Barn Find Hunter

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.

Tom has crawled over and around cars before but never through one. In this episode of "Barn Find Hunter," Tom discovers a warehouse full of rare Brass Era cars and desirable Mid-60s classics that are so packed in that he has to crawl through a Toronado to get to a Corvette.

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.

Missing out is part of the game of hunting barn finds. Tom Cotter proves it when he arrives at a long-stored GT350 but can’t see it. What does he do? Keeps hunting, and finds a fleet of Dodge Power Wagons, a Factory 428 Cobra Jet, and a Cougar XR7. It just goes to show it takes some persistence to find the good cars—even if they aren’t so pretty.

It's the fourth and final day in Bozeman, MT, and Tom strikes gold again! At location number one we have Hudsons, Plymouths, Jeeps, Lincolns, Studebakers, Nashs, AMCs, Chevys, and Chryslers. Moving onto location number two, Tom finds a car he hasn't seen in over 25 years, an Oldsmobile F-85 Rallye 350. The third and final location holds a wonderful story about a Dino and Rosie Seppi, a couple who traveled all around the United States in their Volvo 122 wagon.

Hunting for old Cars is all about connections, finding people who know people who can give you any lead they can think of. In this case, Tom heads to a familiar part of North Carolina where he has hunted before, he reached out to a former guest of "Barn Find Hunter" and he tells Tom about two brothers who have an eclectic collection of cars that were left to them by their Father. It turned out to be a great lead!

Why is this the greatest barn find collection? Aside from the vast spectrum of American and European sports cars, every single one of these cars is for sale. Accompanied by the collection owner, Mike Sperber, Tom walks around and gives you his best assessment of the cars and what he likes best about each one. Some of these cars have appeared in other "Barn Find Hunter" episodes but there are many firsts among this collection, the best of which include a Daimler SP250, Volkswagen GTI, and several Porsche Speedsters. Leave a comment below and let us know what your favorite car is.

Back to basics! Tom hits the road with zero leads and zero intentions of coming home empty-handed. Due to six straight days of bad weather, Tom is forced to leave his 1939 Ford woodie wagon at home and break his number one rule of barn find hunting, driving a classic when hunting for a classic. Driving a modern vehicle is not the best way to hunt for old cars, there were many strikes but lo and behold persistence pays off, the first of many finds was an all original 1966 Volkswagen Beetle with period-correct Barrecrafter surfboard racks. After some more digging Tom finally strikes gold when he meets, Buddy Lackomy. Buddy, is the local car guy that everyone knows and refers to when you have any pressing questions or want to buy any old cars.

Tom Cotter continues the hunt for forgotten cars in St. George, Utah. After talking with the owner of a street rod shop, Tom makes a few connections and sets up some appointments to talk to a few people about various interesting project cars. One of the cars ends up being of particular interest to Tom: an Atlas fiberglass coupe from the early 1950s that was created using a mold of the famous Cisitalia 202 Coupe designed by Pininfarina.

When Tom arrived in St. George, UT, he didn't have a single lead to go off of, but using his basic barn finding techniques he begins to cultivate leads. Before you know it we are on our last day and the leads are still pouring in. In this episode of " Barn Find Hunter," Tom finds some unique barn finds where you least expect it.

In hopes of finding more youthful barn finds, Tom heads south to Atlanta, GA, to meet up with an old friend and co-inventor of the Hans Device, Jim Downing. Jim has been a staple of the Mazda racing scene since 1974, which naturally led to amassing more than a few interesting imports. Follow along as Tom walks you through Jim’s timeless collection of Mazda racecars and desirable streetcars. Tom then stumbles upon two young businessmen who live for Datsun Z-cars. Watch as Tom is blown away when he discovers they have a set of first-gen Datsun 240Zs.

It was 25 years ago when Tom first met David Sosbee and they haven't spoken since. What better way to reunite but over David's most prized possession, a 1965 Ford Fairlane 500 with a 289ci and 4-speed manual transmission. Sit passenger with Tom as he reunites with David and reminisces over the stories of his father and his significance to the southern racing scene.

Mike Nickels has been restoring old Woodies for several decades. Fortunately for Tom and us, he's located right in Hagerty's hometown of Traverse City, MI. Tom thought Mike might have some leads on where we could find cars in the area, but as it turned out, Mike had plenty of interesting cars of his own to keep us busy for the day. WWII-era military vehicles and several Ford and Plymouth wagons in the process of being restored are only part of the story in this episode. Tom asks Mike questions about Woodies that he's been wondering about since he first found his 1939 Ford Woodie Wagon at the age of 15.

Within the SCCA racing scene, Tom has always heard about an Atlanta local legend, Paul Spruell. Paul is a national champion of SCCA G-production and 3x national champ in E-production. Ride along as Tom stops by to see his race shop and hear his stories of barn find cars that he's collected over the years. The fun doesn't stop there! You are in for a real treat as Tom stops by his son Brian's house and reminisce over his barn find's that he has collected over the years.

Seventy-eight episodes, 30,000+ miles driven and we finally found an AMC Rebel Machine! If that doesn't illustrate just how rare of a sighting this is then I don't know what will. Follow along as Tom walks you through two very impressive barn find collections in the Atlanta area.

Meet Ron Borher, a man who has been a Mercedes-Benz technician for over 49 years. When you have been collecting as long as Ron, you tend to have some hidden treasure. Among the Chevy pickups and Toyota 4Runners lies a true unicorn in Ron's Mercedes Benz line-up, a 190E 2.3-16. This particular model is special because it was the only fast version of the 190E ever offered in the United States.

For years Tom's 1939 Ford Woodie wagon has played a pivotal role in our Barn Find Hunter series. But what you may not know is that it was once lost and then found all the way down in Puerto Rico! This episode is a deep dive into the story and memories of one of Tom's most cherished cars.

For years Tom's 1939 Ford Woodie wagon has played a pivotal role in our Barn Find Hunter series. But what you may not know is that it was once lost and then found all the way down in Puerto Rico! This episode is a deep dive into the story and memories of one of Tom's most cherished cars.