The rush of opening an old barn and finding a priceless piece of automotive history is every car guy’s dream. Well reader John shared this amazing barn find that a close friend of his discovered a few years ago. His friend Jeff C and his wife got to experience that rush when they opened the doors of this barn in Washington State and the tail of something very special was revealed.
Jeff and his wife are Chrysler enthusiasts and are always on the hunt for early Chryslers to restore. One day they got a lead about a farm in Washington that had several Chrysler 300s parked on it. He and his wife followed the lead and ended up finding more than just a couple of old Chryslers.
As they were inspecting the farm owner’s 300s they were asked if they would like to have a look in the owner’s barn. They said they would, so the owner’s wife unlocked the barn and as the doors slid open they got their first glimpse of this 1949 Delahaye 135M. It was in impeccable condition, as it had been parked since the late ’60s and only had 61,000 original miles on it.
Jeff and his wife made a deal with the owner to buy five of the Chryslers, but the Delahaye stayed in the barn for the time being. This last spring the couple received a phone call from the owners asking if they would be interested in buying the Delahaye. Having researched the car they knew the significance of it and they knew they couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
The history of this car just adds more to its already great character. It was sold new in Morocco, but in 1957 an Air Force pilot traded his car for the Delahaye and drove it in Morocco until he returned home. He then had the car shipped over and it still wears its original Moroccan license plate. When it was back into the States it made its way from New Orleans all the way to California, then up to Spokane where it has been in storage ever since.
This car is in incredible original condition so the couple decided it should be in the hands of a Delahaye enthusiast. So they contacted Worldwide Auctioneers in Auburn Indiana. The auction house has estimated the value of the car to be between $175,000 and $225,000, but it will be offered with NO RESERVE on Labor Day weekend. We are glad to see this car being given a second chance at life and hope the new owner will preserve it for future generations. Our special thanks to John for sharing his friends amazing find and best luck to Jeff and his wife.
Wow, and look at all the other finds!
Looks like some long lost airplanes in that barn too!
Holy ravioli, that’s one fine automobile! Owner was smart to go to Auburn, they have prequalified high-rollers in abundance, and frankly cars are better investments than treasury bills in today’s turbulent financial world…..
Thanks a TON for publishing. This is very exciting. For anyone with questions, you can find out more by clicking on either of these links. Many thanks. http://www.oldcarsweekly.com/article/Dusty-Delahaye-a-barn-find-dream/ and http://www.wwgauctions.com
So is the barn owner the pilot? I would love to know what kind of deal the couple made with the barn owners. But we get the impression the couple will get a couple hundred benjies. wow!
To be sold at the Worldwide Auctioneers Auburn Auction on September 2-4, 2011 – and get this – NO RESERVE! A once in a lifetime opportunity – untouched with fantastic documentation
BarnE, I don’t know if he was a pilot or not but he clearly liked collecting old planes. Sharp eyes by another reader caught the old air frame in the background of one of the images. I understand there to be several airplanes (all vintage) in various condition in the collection. Love this stuff!