Generally, this column focuses on the details of design and the history surrounding a specific car or manufacturer. This month we’re taking a slight detour. We’ll be off the highway for a bit, then on a dirt road that leads us to a dilapidated barn on the edge of what used to be a small town. We’ll pull back the barn door, shield ourselves from emerging chickens and behold the “barn find”—a car awaiting our universal adoration. It’s a dream of nearly every collector, but what is the lore behind it and why are we so consumed by the elusive enchantment of a car that otherwise appears to have been neglected?
Within a few moments of seeing a barn find we’ll all gaze lovingly at the artifact, resplendent with caked-on dust, flattened tires and hazy chrome. We’ll see not only the object, but the history and potential all at once. Then someone will utter the phrase, “The patina is amazing.” Those in the know will nod affirmatively, acknowledging the value of a specimen, frozen in time, retaining all that has settled upon it. But is it neglect, passed off as preservation, or has it simply been ignored out of convenience—the former owner off to other cars, realizing he no longer had the resources or determination to fix it? And what makes “patina” on a classic or special interest sports car so important today?
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