It’s not every day you hear about a village becoming the new owner of some barn find cars, but that’s exactly what’s going on with the village of Durand in Illinois. The village purchased a barn which hasn’t been touched in several decades. While there were rumors about what might be inside, everyone was amazed to get a glimpse of the contents.
See what a $1 million barn find car looks like here.
Buried in the rubble of wooden crates and other vintage items were 3 classic cars, all in original condition. There’s a Ford Thunderbird, Fairlane 500, and a Ford Courier ambulance with the gumball light still attached to the roof. All are from the 1959 model year. Apparently, the former owner of the barn was a collector, but people weren’t sure if the man had left anything of value behind.
Video taken by local journalists show the interiors, like the exteriors, of these classic Fords are original. That’s quite the find and this highlights why people go crazy over barn finds. While one of the village officials seems to think the cars might not be worth as much since they aren’t running, she hopefully understands the originality of these machines is a key factor in their market value.
Thankfully, a classic car expert from Chicago has been assisting with evaluating and appraising each car. No doubt, each one will need a fair amount of mechanical restoration before they run well, but finding a factory-original interior for a 1959 of any make and model becomes increasingly difficult with each passing year.
The 3 classic Fords are for sale and officials say offers have been pouring in. One interested party contacted the non-profit organization coordinating the sale all the way from New Zealand, showing that people around the world are very much interested in classic American cars.
Source: 23 WIFR