Current Projects - Cooper Technica Chicago

Barn Finds & Other Myths

Barn Finds & Other Myths. Barn finds get a lot of media attention. It would be exciting to discover some rare and valuable car hidden in a barn or a forgotten garage. However, many of these events are staged for effect. Often the car has already been discussed in the automotive press, and car clubs and some collectors have known where it was. In one case the car in question had been rolled into a barn and covered with hay. The photography was then staged to make it look like a great discovery. Another recently-auctioned "barn find" car was well known to the car club and its owner was listed in all the club registers. In other words, the car had never been "lost." Auction houses, especially, send out press releases to generate publicity, and the Press, ever hungry for content, accepts the releases without examining the issuer's motives or verifying whether they are hearing the whole story.

Restoration vs. Originality. The right approach depends on the car. Some rare and valuable cars need complete restoration, such as cars that have been seriously damaged or have deteriorated, or where extensive repair or restoration work has been done in the past. Often new body panels or parts need to be fabricated to replace missing originals. When these cars are completed, they look and function as they did when first built. Many of Cooper Technica's Current Projects fall into this category.

Other vintage cars have an original condition that is worth preserving because it still looks presentable, or because there is a good historical reason for leaving it original. In these cases, any necessary restoration work must be carried out sensitively so that it does not detract from the original look. With these cars we save as many original parts as possible, even if they have imperfections or show signs of aging. We might need to apply patina to restored parts so that the end product matches the car's overall condition and the restoration work is not made obvious. The 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C1750 GS "Testa Fissa" is an example of this approach.

Every vintage car presents unique restoration challenges. Knowing how much and what type of restoration to do at each stage requires both experience and judgment. At Cooper Technica, we help our clients decide which approach and what degree of restoration is best for each project.

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