A barn find is a classic car, aircraft or motorcycle that has been rediscovered after being stored, often in derelict condition. The term comes from their tendency to be found in places such as barns, sheds, carports and outbuildings where they have been stored for many years. The term usually applies to vehicles that are rare and valuable, and which are consequently of great interest to collectors and enthusiasts despite their poor condition.
Barn finds can fetch high prices when sold. A 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS spider was sold for US$2.1 million in January 2014. The car had suffered an engine fire in 1969 and had been stored in a garage for 44 years. Despite this, it sold for more than a fully restored example sold in 2013.[1]
In the past, barn-find cars were typically subjected to exhaustive restoration, to return them to a condition close to that when they were new. However, the current trend is to treat the cars more sympathetically, to avoid restoration that removes evidence of the car's history and to place greater value on any original features the car retains even if they're in poor condition. In some cases, intense restoration can actually lower a car's value.[1][2]
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's Bleriot XI was donated to Cole Palen in 1952 by Bill Champlin of Laconia, NH, Mr. Champlin obtained it from Professor H.H. Coburn, who as a boy had observed the aeroplane in a junkyard while bicycling to and from work each day. Coburn finally procured it and kept it stored for many years. It appears that the Bleriot had crashed at an air meet in Saugus, MA in 1910, and when received by Cole it was approximately 25% complete.