Big Barn Is Home to a Bunch of Rare Classics, Some Haven't Been Driven for Decades

I guess you're wondering why I'm getting all hyped up about a Meteor. Why not a Cougar or a Turnpike Cruiser, right? Well, as much as I love the latter, I have a thing for American classics that don't get as much attention as they deserve.

I'm that weirdo that's into anything with Kaiser, Hudson, and Studebaker badges. But hey, now that Mercury has been extinct for more than a decade, the Meteor is on my list of unremarkable classics you should know about.

Because the Meteor was an important car for Mercury. It was Ford's first step to making Mercury more cost-effective within the company. Based on the Galaxie, it was slotted under the Monterey as Mercury's entry-level model. And it even got a Colony Park trim with fake woodgrain on the side panels.

Surprisingly enough, the Meteor outsold the Monterey in 1961, but Mercury decided to keep the latter as the main full-size car (due to better consumer recognition) and assigned the nameplate to a new line of midsize vehicles based on the Fairlane.

With this new platform, the Meteor slotted between the Monterey and the Falcon-based Comet. Disappointing sales prompted Mercury to discontinue the Meteor at the end of the 1963 model year.

Come 2022 and you won't see many of them in one piece. It doesn't come as a surprise since they're far from desirable, but some owners opted to hang on to them for decades. The green one you're about to see below is one of the lucky ones.

Stashed in a barn for decades, the Meteor came out of long-term storage after its owner passed away. It's still in decent shape and it still has the original Windsor V8 under the hood.

But this barn find isn't just about a mundane Meteor. The same guy owned an early 1950s Dodge woodie wagon. It hasn't been driven since 1961 (that's a whopping 62 years!) and it turns out it's a rare truck with custom bodywork.

And if you're a fan of Studebakers, you'll also see a 1947 Commander. Yet another American classic you won't see in the metal today. Granted, it needs thorough restoration to become road-worthy, but at least it's not rotting away in a junkyard.

Finally, a separate barn hides what appears to be a Chevrolet Deluxe. It's part of the series that got the first restyling after World War 2. It debuted in 1949 and remained on the assembly line until 1952. The prettiest Chevy until the Tri-Five arrived in 1955 if you ask me.

Check out all these cool classics in the video below.