Nearly all the male Dopers I’ve got a Platonic Crush on are in this thread! Coincidence? I think not! 
I know, it’s fun to think about, isn’t it? I figure no matter how it turns out, it’s bound to be interesting.
Maybe he was some sort of eccentric international car thief who stole cars not to sell and make a quick buck, but to “save” the cars from their uncaring owners. Although, if he really loved cars, he might have dusted them once in awhile.
This situation would like a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I could drive a new car every week for over three years. A curse because I would bankrupt myself trying to get them all running again. 
Yup! You’re welcome!
Wait…isn’t not me? pout
I wonder just what kind of condition those cars are in. How long since they’ve been driven? How are the mechanicals? Where in Portugal is this? From when I was there, I don’t recall it being terribly dry although I was mainly in the North.
How many are there altogether?
StG
Oh shit, the newest car I recognised was a 70’s Buick Skylark. Way out of place in that barn, for sure.
Every single car in that lot will need extensive reconditioning. I bet there isn’t a car in there that you could drop a battery into and have it fire up. 25-30 years of not running takes its toll on lots of parts. I could have that Buick running in a weekend, no matter how rough the engine and transmission were.
Again, not that I wouldn’t LOVE to be the owner of the barn right now. I think the best route for the owner to take is to auction off a bunch of the older decrepits and use that money to start fixing up the rest. By using this method you’d probably end up with about half the cars, the cream of the crop, paid for and restored. Then you’re talking big money.
Wasn’t it mentioned that the cars have been sitting abandoned for 15 years? Would that account for all the dust and crap on them? How long can a car sit without being run, before it needs extensive work?
I love cars, I just don’t know much about them, 'cept which are the purty ones.
I think someone mentioned 180?
By the way, if you scroll down to picture 8, doesn’t that plate look fake? No dust on the letters and no flash shadow on the fender or sheet metal behind the plate. Just looks odd to me, letters are too white and new looking.
And that Skylark is in picture 19 (18 13:26), at least it looks like a Skylark to me.
Depends on the car and condition.
Things to consider;
Gas is shot, need to drain and replace every drop of gas in every car.
Carb floats/needle valves are probably stuck and/or injectors clogged.
Suspension bushings, shocks, struts, and other springs and seals are probably shot too. You may be able to ‘operate’ the vehicle if you can get it started, but it wouldn’t be instantly road worthy.
Some electronic parts may be corroded, or brittle, broken or chewed up by critters. Mice can play havoc with electrical wiring and vehicle fibers such as carpetting and seat cushions.
Spark plug wires cracked.
Engine and tranny oil needs to be drained and all filters replaced before running.
Brakes inspected for rust, lines checked for leaks and cracks, all grease fittings examined and checked.
All tires need to be replaced.
Exhaust systems on many of those cars may be rotted out from condensation settling in the pipes. Exhausts last longer if the car is used all the time.
Differentials need going over too, along with wheel bearings and such.
Annecdote; My Mom’s neighbor has a mid 60’s 427 convertible Vette in his garage that he hasn’t moved in 20 years. He started it every once in a while but I think he even quit doing that. It’s terrible, the thing is just sinking into the suspension and neglected. If it was a runner it could fetch $60,000 plus, but even as it sits he could probably get $10,000 for it. I worked with a fellow electrician who was going to offer him $12,000 just the way it sits and he turned it down.
It would cost him a fortune to get it running now, if he had just driven it and maintained it over the years he’d be sitting pretty right now.
And I was thrilled when I found a brand new box of pint mason jars in my new place!
I don’t know how it works in Portugal, but most states in the US have an abandonment law in case someone, you know, abandons their car on your property. Usually consists of geting the last titled owner’s name & address from the DMV and sending a letter to wit: “Hey, I have your car and it’s gonna be mine if you don’t pick it up in <state-specified period of time–2-4 weeks usually>” If nobody responds to the DMV by the end of that period, then the car is yours and you get a fresh title with your name on it.
Can’t imagine Portugal not having a similar mechanism in place. Those cars are pretty dusty–if they didn’t belong to the property-owner then their previous owners have probably become unfindable by now.
This is on the top 10 of my dreams.
#1 is finding my wife and Halle Berry on my bed ready for a threesome. (#2 ditto with Catherine Zta-Jones)
Funny, my #1 dream is to have Halle and Catherine laying on my bed waiting for a threesome. My wife will be recording the video.
Just wow. Hearing about stuff like that - and seeing the photos - is just amazing. Since clearly the person who amassed that collection was into cars, to say the least, there has to be a story behind what happened - from building the collection to it getting abandoned…
Where is the Red Barchetta?
Halle Berry and your wife only make it #7 on my list.
As for the car barn, all I can say is, “Fuck”.
Did you see the picture of the barn door?
It was welded shut. An steel plate was welded to the two doors.
Who ever left this ment to come back. They wanted to make sure nobody got into the barn.
Something is not right about this, and I predict in the next few weeks a goofy story will emerge. That’s not an “old barn”, it’s more like a warehouse, and it certainly isn’t hidden among trees. Some googling will show you more pics of of the building.
I know people who would put up all of the money to restore all of the cars, for a 50% ownership stake in them. I’m fairly confident of that because one of them did something similar about ten years ago, to the tune of $650,000. This gentleman already owned numerous cars, including a Countach (the worst ride in a car worth more than $1000 I ever drove) and an AC Cobra Mark II.
Anecdotes aside, it’s hard to imagine what would go through your head as you realized just what it is you’ve found. I’m sure whoever it was had visions of fortunes floating through their head (the poor deluded fool…).