Dear Classic American,
I thought you might be interested in the latest addition to my collection of Buicks: a real, 100% genuine barn find! This numbers-matching 1957 special has not been on the road since 1995. It will be having a full frame-off restoration. The owner lives close by and one day he knocked on my door a few weeks ago saying that he had owned the ’57 since 1995. He had started stripping the car down, but for some reason had stopped working on it.
Having being stored in various places it ended up in a barn in Warley for three or four years. He then reluctantly decided that the Buick needed a new owner. Having had the car for so long, the thought of the car being sold and dismantled just for spares was unthinkable. He basically said that if I agreed to restore the car and get it back on the road he would give it to me for nothing.
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How often does a complete stranger knock on your door and give you a 59-year-old Buick? We collected it the following weekend. The actual details of the Buick were not discussed when he first came round: its condition, what model, how many doors etc. All were a mystery until the barn doors were opened. I’m happy to report its condition is amazing for its age. Over the last couple of weeks I have stripped out the interior, removed the doors and I’m now ready to remove the body from the frame. This is not going to be a quick turnaround – it needs everything! But when you’ve already restored a ’58 Buick as I have, anything else is a breeze!
Ian Scott
Hendon
London
Wow, what a story! Please send him ’round to Classic American towers if he has any more cars he wants to give away – we promise to restore them! We look forward to sharing Ian’s amazing barn find with readers when it’s back on the road and fresh from the paint shop!
