MCACN 2023: Barn Find Display Tour Shows Unrestored and Super Rare Muscle Cars

If you missed this year's event, this virtual walkaround by YouTube's "Backyard Barn Finds" provides an extensive look at the said section. And my oh my, was this year's edition loaded with historically significant and never-before-displayed vehicles. You're about to see some of America's greatest muscle car barn finds gathered under the same roof.

The footage starts with a one-of-one gem in the form of a 1971 Ford Mustang Boss 302. Yup, that is not a typo. The 351 was the only Boss in showrooms in 1971, with both the 429 and 302 versions discontinued after 1970. But it turns out Ford built one Boss 302 right before the more familiar Boss 351 entered production.

This rare pony was parked alongside the Oldsmobile 442 built for the 1968 Chicago Auto Show. It may look like a regular 442 at first glance, but it's dressed in a unique orange paint that turns yellow and then white toward the rear. The yellow interior is also unique to this concept car.

If you're a Camaro guy, you'll see a very special 1968 Z/28. It may look a bit dull in black next to the orange 442, but this fabulous survivor shows only 2,300 original miles (3,701 km) on the odo. Not only a garage queen, but it's also the lowest-mileage Z/28 known to exist - a car we'll never see on the road.

Moving onto ponies of the Mopar variety, the display includes an unrestored 1970 Plymouth 'Cuda in Lemon Twist. But there's more to this muscle car than a never-repainted status. It's actually the very first 440-cubic-inch (7.2-liter) Six-Pack 'Cuda built at Chrysler's Maywood plant in Los Angeles.

An unrestored 1969 AMC SC/Rambler also gets much time on camera. One of only 297 cars finished in the more restrained "B scheme," this pony was given an "A scheme" refinish in its early days and spent a lot of time at the drag strip. And even though it looks like it just came out of a barn, it runs and drives thanks to what appears to be a rebuilt engine.

The 1971 Boss 302 you'll see at the beginning is not the only unique Mustang at MCACN 2023. The display also includes a somewhat mysterious 1969 Shelby GT500. And I say "mysterious" because Shelby experts have yet to discover whether it's a development prototype or a test car. Either way, it's packed with unique features and unusual body marks.

The 1970 Hurst Olds parked a few feet away is also a unicorn. Olds did not want a Hurst version that year, but George Hurst went ahead and built one anyway. And even though Olds refused a production run, the one-off muscle car was eventually sold through a dealership. It crashed and spent decades in a scrapyard before being discovered and rescued.

You also see a rare 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T in Top Banana, a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 survivors, and a purple 1966 Coroned Mr. Norm's car that reportedly left the factory with a 426 Street Wedge, an unusual option at the time.

But the vehicles above are just a tiny fraction of the muscle cars displayed at the event. They're too many to cover here, so hit the play button below for the full walkaround.