Barn Finds. The good, the bad and the rotten

We’ve all seem them on T.V. and heard about them on forums, but could you really find one in Scotland? There are plenty barns, especially here in central Scotland, but how many have remained unopened for decades? Some have hidden treasures in them, but retro classic cars? Normally the stories come from over the pond, but there have been a few very good finds here at home. The Mini in the featured image was found in a garage near Edinburgh and proves they could exist. I think that rather than the eccentric millionaire owners of abroad, the ones here seem to have more history and story with them. Most seem to have beeen someones pride and joy that needed a wee bit of work and was put in the garage, or parked out the back, just until it’s fixed. As time passes and parts become rarer and dearer, the car gets covered and left for the next sunny period when they’ll get to it eventually. Inevitably they get left and in our climate that means rust. Once the rust sets in and it doesn’t look like the pride and joy it once was, they sit, covered, waiting on someone peeling back the covers and gasping at the marvel or catastrophe they find underneath. Knowing about the prototype RHD 911 that was found in a barn at Castle Douglas near Dumfries, I do think that there are exciting cars hidden

The famous buried Ferrari Dino.

The story of the buried Ferrari Dino found in late 1977, early 1978 was a mystery. The house in Los Angeles had kids playing in the mud of the front yard and the story confused even the most inquisitive of enthusiasts. The owners of the house had only lived there for 3 months and the due to finance being with a bank, the insurance could only say that the payout had been made to The Bank Of America. After finally doing more investigation work a motoring journalist had found the original owners from Nevada had went out for a anniversary dinner and used the valet parking, only to return and find the car gone. The story of trying to sell it and only getting around $9000 for it from a young mechanic only makes it more interesting as the car has since disappeared again.

If you are lucky enough to get one, you then need to get it running.

Renovating a classic isn’t for everyone, there’s a lot of work and research involved. Most people prefer to buy their cars to drive, but there are more and more places now who will help you restore a classic piece by piece. Specialists are everywhere with the capability to help you with individual parts of a car. Interior upholstery, engine repairs, welding, body work, painting, electrics and diagnostics are all easily broken-down and repairs individually.

How long is enough time to make you think a car is classic enough or retro enough? 10 years ago I had a focus estate as my daily and I’m sure a Mk1 Focus isn’t retro enough yet, but generally people don’t put brand new cars in a barn. If you’re anything like me, the cars your dad/mum/uncle drove are they ones you liked the most. There are poster cars, for me it was the Porsche 928, which would be good to find but the cost of restoring one is beyond most people.

What would you like to find? What is considered a classic? Realistically, what would you expect to find in the years to come? Let us know over on the forums.