“The Hemi in the Barn”
By Tom Cotter
Review by Gregg Leary

Exactly two years ago, I reviewed Tom Cotter’s ”The Cobra in the Barn.” Today it’s time to critique the sequel, “The Hemi in the Barn: More Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology.” Sequels rarely measure up to the originals be it in books or movies but in this case the follow up may be even better than the original.
Cotter’s 256 pager contains more than 130 photographs including some dramatic “before and after” images. The 39 stories are divided into seven chapters.
1. Exotic Destinations
2. The Find Next Door
3. Rare Finds
4. Stranger than Fiction
5. The Luck of the Car Hunters
6. Family Jewels
7. Playboys, Princesses and Spies
If you are interested in trying your hand at finding your own “hemi in the barn,” helpful hints abound starting with Jay Leno’s Foreword. Leno suggests:
If you’re looking for old cars, I recommend that you talk to old guys. They were all young guys once. A lot of them don’t have children; they don’t have any family left. They just want to see the love of their life, the car they were always going to restore (but never got around to it), go to a good home. Find the oldest garage or gas station in your town. Talk to the guy who runs it. Ask him if there are any customers who haven’t been in for a long time. Do they have an interesting car? Be polite, but be persistent.
“Leno’s Duesies” are two fascinating stories in the book. Jay followed the advice he penned in the Foreword. Jay became friends with an elderly gentleman who had something stored in a garage in Burbank just a few miles from Leno’s “Tonight Show” studio. Jay would pop by in his Stanley Steamer, honk the horn, and take “Harry” for a ride. At 92, Harry was about to enter a nursing home so he gave Leno permission to take a peek in his garage and purchase the contents if he wished. Leno did not take advantage of his celebrity status and wanted to be fair about the price, so he had the family bring in appraisers to determine the value. He bought the “whole shootin’ match,” which included a 1927 Duesenberg Model X that had been parked there for almost 60 years.
Leno had heard rumors about an almost mythical New York City Duesenberg that had been supposedly parked in a Big Apple parking garage since the 1930s. Urban Legend? Leno walked into a garage on West 57th Street off Park Avenue and was amazed to see
“The last unrestored, original owner Duesenberg on Earth. It was a 1931, was parked in the garage in 1933, and not removed for 70 years. It only had 7,085 miles on the odometer.” It also had accumulated $80,000 in storage fees. Leno offered the owner “fair market value” and the “Real Duesey” became a new occupant of Jay’s “Big Dog Garage.”
{pagebreak}
Tom Cotter’s Introduction lets the reader know that he a “certified car nut” an “automotive archaeology addict.” Cotter writes, “Most people discover old cars while looking at scenery; I discover scenery while looking for old cars.”
“Barn finding is an addiction. I can’t go on a business trip, vacation, to a wedding, or funeral-heck, I can’t even go out for a gallon of milk-without looking down driveways and behind garages. I just love the hunt” And for those readers who want to join in the search, Cotter offers an Appendix with “Top 20 Barn-Finding Tips.” They are so good and will save you so much time and aggravation.that you must purchase the book to get the list and reap the rewards. The 39 stories are worth the book’s cover price. The Tips are an added bonus.
The stories will delight the reader of “The Hemi in the Barn.” My favorites are:
“Dyno Don” Nicholson’s Holman-Moody-built A/FX Mustang the “Holy Grail” unearthed from a garage on the mean streets of Brooklyn.
A 1970 Plymouth Superbird that was literally hidden in an Alabama hedge.
“The Greatest Barn Find Story Ever Told” must be read and reread to be believed. Twenty one tractor trailer loads contained over 150 engines, thousands of spare parts and 14 cars including a 1969 Yenko Camaro and 5 Corvettes.
The car that gives the book its title is Ginger Rogers’ 1955 Chrysler Imperial with a 331-cubic-inch Hemi engine. It currently resides in a dilapidated barn in Oregon. Currently it is NOT FOR SALE
“The Hemi in the Barn” is a treasure map a “how to” book for those wishing to hunt down their own dream cars. It’s also great fun to read even if the only cars you collect are of the die-cast variety. I rate it four out of five lug nuts.
Order your copy of The Hemi in the Barn from SPEEDtvbooks.com today!