Barn finds are synonymous with rusty and dusty old cars that haven’t seen the light of day for decades, and if that rusty bucket happens to be a muscle car – the better. It’s even better if it turns out that hypothetical rusty bucket is actually in solid condition and doesn’t need much more than a good wash in order to look like new. Well, these deals rarely come by, but they still happen on occasion. Mustang Monthly covers most of these barn finds and here we’ll bring you 10 of the rarest such deals
It’s incredible what happens to roll out of countless barns scattered across the country. Of course, not all of these Mustangs were found in barns – some have been hiding in garages, back yards, and who knows where else. Barn Finds, however, works best as the term itself means more than just some random antique piece covered in dust popping out of nowhere. Barns have this nostalgic Midwestern undertone which reminds us of great many things. Like open-top Mustang on late summer road surrounded by golden cornfields for as long as the eye can see, for instance. But I digress. Click next in order to find more about these impressive barn finds.
10. 1964-1/2 Mustang Convertible
This one was found by Brian and Steve Nicklas in their uncle’s barn in northwest Alabama. At first, the car lacked most of the bodywork. Almost entire front end was stripped away. The hood was actually the only part of this Mustang’s front that was there, but even the hood itself wasn’t sixty four and a half’s – not to mention all the rust.
After countless checks had been written on account of the bodyshop that took the car under their wing, early Mustang was finally fully restored. Brothers nicknamed convertible “The Flying Squirrel” in order to honor the furry little rascal which sprang out of the trunk when they first opened it. The Flying Squirrel is returning on the initial investment since it’s already made a few movie appearances – most notably in 2007 film “Talk to Me” starred by Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
9. 1969 Mustang SportsRoof
Thing is; this is not a regular ’69 SportsRoof fastback. This one is a part of Philadelphia sales district spring sales of 1969 which featured 600 limited models painted in Flower Power Red or Groovy Green. It’s clear to see which color this one was.
Don Hughmanick – himself a fan of “Limited Edition 600” was one happy man when he found out that the car was stored behind a barn, an hour and a half north of his home in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. Randy and Judy Kuhn decided to let go of a car that hasn’t been driven since 1980, but they had one condition – Don will let Randy take a spin in completely restored car. Apparently, the work is still in progress, but 250 ci six-cylinder stock ’69 Mustang SportRoofs looked something like this.
8. 1969 Mustang Mach 1
This one wasn’t a limited edition, but it’s quite similar to Mustang SportRoof mentioned on previous page. After all, Mach 1 package was exclusively available with SportRoof models.
This specimen had been uncovered in a barn in Missouri. It was sitting in there since 1985. Dan Bailey bought it from Shawn and Raymond (son and father) for meager $500, but there’s a lot work ahead of him. However, he has bought the car for good reason as he intends to restore it for himself. He has been regretting selling his old ’69 Mach 1 for quite some time and he has finally been given the chance to earn it back – although in unconventional way. This Champagne Gold Mustang Mach 1 lacks the engine among other things, but Dan already has a strong lead on the original 351 that came with the car back in the day. We expect it to look something like this after some $35k-$40k and many hours of labor.
7. 1967 Mustang 390 GT Fastback
Junior Deese is the new owner of this FE big-block 390 V8 GT Fastback which had been sitting in Erwin, North Carolina barn for the last 15 years. Red Fastback belonged to Nancy Snipes and her late husband, and was in the family for the last three decades.
Not only that that body was generally rust-free and in rather good condition, but Deese was able to power up the 390 beast in matter of minutes after towing it back to his place. That’s one of the most incredible barn finds we’ve seen in recent years, and the fact that Deese plans to restore it for his own use warms every Mustang enthusiast’s heart. Red ’67 GT Fastback might have found a new owner, but it will be graced with love and care in no lesser amount.
6. 1969 Mustang Shelby G.T. 500
There’s hardly a Mustang that embodies that raw performance demeanor than the ’69 Shelby G.T. 500. When you happen to stumble upon one in a random barn in Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania, then you should buy it – no questions asked. That’s exactly what Gary Morgan had done thanks to his good friend Fred Gimble who showed him the car.
Although there are no pictures of the car prior to restoration, Shelby was in pretty rough shape. It lacked a few parts here and there, including the tail-lights removed in order to keep potential buyers away, but overall – it was a complete car. Now it’s fully restored ’69 Shelby G.T. 500 in original Black Jade paint with white side stripes. It made its debut SAAC-33’s concours car show in August 2008, and it’s been on the roads ever since. Here’s a look at its fully restored 428 Cobra Jet engine.
5. 1967 Mustang G.T. 500
Much like the previous car on this list, this ’67 Shelby G.T. 500 represents the pinnacle of pony cars of the day. It was acquired by Rich Barnes from late Rodger Hall’s OK Corral ranch. In fact, Barnes acquired the car from Hall’s children who decided to sell out their father’s property.
As you can see, ’67 Shelby is painted Midnight Blue, and it’s mostly rust-free. It has 428 Police Interceptor big-block V8 beating under its hood, and when I say beating, I mean that. It wasn’t that hard for Barnes to start the venerable V8 up shortly after buying this classic muscle. Barnes himself is owner of a Mustang ranch which means this beauty is going to be restored to its former glory. It might just end up looking like this.
4. 1970 Mustang Boss 302
It’s rare finding stacked-away Mustang in good condition. It’s even more rare finding one that runs, but when you happen to stumble upon one with only 31,000 miles on its odometer – then it’s time to act. This White, rust-free Boss 302 was bought by Chase VanDyne who planned to restore it and include the former owner Mike Kline in the process.
The reason for that is the fact that Kline’s sons with whom he himself intended to restore the car, died in separate car accidents. For every sad story, there’s a closure, and this one is the best we could have thought of. 1970 Mustang 302 Boss looked good straight after it had taken a shower, and we can only wonder how it’ll look like fully restored.
3. A Barn Collection of 428 Cobra Fords
Of course, there’s a Mustang among them as well, but it’s not the most interesting car of the bunch. Neil used to work as a mechanic and do some drag racing back in the day, but his failing health now prevents him from finishing his work – restoring as many Cobra 428 Fords as possible. However, he doesn’t intend to sell his treasured cars. That’s why there’s no contact and Neil’s last name here.
This ’69 Mustang Mach 1 from the picture above used to belong to Neil’s daughter, but it now collects the dust just as other cars in his barn do. And his other cars are quite a deal too. There’s a ’69 Fairlane there as well, and a trio of Torino Talladegas which were his favorites, among other things. We hope these will find a proper new owner who will continue Neil’s work on them when the time is right.
2. 1967 Mustang Hardtop
Here’s one of the most unusual barn finds stories. Kent Faith acquired this ’67 Mustang Hardtop from himself. To clarify. He wasn’t aware of what he had in his driveway. Of course, he knew about the car since he and his brother got it as graduation present back in 1974. He only wasn’t aware of this Mustang’s limited edition status.
This here is “Lone Star Special” which also goes by the name Bluebonnet special. They were, naturally, only sold in Texas and came with Bluebonnet Blue paint job. There were only 175 of them ever produced, and this is one of a few still alive. The interesting thing is that Kent never would have figured that out hadn’t his son been there. It was his son Kade who did the research, and he’s only 11 years old. It’s nice to see that new Mustang enthusiasts are still appearing out there.
1. Impressive Collection of Fords
Where to even begin with this one? You’d better read the whole story here, but let’s just say that Eddie has rows and rows of American cars at his property – mostly Mustangs and Torinos. You can find pretty much anything there – from the sixties to the two thousands, and don’t even start on spare parts and engines.
It’s hard to decide which of the Mustangs is the most impressive. Whether it’s the ’70 Mustang Mach 1 with a Shaker hood, newer generation Shelby G.T. 500, ’70 Mustang SportsRoof, ’66 Mustang Fastback or any other of the Mustangs scattered around there. Eddie’s property has some equally impressive non-Mustangs as well like rare export Torino, first-gen Lightning with almost no miles on its odometer, Torino Station Wagon with almost untouched interior, and many others. It’s a true paradise for car enthusiasts, but it’s also a sad place because most of these cars are probably beyond repair.