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Super-Rare 1978 Ford F-250 Comes Out of Storage After 42 Years, Gets First Wash

With hundreds if not thousands of classic cars popping out of long-term storage yearly, barn finds are far from unusual. However, only a very small percentage of these vehicles are of the low-mileage variety. This Ford F-250 might just be the lowest-mileage 1970s truck in existence.
1978 Ford F-250 "barn find" 7 photos
Photo: AMMO NYC/YouTube
1978 Ford F-250 "garage find"1978 Ford F-250 "garage find"1978 Ford F-250 "garage find"1978 Ford F-250 "garage find"1978 Ford F-250 "garage find"1978 Ford F-250 "garage find"
Remember the 1979 Saab 96 that emerged out of storage in December 2021 with only four miles (seven km) on the odo? Well, this truck was actually driven by its owner, but only for 139 miles (224 km). After he gave his wife a few rides to work, the owner parked the pickup in his garage and kept it in storage until January 2022. Yes, that's a whopping 42 years.

And the really spectacular thing about this "garage find" is that it's in almost pristine shape. It's been kept in proper storage and most likely maintained from time to time. It still has the original stickers on the tires, while the integrated toolbox looks perfect because it hasn't been used.

And it's quite the rare F-250 too, one of only 11 built in 1978 in this color combination (Creme Paint with Dark Brown metallic) and with this interior package.

After 42 years in storage, the aging owner decided it was time to part ways with the truck so that someone else can enjoy it and maybe even put it back on the road. That's how it ended up at AMMO NYC, where the new owner brought it for cleaning and detailing.

And once the storage dust and spider webs came off and the paint got a proper polish, the F-250 came back to life like a truck that just left the Ford assembly line. This pickup is proof that you can keep a vehicle in storage for decades without ruining it, as long as you're doing it right.

On the flip side, we don't know if the truck still runs. The V8 looks just as fantastic as the rest of the truck, but it might not work after more than four decades of sitting. But that should be an easy fix and hopefully, the new owner will put it back on the road soon.

Watch it come back to life in the video below, which is interesting, to say the least, because it also gives insight on how to refresh an old paint job without damaging it.

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About the author: Ciprian Florea
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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.
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