We’ve likely all faced moments of wanting to hold onto a car for just a little while longer to fix that random misfire or replace those last few pieces of trim. Sometimes, however, we can’t quite nip those final projects in the bud so our vehicles sit in storage (hopefully dry and enclosed), waiting for the final work order to be tallied. Of course, some owners take things a bit further and hold onto their projects for years, even moving the cars to a new state when relocation occurs. That’s the story of an owner in Texas who moved his collection of vintage Cadillacs to their current home in 1972 – and where the cars have stayed since. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Rob Andre for spotting this incredible treasure trove of Caddys!
Now up for auction, whomever was first to open the barn doors must have had to pinch themselves to make sure they weren’t dreaming: a 1932 Cadillac 370B V12 Victoria Convertible, 1933 Cadillac Model 370C V12 Town Coupe, 1938 Cadillac Series 90 V16 Fleetwood Limousine, 1923 Milburn Electric Model 27L, 1908 REO Model G Boattail Roadster/Sedan Tonneau and a twice-used 1937 Kozy Coach Travel Trailer. The best part is, despite being dusty, the owner took great care to store the vehicles safely and some of them have even been refreshed just enough mechanically to prove the engines still turn over – one of the cars even ran! The efforts being made by the auction company, Motostalgia, to get the cars running reflects the wishes of the seller to see the cars chug down the road at least once before finding new homes.
As you pour over the auctioneer’s photos (and I encourage you to do so), what stands out is how well the interiors have been preserved. Let me tell you, both of my project cars needed fresh interiors in a big way, so to see cars that have been sitting as long as these have with seating surfaces and carpets in such impressive condition is truly amazing. You’ll also note that one of the cars for sale, a 1932 Cadillac V12 Victoria Convertible, is one of one. The remaining three Victoria-bodied cars were V16s, making this example with four fewer cylinders a rare beast indeed. The other vehicles – the Milburn, REO and Kozy Koach – are all respectable in their own rights but almost get lost in the shadows of these striking Caddys.
These cars will undoubtedly fetch good money, with the Victoria projected to bring upwards of $350,000. While the price of entry may be steep, the chances of discovering a find like this grow less and less with each passing year, so good luck finding another batch of vintage Cadillacs as original as these any time soon. Tell us, which one would you buy and why? Let us know in the comments below.
Hello Mr Leno? I think I have some iron you may want to see.
What’s the restored Morris Minor doing in there with all the behemoths?
and it is not dirty like most of the other vehicles.
I spied a Camaro from the early 70’s behind a car as well…
Oh my.
What a stash!
Some classic, beautiful cars. How magnificent when new, hopefully to be returned to that glory!
Watch the video in HD @ full screen. Gee.
call me jaded but i was struck by the rarity and exclusivity of the cars and the fact that the narrator was dressed in a t-shirt. perhaps i should say nothing but the dichotomy was too great to leave unmentioned.
GLWSs.
I had the same thought. Not that there is anything wrong with a t-shirt, but he is trying to sell cars to people with gazillions of bucks. It will definitely be a high end auction, he could have dressed up a little bit.
I’m with you guys up to a point…
What seems likely is that none of that makes any real difference when the hammer drops. As long as word gets around (try containing something like this these days), they will bring the best buyers out, and get top dollar for the condition of the cars.
That of course does not mean that the cars will not undergo some kind of reconditioning, whether left “en patina” and runnable, or partially, or even completely restored. Then they will likely be recycled through one of the high-line outlets, with profit as a motive from start to finish.
These are not Duesenbergs, but still uncommon enough to be exciting. The Victoria convertible, being #1 of four built, and the only one with a V-12? $$$, and I’ll bet it gets a complete 100% concours-level restoration.
Glad to see you printed this awesome find I spotted yesterday, as these types of finds are getting rarer by the year. Now me, IF I had the $’s, I’d take that ’33 V12 Town Coupe, it’d look sweet next to my ’40 Ford Pick-up, as my ol’ girl hasn’t hit the road since ’63 as well. Just give it a good scrub, pull a few dents, ‘n leave its patina that has aged gracefully alone, ‘n re-install its bumpers, mascot, hubcaps, etc, like what showed in the old 1960’s black-n-white photo, ‘n then drive the hell out of it, as they’re only original once. Now as far as the Commentator’s dress, hey, he’s a laid back Texan, even Leno in SoCal, ’round his cars, is most always in Levi’s.. ’nuff said.
What about this for a ‘barn’ find
http://www.estatesales.net/estate-sales/CA/Torrance/90505/872457
Wow Victor! You gotta email finds like that to us so we can feature them. Nice find!
Hokey Smokes, Bullwinkle!
For flying buffs, that has to be near the holy grail of aircraft finds. Wow.
Commenters here have opined regarding the costs to refurbish some of the land-based machines, and how big of a stash would be made smaller during the process.
Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what kind of bank it would take to make this Mustang airworthy, or go further and do a complete restoration? Only the 1% need apply, that’s for sure. A $25K deposit, just to bid. Gotta keep out the poseurs.
Wow, I’ve owned SEVERAL ‘multi-cylinder’ Cadillacs and never knew they were rare!
If you were to give me one of those cars, I’d love the REO. There’s an annual run that’s open only to cars 1908 and earlier and I’d love to participate! ^_^
i could have done without the music. all this should be at a highline auction. seller has a RR sign but no RR cars. i hope the sale does well for the owner. great find