If you are interested in vintage cars, the Hagerty channel’s “Forgotten Treasure Hunt” program is probably not new to you. In one episode of the program, vintage car expert Tom Cotter had the opportunity to visit a car barn in North Carolina, USA. It was here that the expert discovered 5 cars that could be considered masterpieces.
SAD CONDITIONS
The interior of the car barn. Photo: Jordan Lewis.
Tom Cotter’s first impression was perhaps a bit indifferent: an unkempt entrance with neglected trees, a dilapidated car barn. In fact, Tom Cotter was greeted by a friend of the owner. After the car barn door was opened, Tom Cotter was somewhat surprised by the chaotic and dirty state of the place. According to the owner’s friend, this car barn could collapse at any time and they wanted to get rid of these cars.
These cars had been sitting here for 26 years. Before that, the owner used to have a familiar mechanic who took care of them regularly. But since the mechanic died in a traffic accident, the cars have been left here without anyone else taking care of them. The reason is simply that the owner believed that only the mechanic knew how to make these cars work well.
The Ferrari 275 GTB has only traveled 21,000km. Photo: Ben Woodworth & Jordan Lewis.
The dirt-covered faux leather interior of the Ferrari 275 GTB. Photo:
You can clearly see the thick layers of dust on the cars, and the oxidized and hazy paint. Fortunately, in Western countries, the air is usually dry, so there is little chance for mold or mildew to develop.
The most pitiful of all is probably the red Shelby AC Cobra. The dust on the outside is already visible, but when Tom Cotter tried to open the trunk of the car, a horrifying scene was revealed: a mouse nest! Not only did the mice inhabit the trunk, they even made nests in the passenger compartments as well.
“MILLION DOLLAR MOUSE NEST”
The BMW 325ix behind Warren Cramer and Tom Cotter. Photo: Hagerty.
In fact, all 5 of these cars in this car barn are highly valuable and meaningful.
– 1985 BMW 325ix in white: BMW’s first model equipped with all-wheel drive (AWD).
– 1978 Morgan Plus 8 in duck egg blue: A propane-powered car (because at that time, US emission standards did not allow cars to run on gasoline) from a brand with a tradition of handcrafting cars with wooden frames and bodies that continues to this day.
– 1976 Triumph TR-6 in white: The highest-rated model among Triumph’s products in the United States at that time.
The Triumph TR-6 is in excellent condition with the odometer stopping at nearly 16,000km. Photo: Hagerty.
– Ferrari 275 GTB from 1966 in silver: Even though it’s 50 years old, this car has only traveled about 21,000km, and both the interior and exterior are intact like new; Tom Cotter believes that there are only a handful of Ferrari 275 GTBs in this condition in the world.
– Red Shelby AC Cobra 427 from 1962: Tom Cotter said this is the most sought-after model by Americans; there are about 60,000 Shelby AC Cobra 427s on the road, but only about 348 were produced by the official factory, the rest are replicas.
Mice have made nests from the trunk to the passenger compartment. Photo: Hagerty.
Not only are these cars highly valuable, but all 5 of them are also in original condition and have not been driven much. Based on that, the owner could potentially earn up to 4 million USD when selling them, which is about 91 billion VND.
