Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

Journalist Tom Cotter researched the story and finally identified the photographer as Manuel Menezes Morais. Morais was contracted to take photographs of the cars by their owner. Due to the wishes of the owner, Morais was unable to reveal exact details of the barn's location or the owner's name, but he did give Tom Cotter some general information about the origin of the vehicle collection. In an article about the cars for Sports Car Market Magazine, Tom Cotter notes:

The owner of the cars was a car dealer in the 1970s and 1980s, and decided to save the more interesting cars that came through his doors. When the barn was full, he padlocked and "soldered" the doors shut. (Perhaps welding was too permanent.)

Web sites varied on the number of cars: 58, 100, and 180 were speculated. According to Morais, there are 180 cars in the barn.

Cotter's research indicates that the cars are probably located in an area near Lisbon, in Portugal.

Thus, it seems that the "retired New Yorker" cover story is no more than a fictional embellishment. The story may have evolved out of an earlier description of the photographs that simply asked recipients to imagine what it would be like to acquire a piece of land and then subsequently discover a treasure trove of old cars hidden in a barn on the property:

ok, so imagine you live in portugal and your moving house. you find a lovely farm house set in a decent plot of land. the place has been empty for 15 years!

whilst exploring your new property you find a large barn in the trees. the door is padlocked shut and its all rusted solid. so you grind the padlock open.........

It is quite common for pranksters to invent a fanciful tale to go with a particularly compelling set of photographs. In many cases, including this one, such foolish and fictional embellishments seem redundant. Photographs like these speak for themselves and need no tall stories to enhance their impact.

Sursa: http://www.hoax-slayer.com/barn-cars.shtml

Deci.....

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

incredibil :|

foarte tare..ce noroc pe propietar..

ar putea sa isi faca muzeu ....:roll:

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

foarte impresionante masinile ..
mai multe poze gasiti aici

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

Engleza e complicata tare :lol: .O sa traduc toate cuvintele astea grele de mai sus si rezum in 2 cuvinte pe intelesul tuturor: e vrajeala

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

daca te refereai cumva la mine , am citit si inteles de la inceput.. vreajeala e povestea cu omu' care a cumparat terenu si a gasit masinile acolo .. proprietarul masinilor a fost un dealer care a 'pastrat' cele mai interesante masini de pe atunci ..

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

Auziti mha da a gasit si cheile ??? :))))) eu deja imi fac planuri cu care ma plimbam prima data ce pastram ce vindeam Vise tata vise :D !!!!

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

Huge collections like the one in Portugal don't just happen. Cars are accumulated by someone with a purpose

By Tom Cotter
One day this January, I received at least ten forwarded email attachments to a web site that featured photos of an eclectic collection of old cars in a decaying building. For the next week it seemed the web was literally blanketed with these images, each giving a similar story:
“Imagine moving into an old farmhouse in the Portuguese countryside, and, while walking around “the lower 40” of your new investment, you come across an old building. Curious as to what may be inside, you pry open the rusted door and for the first time in decades, one of the largest hordes of old cars ever discovered is exposed to sunlight.”
I didn’t believe that story for a moment.
Huge collections of cars don’t just happen. Cars are accumulated—sometimes lovingly, sometimes not—by someone with a purpose. I was sure this collection was not assembled by accident; nobody would simply sell an old farm and fail to mention to the new owners the stash of old cars in the barn.
I decided to investigate. I searched the web and ultimately came to an English language dead end at the Mazda Miata Club Norway web site. But I kept going, sending emails in English and hoping that some kind recipient would take a few moments to answer some questions. All indications were that the cars were hidden somewhere in Portugal, so that’s where I focused my investigation.
Through a Cobra buddy, Don Silawski of Washington, DC, I contracted with a Portuguese translator, Clara Dixon. Clara would be my tour guide and try to unearth some of the naked truth regarding this huge stash. Clara also checked the Internet for news stories that may have been written in Portuguese newspapers about the cars. I was beginning to feel like a CIA sleuth…
I must admit that for me, a lifelong barn-finder, a collection this large would be the discovery of a lifetime. My 15-year-old son, Brian, even tried to convince me to hop a flight to Portugal to see if I could actually find the collection myself.
I was eventually able to contact the photographer who was contracted by the cars’ owner to shoot the photographs that would ultimately appear on millions of car-guy computer monitors beginning on January 20.
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Manuel Menezes Morais shot the photos, but he was sworn to secrecy about the cars’ location and the owner’s name. However, he was able to obtain permission from the elusive owner to give me the following information:
The owner of the cars was a car dealer in the 1970s and 1980s, and decided to save the more interesting cars that came through his doors. When the barn was full, he padlocked and “soldered” the doors shut. (Perhaps welding was too permanent.)
Web sites varied on the number of cars: 58, 100, and 180 were speculated. According to Morais, there are 180 cars in the barn.
And, aw shucks, none of the cars is for sale.
Clara was able to determine that the cars are located somewhere in the area of Sintra, near Lisbon. I asked Morais if he could ask the owner if he had a favorite car. “He has lots of good cars in very good condition,” he says, “but he loves the Lancia Aurelia B24. He has two.”
I would ask that a European-based SCM subscriber pick this story up and help fill in the blanks. And let me know what you find ([email protected]). I’d like to include the true story in a ***ure In the Barn book, as well as in SCM.

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

nu prea cred .eu...ala de lea vandut i le lasa asa...doar sai plateasca cladirea si atat?sau nu intra nimeni akolo sa vada?si masinile alea prea sunt facute akolo pakete,,,plus k nu are kei de la niciuna ,acte...deci le tine de muzeu....dar nu prea cred eu povesti dastea..sincer...care ar lasa numai "OPERE DE ARTA" asa abandonate,si inkise cu usi sudate..totusi...

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

din toate pozele...nu are niciuna praf in interorio...cred k sunt bagate akolo,stiva,apoi au bagat akolo praf la greu...prin metode cunoscute de ei...si hai sa facem istorie.
my opinion

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

In poza cu interiorul de alfa sunt niste ziare :) Poze mai mari nu se gasesc?

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

Intr-adevar o poveste fantastica, chiar daca e adevarata chiar daca nu, cu toate ca nu vad de ce ar fi o poveste inventata, adica, chiar daca e inventata si nu exista nici un american ce a cumparat acea proprietate masinile tot exista undeva :)

chiar venise un prieten de al meu zilele astea din america si venise vorba ca el are un camion de armata si imi povestea ceva de genu ca pe vremea cand a fost razboi la ei au ascuns niste camioane de armata tot asa in buncare si soldatii mergeau si duceau tot felul de piese acolo ca sa aiba sa le repare....dar chestia cu masinile astea e prea de tot dupa mine.oricum sunt f multi colectionari de masini vechi pe acolo sa stiti.ar fi o posibilitate.stiu din ce mi-a povestit prietenul asta al meu care e pasionat de asa ceva si si el are vreo cateva zeci de modele de masini dar nu in starea in care erau alea din garaj...acum cine stie adevarul este ala care a "gasit"masinile....nu e exclus sa fie adevarat.cred ca e visul oricarui sa gaseasca asa ceva,vorba lui laur3atu si eu deja ma gandeam cu care sa ies din garaj sa ma dau o tura:lol:

uitandu-ma acum mai bine la poze vad ca nu toate masinile au o stare buna...altele sunt fara parbrize,roti,ruginite....ma gandesc totusi ca ar fi vorba despre un colectionar ceva mai bogat si le-a ascuns acolo pt ca nu ai voie sa tii mai mult de nu stiu cate masini in strada si normal ca vroia sa le protejeze.prietenul asta al meu avea vreo 18 la el in fata casei si au venit intr-o zi de la primarie sau nu mai stiu de unde si la chemat la tribunal si era sa faca si puscarie 6 luni pt ca nu avea voie sa tina atatea masini in strada pt ca s-au plans vecinii si a trebuit sa isi ridice un gard mare astfel incat sa nu se vada ce are in curte si i-au dat o amenda de vreo 400 de dolari pt ca a reusit sa remedieze in scurt timp problema.....

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

felicitari prietenului tau,dar totusi topicul este despre altceva...eu cred ca povestea nu e reala,pentru ca un dealer de masini nu ar avea atat de multi bani incat sa isi permita sa lase atatea masini stand,adica dealerul cumpara,si vinde la pret mai bun,si nu cred ca isi permitea sa pastreze atatea...eu cred ca povestea nu e reala,pt ca prea bate la ochi :D,adica parca is aranjate...

Re: Probably the best auto story in the world!!!
 

dar practic cine a vandut proprietatea? nu a fost curios ce e acolo? cand cumperi o banala masina sa o casa si gasesti o usa/compartiment inchs/a nu ai stare pana nu il deschizi sa vezi ce e acolo, de ce a fost incuiat, dar la ditamai sandramaua cu toate usile sudate. pai cher daca nu era a mea si o vedeam intamplator, cred ca imi luam o lopata si ma apucam sa sap un tunel pe sub zid, iar in alta ordine de idei, daca nu a locuit nimeni 15 ani, era cam putin praf si oare nu intra nimeni acolo, mai ales ca era parasit, (tineri, derbedei, satanisti, draqu stie, ca e un loc perfect pentru multe chestii). Eu nu cred povestea