Watch Out For These Barn Finds: 5 Best Muscle Cars

You can find some amazing things in barns, and some of the best finds ever have been automobiles. While motorcycles are obviously easier to store and, thus, easier to pick up in a barn find, there are still plenty of cars that have been left in barns for years. Of all types of automobiles, though, the muscle car tends to be the most common. 

A big reason why muscle cars are in barns so often is that a lot of them are project cars. Their owners likely picked them up in hopes of restoring them to their previous glory but ended up pushing the project aside for one reason or another. When you’re looking for your next big barn find, be on the lookout for these five muscle cars that are consistently ranked among the best ever.

5. Plymouth Road Runner

A former staple of the muscle car scene throughout the entirety of the 1970s, the Plymouth Road Runner was one of the more affordable muscle cars when it was first introduced. Discontinued in 1980, the Road Runner still holds up today if you can find one to restore. 

One of the reasons why the Road Runner is popular amongst collectors is because of how simple it can be to restore one. People have put in the work to replace the 6.2-liter engines and sell for a profit, while a new paint job can help to make it look like it just came off of the Detroit assembly line.

4. Dodge Challenger

While not quite as easy to restore as the Road Runner, old-school Dodge Challengers are projects that require a lot of passion and elbow grease if you can pick one in a barn find. The Challenger was first introduced in 1969 and originally ran for five years. The model came back in the late 1970s before being stopped again in 1983.

Of course, Dodge has been making the Challenger once again ever since 2008, with those newer models not being restoration projects just yet. If you can get your hands on a first-generation Challenger, though, you might be sitting on a gold mine before you even start to restore it.

3. Ford Mustang

One of the most identifiable muscle cars, the Ford Mustang has had a lot of generations throughout its history that has been ongoing since 1965. Unlike all of the other muscle cars on the list, the Mustang hasn’t had a break in its production. 

The Mustang was massively successful when it was first released, meaning that there are a lot of valuable first-generation models just waiting to be found in barns. That first generation went from 1965 until 1973, though the 1974-78 second generation still carries a lot of value, as well. Even the third generation, which wasn’t held in as high regard at the time, has become trendy once again.

2. Chevrolet Camaro

If it weren’t for the seven-year break during the 2000s, the Chevy Camaro would join the Mustang as the only muscle cars listed to not have a disruption in production. Still, the Camaro is an instant classic that started just one year after the Mustang, 

The first generation of the Camaro is the most valuable, with model years 1967 through 1969. Full restoration for one of these collectors’ dream cars runs anywhere from $10,000 to $60,000.

1. Pontiac GTO

One of the most frequently seen muscle cars in film and television, the Pontiac GTO is truly an American icon. The GTO was initially released in 1963, with four generations of the model spanning from 1963 to 1974. 

Production stopped after that year, though, and came back with a second brief run in the mid-2000s. Any of the first four generations are worth a lot to collectors, with some of the biggest restoration projects costing upwards of $75,000.