UPDATE – John has sent over some additional photos of his Father’s cars, which have been added to their corresponding auctions! Be sure to take another look at each listing.
Reader John O has been tasked by his Father to find new homes for some of his cars. His Dad has a decent collection of cars, some he inherited and others he purchased over the years. Now that he’s getting older, he isn’t able to maintain them the way he’d like and wants to see them go to a good home. Unfortunately, he needs them all sold by the end of the month, so John has asked us to auction all seven of his Dad’s vehicles. The cars are still in his Dad’s barn in Fort Wayne, Indiana and while they can store them there for a short period of time, they need to go soon! You can view them all here or find links to each auction below.
You can’t get much more barn findy than this Ford truck! It was used by John’s great grandfather during the prohibition era to haul illegal whiskey. His great grandfather actually bought the truck new, which put the law onto his whiskey-making activities and he ended up in jail as a result. When the family sold the family farm, John’s Dad took possession of it. It comes with a clear title and some great history! You can bid on this Ford here.
If you like trim work and elegant styling, this 1953 Pontiac Chieftain is the car for you! It has been sitting here for a while and is going to need work, but it looks like all the trim is present and the interior looks to be in decent shape. There are some rust issues, which John made sure to photograph, but given its originality and that it comes with a clear title/keys it’s a great candidate for a restoration. You can take a closer look and bid on this Chieftain here.
This 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 has a cool story behind it. It was previously owned by a close family friend, Aggie, and John remembers going for rides in it as a kid. Aggie took great care of the car, so when his Dad had the opportunity to buy it, he had to have it. Sitting in the barn wasn’t kind to its interior, but a replacement back seat is included. With a little work, this one could be made into a nice driver again! If you’d love to revive this Ford, be sure to bid on it here.
John’s Dad managed to buy not one, but two 1969 Buick Rivieras. They have both been in storage for a number of years, but one has faired the years better than the other. The first one up is this Red on white example. John believes this one is the rougher of the two, as its storage area was damp at times and it has taken its toll. It actually doesn’t look too bad in the photos and appears to be complete. So, if you have been on the hunt for a classic Riviera in red, be sure to take a closer look. You can bid on this one here.
And here is the black Riviera! It does appear to be in better shape, with glossy paint under the dust and chrome that should polish up nicely. The interior is also in better shape, although it will need some work to be a nice driver. Both cars come with titles and keys, but if you are looking for an easier project, this one would be a good option! So, if you’d love to give this one a new home, be sure to bid on it here.
If you like big luxury drop-tops, this 1971 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible is definitely worth a look! It’s a dusty project, but these big front-wheel-drive Eldorados are quite the machines. John’s Father had started fixing it up but didn’t get around to finishing it. If you’d love to finish this convertible, you can bid on this Caddy here.
Here’s the last car in the collection! Out of his Dad’s cars, this is the one John has seen on the road the most recently. It’s a 1975 Mercedes 230 and while it needs some work to be roadworthy again, this one will be a fairly simple project. The paint looks good, the interior just needs detailing and with the usual service work it will be ready to cruise. These cars are starting to go up in value and this one looks like a great example. You can bid on this classic Mercedes here.
We want to thank John and his Dad for giving us the opportunity to auction these barn finds right here on Barn Finds! They hope to see all of these cars go to good homes. So, if you’d love to give one or more of them a new home, be sure to bid. And please, spread the word so that we can find homes for all seven cars!
Auction your car here on Barn Finds for just $99!
The ’59 Ford gives a 404 not found error.
John sent us a photo of the back seat, so we were updating the article. Try it again!
Lots to choose from!!
Is the 59 Ford a Skyliner – that’s a long trunk there……….
Definitely a sedan, but I had the same reaction looking at that stretched shot. The overhead shot tells us this has a trunk, not a “lift panel” back there. This sedan looks really sharp in red, glad the bidding hasn’t gone through the roof. Paint looks like it might polish out pretty well.
Can we get any photos of the underside of the red Rivi? Also, any pitted rust on it?
From previous articles and listings, the photographs of the undercarriage’s reveal rust buckets. Looks like these were all stored in a soaking wet environment.
@Duaney – I don’t think they were stored in a soaking wet environment, but there definitely is rust. As I’ve already mentioned, John would rather see this go to people who might do something with them rather than send them off to the crusher.
Jesse: I think Duaney is closer than you are–at some point, I would like to see the term “collector” reserved for owners who do no more harm, than “destroyers” who own classics, don’t care for them properly, then claim they don’t want to see them crushed into a pile of mud & rust.