All of us love a good barnfind. I’ve written a book about the subject, here…
And it’s amazing to me how many of them I spot in driveways, hiding in mostly plain sight.
And of course being the car fool that I am, I photograph them if I can do so without the risk of being shot. Thought you might enjoy this combination of potentially cool cars, and junk lawn sculpture.
The mid 70s Maverick at left is probably worth about $1.50 in scrap metal. Probably a six cylinder, maybe a V-8 but a four door with vinyl top and not a Grabber or GT or any such thing gives it virtually zero collector car interest. Now next to it under cover appears to be a ’69 Mustang. Could be bread and butter or could be a Mach or a Boss. No matter, there’s potential here and I’d like to know more. From there it gets murkier, with a mystery car in the middle under the cover. Far to right looks like a second gen Ford Fiesta or Festiva or some such (or is it an old Civic wagon?), again not likely to ring any collector bells.
Then there’s the early 80s Continental. A Pantera owner friend of mine, Ted, had one of these as his every day car, and with its genuine wood trim and fuel injected 302, he felt it was truly the best car in the world. “Better than a Rolls-Royce” he told me, in terms of its build quality, engineering, and technical innovations. Not sure I want to carry that debate any further, but he being an automotive engineer, racer, and serious car guy, his comment at least earned some weight.
No matter, this humble driveway junkyard lives in Culver City, California, and next time I’m out there I’ll knock on the door, ask nice, and hope I can peek under a few covers. Let you know what I find, or don’t.