Modern "Car in Barn" Story

Unknown

We have all heard them at one time or another, you know the story....there is a car in that barn on so and so's farm. I hear it is a Packard, or whatever. Or the story of someone who pulled out some treasure and paid the guy a hundred bucks and it is worth a zillion. Well, I have a somewhat different one to share. I live in Manhattan most of the time and park my modern day transportation in a neighborhood garage. It is an old building that has car elevators as opposed to the modern driving ramps to get to the upper and lower floors. At any rate, I have parked there for years and have heard stories of a few old cars that are stored up on third floor. The other day I was B.S.'ing with one of the attendents and asked him if it was true...were there som old cars up there? "Yes, there are two. Wanna seem them?" Never one to pass up such an opportunity, I went up to see them. I was thinking there was going to be a Mustang or something goofy like that. Not a chance. At this point you are going think it was a Hudson, but afraid not. When I got off the elevator I see, covered in good old NYC soot and grime (think ice scrapper to get it off), a 31 Duesenburg and a 30 something Rolls Royce Phantom. The cars have been sitting there for years and years and years. Tires flat, parked among the normal cars that rent space there. After some digging I found who owns them and was told they are not for sale. Leno has approached them on the Duesy (which exlains why I saw him there a few years ago), Reggie Jackson and other heavy hitters have offered to buy both and all were told they are not for sale. The family apparantly wants to keep them for sentiimental reasons. What makes this kinda funny is enormous amount of money they pay to park the cars there. They pay whenever, years go by ....$65,000 last time. Current balance is $30,000+ and growing. A bit more expensive than storing them in a barn.

Unknown

What a shame...

If they've got that kind of money, why not keep the cars in running condition?

rambos_ride

Just think that is only 1 parking garage in 1 city in a country of close to 300,000,000 - here's to hoping for more stories like this one - and better yet a Hudson story!

7XPacemaker

There is a gentleman in Pa. that just picked up a late forties chevy convertible in a garage. It was a former dealer that kept it because it never sold. The car had 250 miles or less on it. He didn't pay too much for the car either.

Aaron D. IL

People always talk about "barn cars" and how you'd be surprised what's hidden away in barns around the country. But really you'd be surprised what's hiden away in garages around some of the cities to. Like older parts of chicago for example There are many old brick bungalo's owned by older residents with alleyways behind them that are lined with garages and you'd be surprised what's hiden in some of those!!!! In the local town of Cicero (known mob territory years ago) one individual bought an old bungalo like that and actually found that it had a hidden room and bricked up inside of it was a Model A with bullet holes in it.

Not to mention the fact that there's lots of would've been restored cars hidden in garages litered through this great land of ours. Part of the fun of this hobby is encountering or hunting for such treasures. Anyone wanna take a guess where the missing Italia's are ? Or maybe Wright's No. 1 Terraplane ?

[Deleted User]

They're out there, you just gotta look!



BTW, I have word of several cars parked outside since the late '50s, none have more than one hundred actual miles on them. Complete, but obviously need complete restos. More to come. Yes, they're for sale.