Savoy Automobile Museum, Cartersville (Georgia), USA
until September 28, 2025
More and more collectors and enthusiasts are becoming interested in “barn finds”, cars that have been forgotten and have spent time (sometimes a lot) in more or less sheltered places. Some buy them back to restore them to their original glory, others leave them as they are, just to make sure they don’t deteriorate any further. And others carry out a partial overhaul of the mechanics, interior or bodywork, depending on the condition of the car and its intended use. With “Barn Finds”, the Savoy Automobile Museum is exhibiting 5 cars “in their original condition”. It’s not much for an exhibition, but the quality and rarity of the cars more than make up for the quantity.
The oldest is a 1949 Packard Monte Carlo Super Eight Convertible. Packards were among the most luxurious cars on the market and had introduced a new generation of Super Eight just after the war, equipped with the in-house 8-cylinder in-line engine, available in several body versions. This Packard Super Eight “Monte Carlo” is probably a one-off model, developed by the American coachbuilder Henney to add a hardtop convertible to the range, as can be seen in period photos. Packard didn’t go ahead with the project, so we don’t know for sure what became of this Monte Carlo, but we can see on this car, found by Geoffrey Hacker of Undiscovered Classics, the modifications made to the Super Eight cabriolet. However, the hard top has not yet been found. The car has not (yet?) been restored, with the exception of the upholstery and an interior cleaning.
Hardly less rare, but with a better-known history, the 1952 Cunningham C-3 Vignale Coupe is part of a small production run of around twenty cars. Briggs Cunningham was an American racing driver who developed his racing cars in the early 1950s, using Cadillac or Chrysler engines. To compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a manufacturer, Cunningham had to build 25 road-qualified units of the model entered, hence this small-scale production run of around twenty coupes and a few convertibles. The tubular chassis with a 5.4L Chrysler FirePower V8 engine was bodied by the Italian firm Vignale, to an elegant design by Giovanni Michelotti. In the early 1950s, the Cunningham C-3 Vignale was the most expensive American production car on the market. The model on display won several Concours d’Elegance in 1952. Tom Cotter, its current owner, has restored the mechanics, but left the body as is.
Next up are 2 American sports car icons, a Corvette and a Shelby. The Corvette is a C1 from 1954, one of the first to be built. With its 150 hp in-line 6-cylinder engine, it was not yet the rival to European sports cars that it has become over the generations. The car has undergone minimal restoration, notably to the interior, so that it can be used regularly by its current owner.
The 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 on display is part of the first production run designed to homologate the model for competition. 562 units (race and road) of this version were produced. With its 4.7-liter V8 and more than 300 hp, the “S” (for Street) version blithely exceeded 200 km/h, and was scarcely more civilized than the racing model. High demand prompted Ford and Shelby to develop a new, more roadworthy, more comfortable generation, but it goes without saying that the 1st generation is the most coveted. Matt Taylor, its current owner, is also the head of American Mustangs, one of the USA’s most renowned specialists in Shelby and classic Mustangs.
A Lancia Flavia Coupe from 1964 represents the European automobile in this exhibition. Launched in 1960, the Lancia Flavia was a technically innovative, well-equipped front-wheel-drive car with a 1.5-liter flat-4 engine, but its lines divided observers. On the other hand, the Flavia Coupe by PininFarina and based on a design close to that of the Ferrari 250 GT, is very elegant and its engine (here a 1.8L) is more powerful. This car has a racing background, since its first owner was the well-known NART (North American Racing Team). It then raced in rallies on behalf of the Texas Speed Museum and has retained its race livery from the 24-Hour Mexican Rally. Michael Kristick, its current owner, narrowly saved it from destruction in a scrapyard!
A fine exhibition, if the cars are in their original condition, they are all nuggets fortunately saved from oblivion or even destruction!
The photos on this page belong to the Savoy Automobile Museum, no right of reproduction without the express permission of the museum.