Portuguese Barn Find
Remember the urban legend of the Portuguese Barn Find? It’s been flying around the world like an Internet fairy tale for almost four years. As a reminder, here’s the basic fable, which originally took the form of a viral PowerPoint presentation:
“A New York man retired. He wanted to use his retirement money wisely, so it would last, and decided to buy a home and a few acres in Portugal. The modest farmhouse had been vacant for 15 years; the owner and wife both had died, and there were no heirs. The house was sold to pay taxes. There had been several lookers, but the large barn had steel doors, and they had been welded shut. Nobody wanted to go to the extra expense to see what was in the barn, and it wasn’t complimentary to the property anyway … so, nobody made an offer on the place.
“The New York guy bought it at just over half of the property’s worth; moved in, and set about to tear in to the barn – curiosity was killing him. So, he and his wife bought a generator and a couple of grinders … and cut through the welds. What was in the barn?”
The answer, in the presentation, was hundreds of classic cars. But the owner, it turned out, was not a New York senior but a Portuguese collector, who had amassed his collection in the 1970s after the Carnation Revolution. Many Portuguese collectors were stashing their cars in Spain, or letting them go for bargain prices. In a labor of love for old cars, Antonio Ferreira de Almeida snatched up every offer. Cars from every manufacturer, from every country and year made, in every condition.
By the end of the 1970s and not even 30 years old, António owned some 100 cars, and by the mid-1980s he had more than 300. When his buying binge ebbed around 1996, almost 400 old cars were in his possession, around a quarter of those in good or excellent condition.
German journalist Wolfgang Blaube set out to learn more about the legend. He travelled to Portugal in 2009 with his camera, and met with Antonio. Wolfgang’s complete account of his Portugal barn find investigation is published in Tom Cotter’s book, “The Corvette in the Barn.”
This is the list of cars as of Spring 2009, at the time of the Blaube’s visit. Some of these cars may have been sold, while other cars that were seen and photographed were not listed. Still more cars on the list were in other storage places in Lisbon and not photographed.
| • Abarth 1300 Scorpione 1971 • Abarth-Fiat 1600 Allemano 1960 • Alfa Romeo 1600 GT 1966 • Alfa Romeo 1900 SS 1954 • Alfa Romeo 1900 SS 1956 • Alfa Romeo 1900 SS 1957 • Alfa Romeo 1900 SS 1957 • Alfa Romeo 1900 Super 1955 • Alfa Romeo 1900 Cabriolet 1952 • Alfa Romeo 1900 S 1954 • Alfa Romeo 1900 S 1955 • Alfa Romeo 1900 • Alfa Romeo 1900 • Alfa Romeo 2600 Berlina 1967 • Alfa Romeo 2600 Coupé 1964 • Alfa Romeo 2600 Coupé 1965 • Alfa Romeo 2000 Berlina 1958 • Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1974 • Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider 1959 • Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider 1959 • Alfa Romeo 2600 Zagato 1966 • Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1957 • Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1959 • Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1960 • Alfa Romeo Giulietta 1959 • Alfa Romeo Giulietta SS 1961 • Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI 1962 • Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI 1961 • Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1959 • Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1972 • Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1973 • Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV 1974 • Alfa Romeo 1600 GT 1979 • Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV 1970 • Alfa Romeo Giulia Nuova 1975 • Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina 1968 • Alfa Romeo Montreal 1974 • Alfa Romeo Alfetta 1.8 1974 • Alfasud 1.5 1981 • Auburn 654 Four Door Convertible 1935 • Audi quattro 1981 • Audi quattro 1982 • Austin Mini Cooper S 1969 • Austin Mini Cooper 1967 • Austin Westminster 1961 • Austin Healey Sprite MKI 1957 • Austin Delivery Van 1932 • Austin A 30 1956 • Austin Seven 1936 • Austin Seven 1933 • Austin Cooper S 1968 • Austin Healey Sprite Mk II 1961 • Austin A 35 1959 • Austin A35 1958 • Austin London Taxi 1972 • Auto Union 1000 SP 1958 • BMW 3.0 CS 1973 • BMW 3.0 CS 1972 • BMW 3.0 Si 1971 • BMW 3.0 Si 1973 • BMW 3.0 S 1972 • BMW 2800 1970 • BMW 502 V8 3.2 1960 • BMW Isetta 300 1957 • BMW 502 V8 1959 • BMW 501 V8 • BMW 503 Cabriolet 1956 • BMW 503 Coupé 1957 • BMW 327/28 Cabriolet 1939 • BMW 326 1939 • BMW 2002 1970 • BMW 1602 1971 • BMW 1800 1969 • Bentley R Type 1952 • Borgward Isabella Combi 1955 • Bristol 405 Saloon 1956 • Buick Super 8 1935 • Buick Century Hardtop 1954 • Buick Skyhawk 1980 • Buick Skylark 1966 • Buick Special 1961 • Buick Special 1962 • Cadillac Coupé DeVille 1956 • Cadillac 62 1954 • Cadillac Convertible 1958 • Cadillac Limousine 7-Sitzer 1947 • Cadillac Fleetwood 1955 • Cadillac Eldorado Convertible 1976 • Chevrolet Fleetline Coupé 1949 • Chevrolet Fleetline 1947 • Chevrolet Convertible 1928 • Chevrolet Impala Station 1967 • Chevrolet Bel Air 1955 • Chevrolet Coupé 1947 • Chrysler CD Roadster 1932 • Citroën 2 CV 1968 • Citroën DS 19 Cabriolet Chapron 1961 • Citroën DS 19 Cabriolet Chapron 1961 • Citroën B14 Cabriolet 4S 1928 • Citroën 11 BL 1948 • Citroën 15 CV 1949 • Citroën SM 1973 • Citroën SM 1972 • Citroën 11 CV 1940 • Citroën 11 CV 1956 • Citroën DS 23 IE 1974 • Citroën GS Break 1974 • Datsun 240 Z 1973 • Datsun Laurel 1979 • DB Cabriolet 1952 • Dino 246 GT 1974 • DKW Cabriolet 1952 • DKW 2=4 1951 • DKW 3=6 1956 • DKW Munga 1962 • Dodge 1937 • Facel Vega HK 500 1956 • Facel Vega HK 500 1956 • Facel Vega HK 500 1957 • Fiat 508 Balilla 1938 • Fiat 600 1967 • Fiat 600 Multipla 1960 • Fiat 600 Jolly 1958 • Fiat 500 Gardiniera 1960 • Fiat 1900 Granluce 1955 • Fiat 1100 Familiale 1954 • Fiat 500 C Topolino 1951 • Fiat 1500 Cabriolet 1965 • Ford Consul 205 E 1958 • Ford Cortina Lotus 1966 • Ford Cortina 1968 • Ford Escort 1976 • Ford Taunus 17M Turnier 1960 • Ford Cortina 1971 • Ford 15M Coupé 1968 • Ford Y 1936 • Ford 100 HS Coupé 1947 • Ford 100 H8 Coupé 1947 • Ford 100 H8 Coupé 1946 • Ford Mustang 1968 • Ford A 28 1931 • Ford Fairlane Victoria 1955 • Ford V8 1932 • Glas Goggomobil 1963 • Glas Isar 1965 • Hillman Minx Saloon 1954 • Honda S 800 Coupé 1968 • Honda N 600 1968 • Hotchkiss Paris-Nice 1939 • International Van 1946 • Jaguar XK 140 Roadster 1955 • Jensen-Healey 1973 • Jensen-Healey 1974 • Kaiser Custom 1947 • Lancia Flavia Coupé 1.5 1963 • Lancia Fulvia Coupé 1970 • Lancia Aurelia B12 1954 • Lancia Flaminia Zagato 1960 • Lancia Aurelia B20 GT 1954 • Lancia Aurelia B20 GT 1957 • Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider 1955 • Lancia Appia I 1955 • Lancia Appia III • Lancia Appia II • Lancia Appia Coupé • Lancia Appia Coupé • Lancia Flaminia Coupé Farina • Lancia Flaminia • Lancia Flaminia Touring • Lancia Aurelia Coupé 1952 • Lancia Aurelia Coupé 1951 |
• Lancia Aurelia Coupé 1954 |
