Barn Find: Fourteen Celicas and a Galant GTO GS-R
It seems like almost every month someone comes across a Shelby Cobra hiding in barn. From there, they share their story and pictures on a forum, and everyone is very envious of the find. Ra28gt from the Retro Rides had this similar experience but on a bigger scale.
Ra28gt has a 1977 Toyota Celica GT2000 coupe that’s in the process of being restored. He was looking for some body panels for the car when he got a tip about an old gentleman who had a stockpile of Toyota parts he had collected over the years in a barn. Ra28gt contacted the gentleman about the parts and a meeting was arranged. What ra28gt would encounter next surprised him.
[Source: Retro Rides]
When ra28gt to the gentleman’s property, he was lead to barn. Inside the barn lied fourteen vehicles all parked door to door and covered in a thick layer of dust. The majority of them were Toyota Celicas ranging from 1970-1985 in fast- and hatchbacks models. But the biggest surprise was a rare Mitsubishi Galant GTO GS-R found parked in the group of Celicas. 
The story of how all these vehicles showed up in a barn goes like this; the owner bought a new Celica during the seventies and fell in love with it. From there he began to buying up Celicas. The Galant ended up in his collection because of how much the shape looked like an original Celica. Most of the vehicles in the barn were driven up to 1990 and some only 6,000 miles.
So what did ra28gt do with his discovery? He did what most every other hoon would do; call in two trucks to take all of the vehicles back to his house. During the trip home, people offered to buy the vehicles off the trucks. Ra28gt’s plan for the fourteen vehicles is to get them into running order. We’re so jealous.
Related posts:
Three words: Jesus. H. Christ!
my three words were "I'll take 'em" but yours work too….
My reaction to every barn find with cars I actually desire: "Dangnubbit, yurup…"
If he wants to drop the yellow fastback off at my house it would be greatly appreciated.
MUST HAVE TINY MUSTANG!
Hereyago!
<img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/04/26/article-1268831-094D2782000005DC-857_634x757.jpg" width="500">
I'd like to see some snaps of that Galant cleaned up but I'm even more interested in that little blue panel van in the corner. I'm such a dork.
My idea of heaven.
I'd just like to point out the awesome amount of badging on the Galant: Its full name is the Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO GS-R. It seems they've been practicing for years to come up with things like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR FQ-400.
Overall, though…pure jealousy. I'm surprised the owner sold them all.
Mitsubishi's naming guy must have moved to Capcom to oversee the release of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.
The fact that the Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO 2000 GSR had 125 hp is kind of painful. It might be a fun car, and it might be light enough that 125 hp made it quicker than competitors like 4 cylinder Capris and Opel Manta GTEs, but it is still pretty obnoxious to stick GTO on something like this. I think GSR would have more than sufficed.
My reaction:
[youtube UF9BpA-b-sk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF9BpA-b-sk youtube]
The amazing thing about this story is not that somebody had been hoarding these cars, but that a guy was looking for body panels to restore a 77 Celica and went home with 14 cars. I know of a couple of barns with significantly more cars, and none of them are for sale. I'm wondering what it took to get these out into the light of day.
Dibs on the white coupe!
Wow.
I'm not exactly up on old European panel wagons, so my mystery car today is what the hell is the blue one in the back left?
<img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/jabranabbas/105_3678.jpg" width="500/">
<img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/jabranabbas/105_3657.jpg" width="500/">
I think it's a Ford Thames.
I think you are correct, as the lines are there. But I wonder why it has rear view mirrors akin to Japanese cars of the era… on the fender.
On further review, I'm pretty sure it's an Austin A50.
English vans of this era came with fender mounted mirrors. It's not uncommon to see door mirrors retrofitted. I assume these panel vans have terrible blind spots.
Note the drip rail extending above the windshield, the overall length, the position of the hood ornament, and the suggestion of a curved nose. I think it's an Austin A30 or A35, but I don't know whether they can be distinguished from one another with these views.
Yeah, you're probably right. The A35's at least had those little chrome (turn indicators?) on the wings, and the pic above hints at the horseshoe shaped grille.
They both have those, but the higher-resolution version of the side view available on the Retro Rides board (just checked!) shows a painted grille, which would indeed make it an A35 (or a modified A30, I suppose).
…or I could have just clicked above for a closer look. Sigh.
Do any of these angles help you?
<img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/jabranabbas/105_3662.jpg" width=500>
<img src="http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c233/jabranabbas/105_3665.jpg" width=500>
Ahah! I read the posts during my lunch, and a poster said: "Err, didn't you get the A35 van. "
I guess that answers it.
Okay, fine, in that case I'm still going with A35.
It could be, but it's definitely not this Ford Thames:
<img src="http://gassermadness.com/plum-gas/Conant_Brothers_1.jpg" width=500>
Hmmm… Anglia?
<img src="http://image.hotrod.com/f/27614621+w750+st0/hrdp_1006_17_o+29_drag_cars_from_the_50th_winternationals+kohler_brothers_anglia_gasser_today.jpg" width=500>
Nooo… Too many windows. How about a Topolino?
<img src="http://www.draglist.com/photoimages/POD-1201/The%20Burkholder%20Bros.%20Fuel%20Fiat%20blazes%20the%20hides.%20Photo%20from%20the%20Drag%20Racing%20Memories%20Collection.jpg" width=500>
I got nothing, I just love these old euro-bodied gassers.
Wow!!!
That's a lot of Ce-LEE-cas (pronounced the Euro way).
That would be SAY-lee-cas then!
Shit. So stuff like this does happen in England, then.
NOT TO ME IT DOESN'T!!!
It must be nice to just have the room to be able to say, "Load 'em up! They're coming home with me." I wonder what this person's personal garage must look like.
No way in hell that dude's married. And if he was, that ended shortly after the two trucks full of cars showed up at his house.
Thanks for the comments guys its ra28gt here glad you like my latest buy,,, keep tuned on my facebook for more updates
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toyota-classics/144…