Well guys, another year has passed and we are about to start a new one. I usually look forward to the start of another year, but 2014 was filled with so many great finds that I’m actually kind of dreading saying good bye. Since time will roll on whether we do or not, I decided rather than spending the day worrying about things like resolutions I’ll never complete or parties I’d rather not be at, it would be so much more fun to take a look at some of my favorite finds from the past year. Since we all have different tastes I’d love to hear what your favorite finds from 2014 were too, so please share in the comments below!
There were just so many great discoveries made in 2014 that picking only a small handful of favorites is a real challenge. We had some amazing sightings, plenty of ultra-rare exotics, and we even saw some great cars parked in your garages and barns. I decided the best way to do this would be to feature just a couple of my absolute favorites and then put the all the runners up in a photo gallery for you to enjoy! If I didn’t list your favorite find, be sure to post a link or a photo of it, as I’m sure it deserves to be in the list and I probably just missed it (there are just so many great ones I’m having a hard time deciding which ones to include!)
Some of these are favorites because of what they are and others simply because of how great the photos look and a few earned marks for both! The first I have to feature is a favorite because of what it is. You can’t get much more rare or desirable than this Ford GT40 Garage Find. It caused quite a stir in the Ford community and was highly debated, but I’ll let you read more about that on the original post.
There were lots of large collections discovered this year and I’d love to feature all of them, but it would take up the entire story to do so. Instead I’ll just list my top picks. The contenders for best Collections and Salvage yards include: the Manitoba Salvage Yard, the North Carolina Find, the Roswell Salvage Yard, Lost Exotics in Bolivia, the Idaho Stash, the Russian Field of Dreams, the Belgian Alfa Romeo Collection, the Corvette Graveyard, and the Peter Max Corvettes. The North Caroline find is certainly the most impressive from a size standpoint, but the Russian Field of Dreams is loaded with interesting oddballs and few collections are as beautifully photographed as the Alfa Romeos in Belgium! While all the collections were interesting in their own way, the winner has to be the Baillon Collection! If not because of the amazing photographs, than because of the incredible number of ultra-rare classics it contained.
Speaking of rare cars, there were lots of those pulled out of barns this year. Cars that we were sure there weren’t any left, including a very desirable Ferrari and several Shelbys. Of course the most wildly debated car of the year has to be this AC Cobra. Its authenticity has come under scrutiny, but all the interest got the owner to pull it out of the barn and work on it. Since our initial story, they have repainted the car and last we heard they were still in the processes of rebuilding the engine.
We also saw some great oddballs this year, including several unidentified finds. I’m a huge fan of oddities and some of you sent in cars I had never even heard of. One stands out as a personal favorite and that’s the Gilbern Invader Estate. It isn’t the oddest machine we saw this year, but it strikes the perfect balance between rarity, functionality, and uniqueness to win my heart over. The only oddity that I found more interesting to see and read about has to be the 1954 Scenicruiser that Sid tipped us off to. Having seen and photographed it in person, I have to say it was one of the more fascinating pieces of equipment I have ever seen.
Now this one might not be your favorite, but our little ’65 Mustang Coupe earned a special place in my heart and made this year one of the greatest years of my life. We bought her on the cheap, got her running great, polished and cleaned her, and then drove all the way to Portland and back for the North West Classic Rally. I tend to not get real personal, but I have to admit that this car got me through one of the hardest chapters of my life and while it was a lot of work to get her ready for the rally, the memories Jesse and I made in this Mustang will stay with me for the rest of my life!
This year was an incredible one, we watched some amazing barn finds get unearthed and we had lots of amazing new people join this community! We also had two new writers join the team and they have already brought so much new knowledge and experience to the party. I can’t wait to see what 2015 holds for Barn Finds and for all of you! We’ve said it here before, but I’ll say it again, if it weren’t for all of you guys this site would just be another boring car blog. All of your great insights, experiences, and stories are what makes it such an enjoyable place to visit! I’m proud to consider myself a small part of this community and I want to express my appreciation for all of you that send in finds, share your garages, leave comments, or are just here to read a good story! So I say farewell to 2014 and welcome 2015 and all the finds and new friends that it will surely bring! From everyone here at BarnFinds.com, may you have a Happy New Year! We look forward to seeing and hearing from all of you in 2015.
Thanks for the look back at an incredible year!
Wish there was some 1966 Ford Fairlanes you Barn Finders could come up with. I love these cars and would love to find another one to buy. Thanks and looking forward to you guys in 2015. Robert Watson
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/cto/4799917013.html
Best one I could find on short notice :-)
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/4826898383.html
More barnfindy
Always look forward to new finds. Really enjoyed the Scenic Cruiser. Would like to see a ’53 vette peeking out from some dark recess, long forgotten, in a pristine condition. Just sayin
This is one of the few websites I visit every day—the most entries, most varied entries, and most interesting comments.
Thanks Jesse & Josh for what you created and what you do every day.
Thanks for a great year, guys. Let us not forget about the Lambrecht Chevrolet auction. I think that’s what got me started on your website. I read a story on Yahoo about the auction, and there was a link to your site…and the rest is history, as they say. Keep up the great work!
Happy New Year too!
Thanks for a year of great Barn Find posts fellows. You make my inbox so much more entertaining. Here’s to more in 2015.
Thanks for the year guys. Amongst the many great finds my favourite came very early in the year; the 61 Cadillac styling prototype bought off CL for the price of a production car.
I missed it, do you have the link ?
thanks
I think this is the one Don is thinking of: http://barnfinds.com/one-1961-cadillac-eldorado-convertible/
By the way Don, that was a great story and I had completely forgotten about it, so thanks for bringing it up. It’s a strange thing, writing so many stories and posts over the years. Every once in a while I will look back at some of the ones I’ve written (or someone will bring up an old story) and it will bring back a flood of memories starting with the initial excitement of opening the email to writing the post all the way to reading all the comments. I guess in someways, it’s the same kind of excitement we all feel when we discover a great find. Thanks for reminding me of that Eldorado Convertible, it was a good reminder of why I love this hobby so much!
on top of everything else this was a great year for BF project cars. i wonder what 2015 holds for all of us? still having fun and hope you are too. thanks
and the 1990 miata is now 25 years old and can run on antique tags!
Thanks for an amazing year of great finds! Sad to see this year end, but excited to see the new finds you discover this 2015.
Keep up the great work. I love all your finds. Hope you had a great new year and I’m looking forward to see what you find next.
Many of your stories were wonderful and your writers do a great job but you seem to have a bent for the foreign cars. This is America.! We live in America.! 99 out of 100 of the foreign cars you write about i have never seen or heard of so i just pass on those stories and they look like a bunch of junk that no one in America would even bother with, let alone find the necessary parts for. We need balance for your web page to be truly great. At least 51% of your stories should be American made cars. As it seems to be now, over 80% of your stories are about foreign exotics that appear to be total basket cases. I’d like to suggest that you seek more balance towards American made cars whatever they might be and whatever years they were produced. I am one of those old tigers, almost 60 years old, who would never, ever buy a foreign car for any reason. I only buy American made cars because they are truly the best, easy to work on and easier to find parts for in my opinion. I’m only suggesting that you shoot for a better balance in your offerings and I will be more likely to send a donation of funds to you for your work. Thanks for you enthusiasm and excellent story telling ability.. You do a good job in that..
You know Stanley…..if you’ve never heard of the cars maybe it’s a good thing they post them here. Not many I don’t know of but I’m always happy to see them. I’m about your age and I can truly say that I like both American and ‘furrin” cars. Though I can do without Pintos, Vegas and anything from the mid seventies forward. See……….I have my own complaint!
Its not so much the car itself but the fact that its been found and that some folks think their junk is gold, But then thats a function of the passage of time.
And since I don’t do all the work involved in producing a site like this, I’m happy with whatever they serve up.
Jess sayin! Happy American New Year!
I kindly beg to differ.
I am one of those guys that prefer foreign cars.
Built for narrow windy roads to go fast on.
While there were some great American cars the whole industry only lived off the special status that country had in the fifties and sixties and the cars only sold because of that.
The industry has been on decline ever since and is currently just trying to catch up….
It’s probably a good thing, or they would have kept making the junk they put out in the 70ies and on…
Sorry, just my opinion.
This site is great just the way it is.
Happy New Year
Thank you guys i love your site, I visit it everyday and since i live far in Dubai i can’t do much more than dreaming and searching for finds here in Dubai . Every find you post gives me that extra energy to keep on searching. Three days ago i met this beautiful find original cabriolet which i am working to buy. Looks like car hunting soon will change to parts hunting. All the cars posted are fantastic but this is my real find of 2014. Wish me luck and thanks
Whether we all agree on certain cars or not, we cannot dismiss our desire for the darn things, I’ve tried to kick the habit……….sport cars seem to be my black tar heroin, to include the search for a Lotus Cortina Mk 1 and a ’64/’65 Falcon Sprint 4 speed at a reasonable price………..is there such a thing?
’14 was a good year as I obtained one barn and one garage find Lotus Elan.
The car gawds were certainly looking out for me, or the Elans, depends on ones perspective. Yes……..they are still out there just waiting to be found.
Thank you Josh and Jamie for your efforts.
Two thumbs up on the site, AND the selection of finds. Keep up the good work fellas.
I know it’s time consuming to post daily between work, family, etc. BF is one of the only emails I look forward to each day! Keep up the great work!!
A happy & prosperous 2015 to you guys and all the people who find barns, sheds & yards stuffed with treasures and sometimes absolute gems.
I don’t always like all the cars displayed but it is always interesting to read the comments.
My favourite, being a little off the wall, was the DIVCO van. I was all set to buy it when the wife decided she needed another pair of shoes!
Andrew in windy but mild London (England) area!
Thanks for the wonderful images. Now is the time of the year when new calendars are needed. When can I order, you have so many great images.
I am starting on my own garage find (1976 Lancia Scorpion) but that wouldn’t fill a month.
Thanks for all your efforts! My favorite site by a long ways! Great crowd of commenters, too. Let’s all have a really great new year!
My favorite find was a driveway find, and I was the first person to buy the 1980 Triumph TR8 that had been languishing since 2005, and is now languishing in my back yard waiting resurrection. Another great find was when I noticed that you can search a range of years and price on Craigslist, so many hours are frittered away in different cities, seeing what’s there for under $5,000 and between 1925 and 1977. Just ran across a 1968 Firebird basket case, which is actually a 1969, with 400 ci engine, pretty complete for $700, I’m thinking it’s gone as phone call wasn’t returned, and 25 day old ad.
Love your site, and one of the emails I look forward to opening every day! Thanks for all your hard work and efforts!
Still sort of wet behind the ears here but I have to say I really enjoy your site each and every day. I look forward to reading about all the great finds and I also am learning so much from other gearheads. Looking forward to all the interesting finds and feedback in 2015!
Happy New Year!!
Hey Guys,thanks for all the hard work you do in keeping this site running and most of all interesting. And boy is it interesting.
I appreciate it.
Happy New Year and thanks for what you do. Your website is certainly one of my favorites. Have a prosperous new year! By the way, the Shelby GT 350 in image 31 appears to be a 66 judging by the hood scoop, quarter windows and the grille surround.
I agree it’s been a great year for the website with many memorable stories. Unlike many sites where the comments are cringeworthy, Barn Finds posters are often informed, thoughtful and funny.
I am into American and foreign cars ,Always have been since I was a kid. When I was a kid a neighbor,Mr Baker, had an electric car ,A Baker Electric,his father produced. When I was a little older a guy I knew had a Doble. My parents had American cars,but also foreign ones as well. I have had hundreds and hundreds of cars and trucks from 2 cylinders to big block Diesels. Mass produced to one offs. some I hated some I loved. My favorites are American,German,Italian,Japanese.My intrests are Military trucks from any country,Borgwards,Glas’,Lancias,Mercedes,LLoyds,Goliaths,Studebakers,Toyotas,Lotus Cortinas,but have had all sorts…Volvos,Subarus,Saabs,Peugeots,GM’s,Chryslers,Kaisers,Porsches,VW’s,Fiats,Willys,Mazadas,Moris Minor woody,Opels,I shy away from British cars,Fords. Bring ’em on
I really saw some weird cars that I’d never heard of and some of the year’s comments were beyond funny. But my favorite topic was the white Mustang, bullet hole and all. I hope the new owner is having as much fun with it as you did on the Rallye. Great story.
Josh, Jesse and others…….thank you for giving us these very interesting columns. Has to be lots of work, but it’s always fun to see what is out there, hidden behind those old barn doors. All the best for ’15.
Barry Thomas’ “Wheel to Wheel” blog
Jesse and Josh, trying to find interesting finds is a daunting task and I commend you on producing a great site. You seem to cover all the bases really well and while I’m more into American iron, I also realize that there are those who are into the import stuff, which is just fine. Hope you have a great 2015 and look forward to your posts in the future.
Thanks for a great year! I’ve become a daily reader of the site. As a car nut, with interest in most anything on wheels, I’ve seen some really interesting things here. Oddballs, microcars, trucks, buses,…but the best thing is the input from readers. Real info. Good links. Good fun. Keep it up!
I think my favorite of 2014 had to be the oddball 1961 Mercedes 220 on a 1978 Chevy Blazer 4×4 chassis. I guess I’m a little biased because, thanks to this site, the car ended up here in my possession. When I saw it, I knew I had to have it. Bizarre?….Yes. Cute?…Kind of. Needed to be in my driveway?…..Oh, yea!