Barn finds are automotive enthusiasts' favorite things. There's nothing quite like finding a long-lost Muscle car from Chrysler, Ford, or General Motors. Most look to vehicles of the past with a certain reverence. Large big-block engines and long hoods at the time seem like things of the past. With this prestige and limited supply, these vehicles, when in pristine condition, carry hefty premiums. This is where the enthusiast's fantasy is born.
For whatever reason, car owners tuck their vehicles away. It could be because they simply needed a more practical car, couldn't afford to repair it or even just forgot about it. Sitting for decades, cars degrade, parts seize up, and they require lots of work. This is often both mechanical and aesthetic. As they need attention, they are ideal project cars and can sell for less than their full market value.
One YouTuber who focuses on these special barns finds is DezzysSpeedShop. The host owns a hot rod shop in Washington and, with weekly videos, chronicles his love affair for older muscle cars. With over 2.5 million views on his videos and an Instagram following of 70,000 people, Dezzy has found his niche. In a recent find, the mechanic has found two barns that have a collection of some of Ford's, General Motor's, and Chrylser's most desirable vehicles.
A Rare Barracuda AAR and Dodge Li'l Red Express are among them.
What Cars Are In The Barn?
Dezzy visited this barn primarily to take a look at the Plymouth Barracuda AAR barn find. This is an incredibly special car. Made for only one year, the AAR is a homologation special that allowed All American Racing to enter SCCA races. Beneath the hood is a 340 V8 Barrel engine that sends the car to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. Matching the performance of this vehicle is a striking paint job. The Strobe Cuda stripe runs down the flank of the muscle car and matches the black Cuda hood. This Barracuda is in immaculate condition. However, hidden in the rest of the collection is a less cared for example, in disrepair the vehicle is a blank canvas to build a dream car. The Barracuda shares the Chrysler same E-body platform as the Dodge Challenger with which it shares a similar look.
The Barracuda AAR catches eyes on the road with paint jobs that only fit on muscle cars. The same colors found as on the Challenger T/A, bold purples, lime green, deep shades of orange. Equally bold is the car's functional hood scoop, something that modern performance cars often fake. The exhausts have a design that is even more alien to the modern enthusiast. Side mounted with one tailpipe on each flank, the exhausts are yet another quirk to this awesome car.
What's The Li'l Red Express?
Alongside this rare MOPAR, Barracuda is a Dodge Li'l Red Express. The fastest truck of its time, the model entered production in 1978 and left in 1979. According to Classic, this model is an appreciating asset. As its name suggests the Red Express is a red truck. With a 360 Mopar V8 engine straight from a police interceptor, the truck has 225 horsepower. It used Chrysler's Loadflite transmission which usually saw use on larger engines like the 440. This transmission makes the Li'l Red Express an excellent platform to work on.
The Li'l Red Express is an incredibly rare truck. Only produced in 1978 and 1979 the pick-up truck saw a little over 5000 units exit production. The model is more than just a large engine and bold red color scheme. Just like a big rig the small Dodge has twin stacks behind the cabin. Without catalytic converters, the full sound of the V8 roams free. Built on the third generation of Dodge D series truck the Li'l Red Express is closely related to the Midnite Express. These trucks do have a full flatbed, but with more chrome, they are bold and less practical. Leaning into this less utilitarian market, the cabin is positively luxurious, with carpeting and full leather. Often clad in small wooden panels, these models present an old-world aesthetic. Unlike the wood-laden Chrysler PT Cruiser these look in place on the Li'l Red Express
Are There Any Ford or Chevy Barn Finds?
Not every car in this collection is from MOPAR. Tucked away in the corners are not one, not two, but three different third-generation Chevrolet El Caminos. The first is a relatively mundane 1972 in Silver. The second is the same but in an eye-catching shade of baby blue. The last is the iconic El Camino SS in a true muscle car's shade of Orange. This generation of El Camino saw the SS become a unique model sold as the 396. It came with either a 265 or 325 horsepower V8 from 1968. In 1970 the model saw the introduction of the 454, a 7.5-liter V8 engine that produces 450 horsepower and propels the El Camino SS into Muscle Car stardom.
Among some of the none MOPAR finds are a range of Fords and Chevrolet cars. A blue and nearly pristine Ford Torino GT convertible are in the second barn along with a 1968 Cornett. The host doesn't mention the Ford Falcon tucked away in the back, but we certainly noticed it. Painted in a dark blue, the vehicle blends into its surroundings. The owner of these barns collected a range of General Motors vehicles with both a rusty '67 Chevelle, a first-generation car. As well as a '69 Chevelle from the second generation. The Chevelle received a facelift in 1971 which made it more recognizable for many enthusiasts. There's also a red Chevy Bel Air.