Register that Barn find?

[n/a]

Dear Members,
I just finished a book about great car barn finds...locating that special rare car in some field, barn, or in some old lady's garage forgotten for years. Only question I have is, how does someone register a car abandoned for decades if you can't find the owner, or if the owner has no paperwork on it? For those outside the States, I'd be interested, as I'm sure others would, how hard it is to get a car on the road with whatever government regulations in your host country. Must be vastly different from the US to the Netherlands, to the Middle East, Argentinia, etc....
R/
Joe

[jmela]

What was the title of the book? Barn finds can be fascinating.

Here's a decidedly low-tech 'barn find' website if you have patience and an interest in American muscle cars...

www.carsinbarns.com/

[n/a]

The title of the book, with lots of fun short stories of car finds is;

The Cobra in the Barn: Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology (Hardcover)
by Tom Cotter
------------------------------------------------------------------------
List Price:   $24.95
Price:   $15.72 , available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.
Hardcover: 256 pages
   Publisher: Motorbooks (November 10, 2005)
   Language: English
   ISBN: 0760319928
   Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.0 inches

Another super book is:
The Gold-Plated Porsche: How I Sank a Small Fortune into a Used Car, and Other Misadventures by Stephan Wilkinson

This last book is awesome, about restoring an old car. I spoke with the author, he is from NY, was editor of Road & Track and Aviation magazines. Informative, humerous, sobering story about how cars can consume us. Read and enjoy!

Now, about answers to my questions...how do you register a barn find?
R/
Joe

 

[Bob G ✝︎]

Looking at many pictures of once great cars makes me sick. they sit abandoned leftto the elements of time and decay. great sculpures of a once great time when the government did not have that hold on our motoring preferences and when speed was speed.
I am sentimental even with aircraft of WW-two comming  back from a trip with  my wife we I spotted a B-17 gutted . It was some sort of advertising. I could only look and wonder what stories it could tell.
I like cars too much.  like an Italian father loves his son. Perhaps my 280SL will see the light of day sometime soon.But until then, I choose to let   it sleep in a place were the ravages of time will not disturb her.



Bob Geco

[n/a]

Hey Bob,
OK, you got my attention...WHERE IS THAT B-17???
I'm not far from an air museum in Connecticut....that plane has to be saved!

And what's the status of your 280? If you're not far, we should be able to get 'er up and running.

Finally, still no one has posted how do you get an abandoned car registered?? Joe, Cees, Doug, you out there?
R/
Joe
 :?:

[jmela]

JB - Your local DMV/ courthouse will likely have a procedure in place for registering an 'abandoned' vehicle. Bring your VIN down to the DMV and explain your situation.

 A county official/ cop may check the frame number vs. their records and attempt to reach the previous owner.

This can take weeks to months - good luck.

ps - I did read that 'Gold Plated Porsche' book and liked it a lot. Some of it did hit a little too close to home.