Urban Legend, Reality or Both? Amazing Collection of Hidden Vintage Cars Found

Posted by Urbanist in Car & Vehicle on March 16, 2009 at 3:53 pm


The story behind this saga of the mysterious old car collection is long, twisted and still uncertain. Some time ago someone anonymously posted pictures of dozens or more classic cars covered in dust and apparently hidden away in a barn.

As the story made its rounds of the internet speculation grew. The most credible-seeming story comes from someone who claims to have tracked down the owner – a retired businessman who kept the best cars from his car-sale days for himself.

While it would be nice to imagine that someone simply found this amazing stash of cars it is clear that such a thing does not simply assemble itself – so this story appears to make the most sense. But, to this day, no one really knows for sure.

Since I put up these pictures here at the beginning of February 2007, the story of the Portugese barn full of classic and not-so-classic cars seems to have taken on a life of its own. The interwebs have been abuzz with theories and somebody has even gone to the trouble of making up a story about it. Classic car lovers, treasure hunters and auction houses have all somehow contacted intuh.net in an effort to find out more. In order to stem the flow of e-mails and even telephone calls: here’s all I know.

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14 comments to "Urban Legend, Reality or Both? Amazing Collection of Hidden Vintage Cars Found"

  1. dark horse
    March 16th, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    sorry, i think that's just evil. those cars were meant to be driven, that's like having a harem of beautiful women, with a locked door, and letting them just rot unloved. pathological narcissism.

  2. warren
    March 16th, 2009 at 5:19 pm

    Some how I don't think that a harem full of women would all be covered in dust and rotting. Vroooooooooooom!

  3. Frau
    March 16th, 2009 at 6:36 pm

    Having read The Hemi in the Barn - I think I will await the story of this particular barn.

    I know of a barn or two down the ways that have some nice "finds". I have been trying now for over a year to get the old guy to sell me an early 50's British Ford escort.

  4. Edward
    March 16th, 2009 at 9:01 pm

    I cannot comment on the collection in question, but having seen a similar car collection in person, I can say that they do exist and are unlikely to see the light of day until the third generation.

  5. SenorMysterioso
    March 16th, 2009 at 9:21 pm

    It's like a car dork's lost paradise

  6. Adam Stanhope
    March 16th, 2009 at 11:03 pm

    My father has been a lifelong collector of many cool things - not including cars. He has a 300 year old barn stuffed to the gills with things. Growing up with him and joining him on his hunts for cool things, I've seen many abandoned (or nearly so) barns, houses, warehouses, etc. filled with treasure around the world. As other commenters here have pointed out, these things do exist and most such incredible things do eventually emerge to see the light of day.

  7. Lostfiniel
    March 17th, 2009 at 2:14 am

    A friend claims to know that someone who bought a barn similar to this with tons of beautiful old cars, never before used.

  8. Baby Carrots
    March 17th, 2009 at 11:56 am

    No! But its true! A friend of a friend of mine has seen it! Sounds like everyone else commenting knows the same person! - HELLO DEFINITION OF AN URBAN MITH....

  9. Tom Taborda
    March 17th, 2009 at 5:23 pm

    Altough the language is Portuguese, the barn is located in Caçapava, São Paulo, Brazil.

    It once was the 'Museu do Automóvel', owned by collector and businessman Robert Lee.

    Since he passed away, his collection gather dust, due to inheritor's feuds.

    Googling 'Museu do Automóvel' + 'Robert Lee' you'll be able to get the sad picture.

    http://autoblog.jrmania.com.br/index.php/categoria-geral/o-museu-do-au tomovel-precisa-da-sua-ajuda/

    http://carrosantigos.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/museu-do-roberto-lee-na- tv/

    (I never been there, but my father always remember visiting the museum when it was in sparkling condition)

  10. Bruno
    March 17th, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    @ Tom Taborda

    Dude... don't say what you don't know... This barn is located in Portugal near Sintra, this came to surface around 2 years ago, it's nothing new to me.
    Oh, and if you don't believe me, look at the license plates, they're all portuguese.

    cheerios

  11. SenorMysterioso
    March 17th, 2009 at 7:33 pm

    Just looked, those do look like the plates that were used in Portugal from 37-92

    Brazil had some similar plates but they look more like the Portuguese ones.

    At first I thought you meant the language on them was Portuguese which wouldnt prove much if it was in Brazil.

  12. renderanything
    March 18th, 2009 at 12:12 am

    Os edificios sao completamente differentes Tom Tamborda. The two collections bear only passing resemblance to one another. Nao tem placas de identificacao nem nada semelhante.

    I'm a Datsun Z car nut myself and was hoping the photos showed the rims on that 240Z because the 1000 S30's that were shipped to Portugal had magnesium rims as standard equipment.

    No doubt this collection will one day be unearthed again whenever the owner/interested parties decide.

  13. Tom Taborda
    March 18th, 2009 at 1:28 am

    Sorry, folks, my bad!

    I just saw the brick walls, the dusted vintage cars and my mind linked to the sad fate of 'Museu do Automóvel', completely abandoned.

    And I didn't notice the Portuguese license plates (completely different from Brazilian ones). Tks for calling my attention.

    One such barns was too much for me; now there's two!

  14. Sleestak
    March 19th, 2009 at 11:38 am

    Looks like a storage garage near the site of a volcano, 9/11 or something.


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