Barn Find Hunter: A slew of dusty European sports cars lies hidden in muscle car country - Hagerty Media
Finding old Fords, Chevys, and other American iron in backyards, barns, and garages isn’t hard to do in Michigan, a state that’s been the crucible for generations of car enthusiasts. Discovering old, dusty European cars in the Mitten State, however, isn’t nearly as common. So when Barn Find Hunter Tom Cotter met David Korwin and his stash of ragtag Alfa Romeos, he was both excited and intrigued.
Tom’s first encounter at Korwin’s place, way up in northern Michigan, is an Alfa Romeo 2000 that looks like it’s been swimming in ferns for so long it’s put down roots. The 2000 is a rare Alfa that was larger than many of the brand’s other models, but any interested parties would only find value in this relic as a parts car—the rot goes too deep for anything more.
After Italian for Tom’s appetizer, he moves on to the next course, which is a clapped-out Citroën 2CV covered in pine trees and dirt. But soon it’s back to Italy, in the form of another Alfa Romeo, this time a 1956 Giulietta that, sadly, is also too far gone to restore. Moving over German cars, the field also holds a rough-looking Porsche 914 with optional aluminum wheels, sitting on the trailer where it rested for at least 20 years.
Inside, however, is the real motherlode. There’s a 1940 Dodge truck to kick things off, which Korwin initially wanted as a support truck for vintage racing when his family bought it in about 1976. Behind that is a 1956 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint that Korwin’s parents drove on dates in back in the late ’50s and early ’60s. It has the original turquoise paint and column-mounted four-speed shifter, and Tom is sure it’s worth restoring. The Alfa love continues with a ’66 GTV that his dad did some custom repairs on after it was beached on a traffic island, followed by another 2000—this time a 1960—that’s a little more suitable for restoration.
Korwin doesn’t have any immediate needs to sell, and the hope is that many of these cars will get the restoration they deserve.
Tom’s adventures in Michigan aren’t over yet, either—there’s more to come on the next episode of Barn Find Hunter.
