There are some finds that seemingly defy explanation. The types of discoveries where you shake your head and ask how this scenario can even unfold. That’s essentially what was going through my mind as I digested this incredible YouTube video showing a few guys walking into an abandoned Georgia home that is littered with high-performance Ford Mustang Shelby parts, not to mention a genuine GT350 in the garage. The video shows the living spaces, the attic, and the garages littered with parts, almost all of them desirable, along with the other detritus that comes with the territory of being a Mustang fan, including books and brochures. Check out the full video here on YouTube.
As you watch the video, you’ll see the absolutely bonkers way the narrator finds rare parts ranging from high-performance heads to intakes to carburetors to wheels, almost all of them stamped with the Shelby logo. The house doesn’t appear to have been ransacked, because if it had, these pieces would definitely be long gone, along with the cars. But it’s so challenging to otherwise explain how someone who clearly loved Mustangs and knew what the good stuff was could just leave it strewn about on the floors and exposed to the elements, even if they left in a hurry. These are the kinds of rare parts you sock away in a safe place until you need them or otherwise hide from public view – they’re not just tossed on the attic floor.
So what happened here? Is this simply a case of someone passing away having no heirs to leave this incredible collection to? Or was it stranger than that, with its rightful owner just walking away and locking the door behind them, never to return? As you’ll see, there’s more than just the Shelby in the garage with a tired Fox-body convertible parked next to it; there’s also this fastback with a 289 parked in what seems like a lower level that’s been converted into a garage. Strangely, you can see the cars from almost anywhere in the house, as if the owner carved up the property to ensure his Mustang collection was never out of view. But why, again, was the home left so completely trashed with nothing of value taken? So many questions!
And on top of all of that, there were other desirable vehicles on the property, seemingly left to decay in plain view of the public at large. A Buick Grand National sat in the driveway, along with a real-deal four-door cab Ford F-Series pickup, a desirable truck these days in its own right. You start to wonder if someone elderly did live out their days here, hence why the neighbors and delivery couriers left him or her alone, letting their property fall into disrepair and the cars sink into the ground, out of respect for their privacy. Whatever the story is, the narrator smartly grabbed up everything of value on the property, and I expect we’ll see this numbers-matching Shelby cross the auction block at a later date. What do you suppose happened here?
I could feel my breathing starting to constrict just taking the virtual tour of the house. Amazing how everything is frozen in time. Probably an eccentric type who loved his collection so much he never had time or room in his heart for a family, hence no one to pass the cars off to. How about the Grand National left outside. I’d love a whole story on this situation.
Man what a find! Pretty strange with the trash all over. Cool lake house at one time. The owner had taste for sure. I bet the boat under the tarp is sweet as well. Thanks for posting.
I think Bakyrdhero is probably real close in his assessment. I watched that youtube video and the people that ended up with everything were careful not to share much information. I would like to know as the late Paul Harvey used to say the “Rest of the Story” so maybe one day the new owners offer some more details.
The Grand National real blows me away. Not that The Shelby or even the K code aren’t more precious or desirable, but the fact that a car that most any collector would like to have and could easily be worth $30k to $50k and it’s just left out in the elements. To me it just speaks of an owner that died or had to leave his home suddenly and had nobody to sort out his affairs.
Wow! I was a good 11 minutes into the vid when I realized I needed to shut my jaw. Incredible, and probably the coolest Shelby find I’ve seen in several years. We won’t forget his one.
Watched the Video about a week ago on Facebook. Watch it again and you can see the TAG on the car being in COBB COUNTY Ga. You can also read the numbers….. You’ll have to do your own research. JS
This should be a wakeup to some. You can’t hold onto everything and keep a secret forever. Life happens and when you least expect it so does death.
Take a good look. Would you like some idiots come and rummage through your place and make a video for the world to see? Sure the original owner doesn’t have a clue or does he? I don’t want to know. What I do know is I am handling my business now.
Well said!
Very true, and I would rather choose who becomes the next care taker of my cool stuff, rather than strangers / thieves / and auction companies.
Then again the level of care these cars has received is very questionable…
He should’ve had his will last will and testament state
Bury me in the GT 350 to try to take it with him.😉
He passed away and was known by a few in the Shelby American Auto club having owned the car for a long time. I’m sure someone rummaged through his home Let him RIP
With no paperwork for these cars, like titles, purchase receipt or registration how can someone take anything from the property without the owners permission? It seems very odd to me. It anyone has thoughts I’d love to read them.
I thought the same thing. Even if the owner died and had no heirs, how can somebody just walk on their property like they own it and take their stuff if it doesn’t belong to them?? I don’t get it, it looks like theft to me.
Not once did I think someone filmed a breaking and entering, and filmed themselves stealing the cars from the property and posted to YouTube. It’s stated in the video that he worked on the deal for months. I assume this to be a legit transaction and the process was filmed for people like us view. I don’t see the problem.
Don’t you think it looks like a robery?
Watch the video again, read through the comments which the new owner of the cars and parts, answers to some of the questions. Plus he will be doing a follow up video on how it all came to be with a back story on the whole mess.
No.
Oh how quickly life can become such a messy affair and then we die and it becomes even more of a mess.
Great find for certain. It took him a few years to secure this find from what ‘he’ said….It certainly was an exciting video but it’s always sad watching these after death discoveries….The old saying always crosses my mind while watching these types of finds : ”We can’t take it with us”
I’m correcting myself: ‘He’ said he worked on this deal for a few months…Not years…
You never know, perhaps the rightful owner has been rushed away to Jail to and expects to have these when he gets out.
Located in Georgia
To those who are wondering who, where and what happened to the owner of these cars and the property.
Just watching the You Tube in Barn Find, I remembered about 5/6 years ago I read an article about a Mustang collector and his wife went missing in Marietta Ga. I think “Maybe” attached article concludes our curiosity?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bud-and-june-runion-georgia-couple-shot-in-head-suspect-charged-with-murder-cops-say/
Very Sad
This video popped up in my recommended a couple of weeks ago. If you read through the comments, I believe the guy does state that a forthcoming video will go more in depth into the situation. Very bizarre indeed. Many in the comments speculate drugs playing some sort of a role and that could very well be.
On a side note, there’s a tiny one road “town” in southern western NY, population of probably less than 100. At the far end there were about 5 newer homes built in the woods, all since abandoned with a lot of personal possessions still inside. The houses were trashed inside worse than this one and also completely open to the elements. Evidence of bears having been inside and other wildlife. It was bizarre and eerie. Apocalyptic like. Unfortunately no rare, valuable cars or parts. But, shows that weird stuff happens. They’ve since been torn down. I don’t understand how this house got in this condition. If people had broken in, they would have stolen the parts.
We’ll have to stay tuned to this guy’s channel and hopefully he sheds some more light on the situation. Interesting that he secured the deal and it didn’t end up with a heavier hitter so to speak.
A friend mentioned the phrase “death purge.” At the time it gave me pause. After an explanation he told me it was becoming a thing. As you reach your final years (in our distant future, God willing.) Sell, donate, gift, all the stuff we have accumulated. Easier on our heirs, and piece of mind for us. Sounds like he may be on to something.
Most of these comments seem to have eluded to conspiracy minded. Please watch the original YouTube video it tells all you need to know. This guy passed in 2020, someone found out about the car. Just like millions of other people the heirs sold to probably the first offer.
BTW the owner was known in the SAAC years back. Looks like he enjoyed the car as long as he could. Ageism took over.
Agree Tom…..someone was watching and getting the money together to buy the whole estate – land and all. All though this was known deal per the registry – there have been some pass thru the state when no one is found – and the lock stock and barrel is sold to the highest bidder by the state. Keep your eyes open !
How about the bikes & truck? What’s up with them?
Great story Jeff!
WOW WOW?? What a find, stuff is still out. I hope all goes well for the FINDER of these rare cars. Sad to find out what happen to the original owner. I too up in age, and had several collector cars, realized time to let go. Just sold my last car I had 47 years. Sick wife, no kids, no one to leave too. We all have to understand we are only caretakers for a short time. Let it be a lesson for all
So if you have ever had your house broken into and tossed you will know that thieves want small portable items. Guns, TV’s, Guitars, Amps, XBOX, Playstation, Jewelry, and money. They are in and out in 15 to 20 minutes. They are usually young. Young people only know that you have an Old School ride. If the key is not in it and ready to run they are not going to bother with it. They don’t understand the rarity of what we old gear heads know for a fact. Also hurricaines travel through the area this property sits in. If the owners had passed. No one would cleaned up storm damage.
There is a house in my neighborhood that has two vehicles parked in the driveway. Neither has moved in 10 years. The owner is at a long term VA hospital and will never leave. Once he passes away, the VA will lay claim to the property and they will auction it off. My point is there is always a reason for stuff like this to happen. If I die tomorrow, your gonna find 57 chevy parts, Volvo 122s parts, 66 mustang parts, Jeep parts, tools etc. Would the person standing in my garage even know what they are looking at? Or will it be sold for scrap metal?
Hey, thats my uncle’s property. Bring all my stuff back.LOL. Don’t I wish. Great find.
As one who was known thru the DC and Baltimore area legal guys, I was a go-to person whenever vintage, unusual, or exotic cars & antiques were involved, be it an estate, financial dispute, bankruptcy, or tax matter, and I’ve seen way too many places like this.
Many estates are tied up for year after year because of a poorly worded will or multiple opposing claimants are involved, and these cases can drag on for years. Plus, because none of the heirs want to risk putting their own $ into maintaining the property, it rots.
Believe it or not, most of what you see in the way of trashed items and downed ceilings may well have been caused by raccoons. They are known for really trashing houses, and they poop everywhere, especially in the attic, and their poop will build up until the drywall nails can’t hold the ceiling in place and it collapses, with dried poop going everywhere. Every time I had to go into a house in this condition, I wore a Tyvek suit, latex gloves, and breathing equipment.
I also think a couple of young kids broke in, as mentioned above, looking for stuff that’s easy to sell for quick cash, and they ignore stuff of real value.
I remember consulting about a case 40 years ago in west Missouri, where the guy died without a will and the state quickly claimed everything. The state employed an “expert” who went into the condemned house, looked around and “recovered” all the silver & gold items, then they bulldozed the house down, along with over 100,000 rare and valuable 78rpm records, and what was estimated later to be $150,000 in wall art & sculpture going back 200 – 300 years in age. [It was the extreme weight of all the records that caused the house to be condemned!]
Thanks for taking the time to write this. Beyond sad. On the surface, this a fascinating story about a Shelby, but more importantly, it’s turning into a lesson for most of us.
Everyone be well and have your vehicular fun while you can.
I have decided that when the end is near, I will give my AMCs away to some younger AMO folks rather than see my kids call a junkyard to get them. Same with my rare long wheelbase Crown Victorias. No point saving them if the next generation doesn’t appreciate them.