(Words and photos by Doug Gregory) – The phrase ‘barn find’ is used a lot and many times its misplaced or an inaccurate representation.  Regardless, its something I generally only hear or read about and nothing I have first-hand knowledge of.   The closest I have ever been is a friend picked up a ’68 Camaro that originally came from California and sat in a barn for 20 years before he pried the rust-free ride away for a mere $4k.  All that has now changed.

I’m not saying I found some long-lost treasures that haven’t been touched by human hands in a half-century, but my son and I were invited to see an eclectic collection of stuff that rivals some I’ve seen on History Channel’s ‘American Pickers’.  What I have here is a modest gallery of pictures from our time there and I promise to go back and get more stories and details of how many of them came to be where they now rest.

In these you will see several 1st-gen Camaros (most are hiding), up to 5 Vegas, lots of patina,  5 Indy Pace Cars, plus a lot more.  I have gathered some info about the pace cars –

1968 Ford Torino GT Indy Pace Car for the 52nd 500
709 cars total.   All white with two-tone blue interior.
2 428ci, 1 390ci, and the rest were 302/C4.  One of the most-overlooked pace cars.

1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Indy Pace Car for the 54th 500
626 cars.  358 were cutlass models with the remainder being 442s.
About 60 came with the 350ci and the rest were W30 455s.
The cars came with the Y74 option, TH400, power trunk lock, power windows, front disc brakes,
and a dual-gate shifter.

1971 infamous Dodge Challenger Indy Pace Car for the 55th 500
50 cars in ceramic red were supplied by 4 local Dodge dealers.
2 cars were 383-4v, 3 cars were 383-2v, 3 cars were 340 (with a pair on propane).  The rest are 318.

1980 Pontiac Turbo Trans Am Indy Pace Car for the 64th 500
5,700 cars with the Y85 option, full power, red dash lights, Oyster Vinyl, and 15×8 turbo wheels.

1993 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 Indy Pace Car for the 77th 500
645 cars powered by the LT1 5.7 with 275hp.

The freakiest thing about this whole deal is that I have drove past the place on my daily commute for over 15 years without nary a clue what sat beyond view.  It was a bit overwhelming to see all the cars, signs, bicycles, go-karts, toys and parts scattered about.  Likely too much for my brain to comprehend or remember so we have an invitation to go back at which time I will gather more details and photos.