Although barn finds most often consist of dusty cars in poor shape, there are exceptions to the rule. This is one of those exceptions, composed of two rarities and two classics in great shape, as well as an E30 BMW.
This episode of The Barn Find Hunter, an original series by Hagerty, brings together five exceptional cars in their own particular ways, starting with the 325iX. In addition to the timeless appeal of the E30, the 325iX laid out the groundwork for xDrive.
Here’s the gist of it: BMW presented the 325i Allrad at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show, people liked the idea of 63-percent rear-biased AWD, and the rest is history. xDrive may have been introduced in 2003 with the E83 X3, but it was the 325i Allrad and subsequent 325iX that made all-wheel-drive an appealing proposition to BMW customers... and the competition.
Moving past the E30, the garage also hides a Triumph TR6, a 9,000-mile example of the British sports car. The best-seller of the TR series is equipped with a 2.5-liter straight-6, but doesn’t feature the mechanical fuel injection system of the UK-spec model. For the U.S., Triumph fitted the powerplant with a set of Zenith-Stromberg carburetors.
Joining the British blast from the past is a Morgan Plus 8 from 1978, showing 3,000 miles on the odometer. If you know your Morgan history well, you won’t find it too surprising that this fellow runs on propane. All models imported to the United States of America in the period from 1974 to 1992 were converted by authorized dealers to run on propane, which was Morgan’s quirky way of passing U.S. emissions regulations.
As for the first of the two stars of the barn find, please put your hands together for a big-block Shelby Cobra with fender flares and large wheels, 19,000 miles, no roll bar, no side pipes, hood scoop, or stripes. An unmolested survivor of the genre, this 427 is certain to catch a princely sum at auction.
And finally, the silver-painted Ferrari 275 GTB/4 is the cream of the crop in terms of rarity and worth. The alloy-bodied Prancing Horse is equipped with the 3.3-liter version of the Colombo 60-degree V12, one of the most celebrated engines in automotive history. One with 13,000 miles to its name, which is not much for the definitive sports grand tourer of its era.
“The cars were driven into the then-new garage in 1991, parked and forgotten for the next 26 years until the owner received a notice of condemnation,” notes Tom Cotter. Curious world we live in, isn’t it?
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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