3 Buick Reattas inside a semitrailer & a handmade Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 | Barn Find Hunter - Ep. 120 - Hagerty Media - Hagerty Media
Sometimes Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter has so much fun the first time around that he retraces his route. This time around, Tom visits some old friends who were included in his 2015 book Barn Find Road Trip: 3 Guys, 14 Days and 1000 Lost Collector Cars Discovered.
First up is C.T. IV, who lives in Virginia, just like his forefathers—also named C.T.—did. C.T. IV’s father, C.T. III, ran an auto repair and travel trailer sales/service business that is now home to a bunch of Buick Reattas and handful of other classics. Before taking a closer look at the nicest Reattas in the bunch, Tom wants to know about a 1947 Dodge truck parked nearby. Turns out C.T. IV’s grandfather, C.T. Jr. (technically C.T. II), bought it new.
“He would load corn in that, and I’d ride with him to a place in Winchester that processed the corn into feed for the cattle,” C.T. IV says.
The family farm is gone, but the truck remains. After a short walk to look at a dozen or so classics parked outside in a wooded area, Tom is ready to see the best Reattas, which are parked inside a semi trailer. C.T. IV explains that his dad liked Reattas so much that they’re going to have one engraved on his headstone when he dies.
The three low-mileage Reattas tucked safely away in the trailer are for sale, $10,000 each. As of the time that Tom pays him a visit, C.T. IV has not parted ways with any of the Buicks—though he has received some offers.
“As opposed to most Barn Find Hunter episodes,” Tom says, “when nothing is for sale (or you hear) ‘Maybe I’d sell that’ …”
C.T. IV adamantly finishes the sentence: “They’re for sale.”
Then it’s off to Paul Wilson’s place for a peek at a home-grown project. Technically, it’s the second iteration of what Paul envisions as the perfect body for a 1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500. “I put myself into the position of an Italian designer in 1948,” he says. “(This is) what they could have made in 1948 if only they had looked at it like I do.”
We’d love to describe what it looks like—or, more accurately, what they both look like—but you’ll have to see for yourself.
“Paul, it looks fantastic,” Tom says, to which Paul replies, “I have to admit it’s (turning) out pretty well.”
Paul has done almost all of the work himself. “Most of it is very satisfying,” he says, “because you work on a little thing and then at the end of the day you say, ‘Oh, man, isn’t that beautiful?’”
We definitely think so.
Happy hunting.
— Jeff Peek
