm in South Dakota. When Rietz passed away in 2017, his wife Linda hired VanDerBrink auction house to liquidate the collection, giving many gearheads a chance to own one of the fantastic muscle cars.
The Alan Rietz collection had many wonderful cars, but among the best was a 1970 Boss Mustang. This car is incredibly rare, being one of only 499 built in 1970. It had a Calypso Coral paint job and was almost perfectly preserved, making it a collector's dream.
5 European Sports Car: Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona
Ferrari was obsessed with racing in the late '60s, so it developed five aluminum-bodied 365GTB/4 Daytonas for the track. Only one of these ultralight cars was road-legal, and it eventually made its way to Japan after a car collector purchased it. The collector drove it for several years and finally parked it in a barn in 1980, where it stayed for decades.
The legendary Ferrari resurfaced in 2017, and it was in sublime condition. It only had 22,611 miles on the odometer, and a Ferrari specialist confirmed that its numbers and paperwork matched the one-of-one car. After discovery, the Daytona was sold in 'as found' condition for a staggering $2.2 million at an RM Sotheby's auction.
4 American Muscle Car: 1969 Oldsmobile 442 W-30
The Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) provides a great platform for people to display vintage unrestored cars through the Barn Finds and Hidden Gems section. This section typically contains dusty, rusty, crusty relics with faded paint, rotting upholstery, cracked glass, rust holes, and missing parts. They are not pretty, but they draw many eyeballs from gearheads who know the iconic cars hiding beneath the rust and dirt.
One of the best cars at the 2018 MCACN Barn Finds and Hidden Gems section was a 1969 Oldsmobile 442 W-30. This car was in excellent condition and could easily be restored to factory condition.
3 European Sports Car: Porsche 901
Everyone knows that Porsche's greatest-ever car is the 911. However, not many know that the 911 was initially called the 901. Barely a year after introducing the 901, Porsche had to change the name when Peugeot filed a copyright claim, saying that only their cars could have a three-digit model name with a '0' in the middle. Porsche had built only 82 units of the 901 cars before Peugeot intervened, which is why they are super rare.
For many years, even Porsche themselves didn't have a 901. So when German TV station RTL2 reported that a 901 was sitting in a barn in Brandenburg, Porsche leaped into action and went to find it. The car was in horrible condition - the bodywork was rusty, the front wings were missing, and the interior was in tatters. Porsche still paid more than $100,000 for it.
2 American Muscle Car: 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge
Tom Cotter, the host of Hagerty's Barn Find Hunter, is known for having a keen eye for classic muscle cars. While driving down a highway in Texas, Cotter caught a glimpse of a collection of classic muscle cars parked behind a fence. Intrigued, Cotter and his film crew took a U-turn and asked the owner to allow him to check out the collection.
The most valuable on the property was a red 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge. The car had been sitting outside for many years and was in dire need of restoration. The most astonishing thing about the car was that the odometer said it had only 2.4 miles on the clock.
1 European Sports Car: Mercedes 300SL Gullwing
Mercedes-Benz has produced many iconic cars throughout its 95-year history, but few of them come close to the 300SL Gullwing. Introduced in 1954, the 300SL was the fastest production car of its day and one of the most beautiful, thanks to its Gullwing doors.
This is why photographer Piotr Degler immediately started searching when rumors surfaced in the 2000s that a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing had been lost somewhere in Cuba. After lots of research, Degler discovered the car rusting under a banana tree and spent hours taking photos of it. The car was in terrible condition, as it lacked an engine, transmission, and other key components.