Over the past five years, Hagerty has come across some remarkable cars and many of them paired with amazing stories.
In celebration of the five-year mark, we decided to do a breakdown of Tom Cotter’s Top Ten Barn Finds and you may be shocked by his selection…
10. Tom finds his dream car in Detroit
Episode 10 Dec 7, 2016
Detroit is the heartbeat of American car culture. Ride along with Tom as he uncovers a Buick Caballero, a pair of Pontiac GTOs, and many other American masterpieces, as well as a pair of Jaguar XK140s.
9. Two Jaguar XKs a quarter-mile from one another
Episode 66 Oct 16, 2019
It has always been Tom’s dream to open up a barn door and see either a Jaguar XK120 or 140 Roadster sitting inside. Well, Tom, dreams do come true! In this episode of “Barn Find Hunter,” Tom gets to relive his dream twice when he finds two Jaguar XK’s sitting only a quarter-mile from one another.
8. $341,000 1957 Porsche 356 A Speedster
Episode 6 Aug 10, 2016
Tom talks with a woman with a dusty $250,000 treasure in her garage that the family has owned since the 1960s. RM Auctions is offering this car for sale at the Hershey: http://www.rmsothebys.com/hf16/hershe…
7. Jim Wangers’ 1969 Trans Am Ram Air III found in Alaska
Episode 50 Feb 20, 2019
Tom Cotter travels to North Pole, Alaska, where he meets Terry and Preston, a father/son team of muscle-car enthusiasts and fellow barn-find hunters.
Just like Tom, Terry and Preston spend their weekends driving around looking for hidden treasures in nearby towns. In their endeavors, they have uncovered many rare and desirable muscle cars, but none as important as a 1969 Trans Am Ram Air III that once belonged to Jim Wangers, the man behind the original Pontiac GTO.
Follow along as Tom takes you on a tour of Terry and Preston’s barn-find collection.
6. Resurrecting a 1951 Nash Deliveryman
Episode 64 Sep 18, 2019
Tom heads to Bozeman, MT, to share a location he discovered while driving on a Cobra tour the previous year. The owner was nice enough to hold off any changes to his collection so we could bring you along and show you his wild and eclectic taste.
No matter your taste this man has it all, Steam Cars, Rotary, European sports cars, American Muscle, and even race cars. Sit back and enjoy one of Tom’s favorite discoveries in the “Barn Find Hunter” series.
5. Lincoln Continental with Elvis Presley Connection
Episode 2 Apr 13, 2016
In the latest episode of our “Barn Find Hunter” series, Tom explores the rolling vineyards and winding roads of northern California, where he encounters one of the original California hot-rodders, a car he’s dreamed of finding since he was a boy, and a surprising array of classics in a Napa Valley backyard, including a Lincoln that may or may not have belonged to a music superstar.
4. $900 Richard Petty 426 Wedge Engine and a whole bunch of Ford Galaxies
Episode 44 Premiered Nov 20, 2018
A field full of rusty cars just off the Interstate in southern Virginia leads Tom to Snowball Bishop, an old stock car racer and true car guy. Snowball recalls a great story of buying a 426 Wedge engine from Richard Petty.
Tom then browses the field of parts cars before checking out a 1963 Ford Galaxie convertible that’s looking for a new home… with a price tag that may have you reaching for your wallet.
3. 1 of 1 428ci 4-Speed Ford Country Squire Wagon
Episode 13 Mar 1, 2017
Barn finds in suburban Detroit? Tom Cotter managed to find some in an “automotive Disneyland:” from a 1914 Princess and an aluminum-bodied, air-cooled 1920 Franklin to a one-owner (who still owns it) 1956 Ford Crown Victoria.
The most impressive find of the show? Discovered in a storage unit, is a one-of-one factory hot rod station wagon, authorized by then-Ford president Lee Iacocca himself. Too bad this one’s already found a new home…
2. Greatest barn find collection known to man
Episode 46 Dec 19, 2018
You’d never know that down an unmarked, unpaved road lives a barn-find collection that would melt any car enthusiast’s face off. Dodge Daytonas, a Plymouth Superbird, big block Chevys, Ford Thunderbirds, an L-82 Corvette with under 10 miles, DeTomaso Pantera… and the list goes on… and on… an on! This is the episode of Barn Find Hunter you’ve been waiting for.
1. (Part 1) Tom buffs out a Barn Find and discovers a diamond in the rough
Episode 34 Jun 20, 2018
Tom Cotter’s sojourn to oil country proves fruitful. With no leads to go on, he cruises the dusty landscape around Midland, Texas, only to stumble upon a fellow barn-find enthusiast with a yard full of Ford Galaxies, Fairlanes, and Ranch Wagons.
The dry climate means many old cars can linger outside with little risk of rusting, and while paint and interiors get baked and dried out, fixing those issues is a cinch compared to a disintegrated frame. Topping it all off, Tom attempts to bring a desert-faded paint job back to life with good old-fashioned elbow grease (and maybe a little help from an electric buffer).
1. (Part 2) Tom restores a Country Sedan he found in a junkyard
Episode 60 Jul 17, 2019
If Tom Cross hadn’t produced a can of rubbing compound and a shop rag 18 months ago, this episode wouldn’t exist. In this episode of “Barn Find Hunter,” Tom Cotter gets to carry out his childhood dream by reviving a desert junkyard car. Follow along as Tom walks you through the restoration process of a 1962 Ford Country Sedan he found in episode 34.
Honorable Mention: Rare glimpse inside Blake’s Auto Salvage
Episode 57 ~ Jun 5, 2019
While in St. George, Utah, Tom Cotter learns of a junkyard with hundreds of solid old cars, where the owner never sold anything and never allowed anyone inside. In classic Barn Find Hunter fashion, Tom makes a few phone calls and sweet-talks his way into Blake’s Auto Salvage. It is indeed a veritable fortress of forgotten cars.
Many are only good for parts, but among them Tom finds an R-code Torino, a vintage White 706 tour bus from Yellowstone, and a low-mile Lincoln Continental Mk III.