Lancia Motor Club

General => General Chat => Topic started by: RhysHF on 15 July, 2008, 06:31:05 PM



Title: Old cars in a barn
Post by: RhysHF on 15 July, 2008, 06:31:05 PM
I wondered if anyone had been sent this mail:

"A recently retired New York man wanted to use his retirement funds wisely,
decided to buy a home and a few acres in Portugal 

The modest farmhouse had been vacant for 15 years; the owner and wife
both had died, and there were no heirs.

The estate was being sold to pay back taxes. There had been several lookers,
but the large barn had steel doors, and they had been welded shut. No one
wanted to go to the extra expense to see what was in the barn, and it wasn't
complimentary to the property anyway... so, no one made an offer on the
place.

The New York gentleman bought it as is, paying just over half of the property's
worth; moved in, and set about to access the barn... curiosity was killing him.

So, he and his wife bought a generator and a couple of grinders... and cut
thru the welds.

What was in the barn...?"


I was sent this in a mail today with a number of photographs attached (see below)

It appears the above text is a hoax but there is a real story and a real Barn.

"The owner of the cars was a car dealer in the 1970s and 1980s, and decided to save the more interesting cars that came through his doors. When the barn was full, he padlocked and "soldered" the doors shut. (Perhaps welding was too permanent.)

Web sites varied on the number of cars: 58, 100, and 180 were speculated. According to Morais, there are 180 cars in the barn."


www.intuh.net/barnfinds/afa70.htm (http://www.intuh.net/barnfinds/afa70.htm)

Here are some of the cars:



Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: ian.cleary on 15 July, 2008, 07:09:45 PM
It's like this one Rhys... a Danish Fiat dealership closed for 20 years... apparently the cars were recently auctioned off

http://www.autobild.de/mmg/mm_bildergalerie_668983.html?tab=0&page=35&bid=0&m=&e=&i=

Picture 31 will make you drool! Love the colour and would adore such a car ;-)


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: fensaddler on 15 July, 2008, 07:16:31 PM
33 looks rather pretty too. :)


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: ian.cleary on 15 July, 2008, 07:27:04 PM
the Fiat or the Renault...?

An R4 is on my wanted list... would love one, they're as mad as eggs!


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: RhysHF on 15 July, 2008, 07:50:34 PM
Fantastic, I find it amazing that these things crop up.

I'd love to find and old barn or garage with just one old car in half decent condition

Rhys


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: Philm on 15 July, 2008, 08:05:59 PM
The Portugese story has certainly done the rounds. The cars are actually owned by a dealer/collector who is now slowly disposing of them. Some are popping up on eBay of all places.


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: fensaddler on 15 July, 2008, 08:29:45 PM
the Fiat or the Renault...?

An R4 is on my wanted list... would love one, they're as mad as eggs!

The renault 4 - my dad had two in succession when I was very young, and they're part of my childhood.  Love them, and any renault from the 60s and 70s.  I was distraught when he switched allegiances and bought a Talbot Alpine after 5 straight renault's - but the renault 14 put him off completely...


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: fay66 on 16 July, 2008, 12:05:39 AM
The Portugese story has certainly done the rounds. The cars are actually owned by a dealer/collector who is now slowly disposing of them. Some are popping up on eBay of all places.

Just Google "Barn Find Portugal & you can keep reading for the next few hours, all is not what it seemed, this has been doing the rounds for well over a year. for example http://www.sportscarmarket.com/articles/archives/1110

I can't understand why these stories just keep going around and around,  >:( I suppose it's something to do with the vast size of the internet.
Brian
8227 8)


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: sparehead3 on 16 July, 2008, 10:58:28 AM
Yep, seen it several times ... I always google these to check 'em out first along the lines "it's too good to be true..." so I bet it's a fake ...


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: ian.cleary on 16 July, 2008, 11:10:21 AM
doesn't matter to me if the pictures are good, it's not like I'm doing other than window shopping :)


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: sparehead3 on 16 July, 2008, 11:42:36 AM
yeah, perhaps I should amend that statement to "the background story is made up" - you're right, the pictures are great !


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: Parisien on 03 November, 2015, 05:09:53 PM
I'm pleased to say that the Portuguese barn find of dozens of vehicles was indeed true in its basic facts, not sure how embellished the whole story became, but from the photos Ricardo supplied you can see two of the Lancias together, an Appia and an Aurelia (pictured as found in the barn, check the no plate), cleaned up and awaiting their fate.

The 2nd mentioned was believed sold to a a buyer in Belgium and then the trail when cold, anyone know anything more up to date about it?


P


Title: Re: Old cars in a barn
Post by: Parisien on 03 November, 2015, 05:13:31 PM
Just checking over Appia photos in the original link in post one, thats a different Appia to the one in the first post, could there have been two of them?


P