Of the millions of cars made every year, the great majority find their way to the scrapyard in the sky, dismantled, stripped for parts or recycled. Some, however, are lucky enough to be tucked away and saved, often in a garage or barn, waiting to be found. UK-based YouTuber IAMSTOKZE recently made his way into an extraordinary stash of classic cars.
The hoard starts with a Porsche 912 and 356 that are both in downright rough condition. In a more open part of the building sit Jaguars, an Aston Martin, and a little green Lotus all tucked under what looks like carpet in an attempt to either hide or partially protect them. Sadly, this kind of “protection” often does more harm than good. Many of the other cars appear to have been projects that were started and either abandoned or just never completed.
Barn finds are nothing new, and some have even perfected the art. Naturally, some discoveries are found in better condition than others. The worst ones suffered dirt floors, animal damage, or leaky roofs, any and all of which usually accelerate corrosion at a furious rate. Yet even with the iron oxide ravaging many such shells, there are often people passionate enough to invest in saving at least pieces of a barn find.
However, this video in particular brings up an interesting discussion. Barn finds are cool and fun, but there is a right and wrong way to go about the process. The two gentleman in this video don’t blatantly say it, but the whispering when they first walk up and quickly pass through most of the building suggests that they did not get explicit permission to walk the property, let alone film it and share it with the world.
Let’s be clear: That is not the right way to go about things. Approaching property owners can be uncomfortable or difficult, and there is always the chance you will be turned away, but respect for people’s privacy and property should come first.
As our own Barn Find Hunter, Tom Cotter, will readily profess, leading with kindness and respect is the best way to forge connections, build relationships, and make positive memories. And isn’t that what this whole hobby is about?
This article originally appeared on Hagerty US
Read more
Hunting for barn-find cars from an aeroplane! | Barn Find Hunter
Barn find alert! You could be the first registered owner of Ford Cortina and MG Midget
Where have all the shabby Ferraris gone?
I know the owner of this collection and he will be extremely unhappy that these people of been nosing around on his property.
Dear kyle Smith,
I am the author of the aforementioned video, i 100% agree That this isn’t the right way to go about things, after many years of doing this i have to agree there is a right way and a wrong way, i have watched your show Hagerty for many years and absolutely love the show, and cannot wait to view the latest videos, The reason im writing this is because im a valued channel now and do everything by the book and want nothing more than to make a good name for myself, in your article im loseley portrayed as someone bad, i would like to ask that you would do a better write up about me and my more recent finds, its an absolute honor to have a page written about me by the amazing Hagerty team, but this one isn’t casting the right light of who im trying to become, Everyone has had that urge to sneak a peek into a disused barn or shed even the great Tom Cotter has in some cases done exactly that, So for me to be portrayed as someone dishonest isn’t very nice,
Please if at all possible rewrite a segment about me in a better light or please delete this article as it carries a burden on me knowing the one channel i absolutely love thinks bad of me.
All the best Stuart Stokes, AKA IMSTOKZE….