The Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) is a rather small event compared to the annual auto shows in Detroit or Los Angeles, but it's a great meeting to attend if you're into classic muscle cars. And here's the cool thing: MCACN also has a special Barn Find and Hidden Gem display for unrestored cars.
But it's not for just any barn-found classic out there. This display is usually packed with rare and sometimes unique muscle cars that have been discovered in barns or junkyards. This year's edition is no exception and the display includes unrestored survivors that you might not see anywhere else.
And thanks to YouTube's "Auto Archaeology," we can take a virtual tour of that section and meet some of the rarest muscle cars ever built.
Appropriately enough, the showcase starts with a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona. And it's one of the rare ones fitted with a 426-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) Hemi engine from the factory. Only 70 of the 503 cars built left the factory with the iconic racing mill under the hood.
Next up, there's an Oldsmobile 442 W30 drop-top. Granted, it's not the rarest Olds out there, but check out the cool color combo. Not only does it come with a white top to match the body, but it sports rare orange accents. The car is set to be restored, but it's already in fantastic condition.
Of course, no muscle car display is complete without the meanest Chevrolet built in 1970: the Chevelle SS 454 LS6. The car is still waiting for full assembly, but it doesn't look bad at all. At least when compared to other Chevelle barn finds.
But by far the most interesting car on display here is the 1965 Chevelle Z16 next to the LS6. If you're not familiar with this model, it came out with the 396-cubic-inch (6.5-liter) big-block V8, and only 201 were built. The strange thing is this specific Z16 is a car that no one knew about. It just came out of the blue after being found in a junkyard.
The 1969 Impala next to it didn't spend time at the graveyard, but it's been off the road for a long time due to a crash. Don't let the four-door layout fool you, this Chevy packs a 427 V8 with 425 horsepower under the hood.
The display continues with a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, a 1960 Ford Starliner fitted with the rate 385-cubic-inch (6.3-liter) V8, and a couple of Plymouth GTXs. But there's also a supercharged, Studebaker Super Lark and, perhaps more appealing to GM gearheads, an authentic 1969 Yenko Camaro.
Finally, the tour ends with a very special Ford Ranchero GT. There's not a lot of info on this car, but it appears it's the only known Ranchero racer out there. Making things that much more interesting, it was built by legendary NASCAR and Baja ace Bill Stroppe.
The owner is looking for more info on this truck, so make sure you drop a line if you know more about it.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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