The word “barn find” often implies old Corvettes, Broncos, or muscle cars that have been sitting in the same spot for 30+ years. Dust, animal droppings, and rust are all implied. However, what we have here is the exact opposite of that: clean, well-organized cars, most of them imports from Japan, with a splash of Germany on the side.
Hagerty is in Virginia to check out an amazing collector and the guy behind it. Gary Duncan of Duncan Imports & Classics probably has about 700 cars, some of which are hard to find, like right-hand-drive Japanese mini trucks or antiques. Most of them are sold under the 25-year rule, which allows him to buy and bring vehicles that weren’t sold in America when new.
While you won’t find a lot of Skylines under his roof, he’s got everything else, including Nissan Figaros, Mazda Autozam, or some fancy Volkswagens, like a Karmann Ghia.
Right, let’s begin pointing out cool Japanese cars, starting with a 1969 Toyota Corona, a beautiful 2-door in red with a 5-speed manual. And how about a Japanese traditional hearse. It’s basically a Century luxury limo with some fancy golden dragons and fancy wood.
I’m a big fan of Mitsuokas, not to drive, but to look at. The collection has one of those too, aย Galue. It looks like a Rolls-Royce from decades ago but is actually a relatively modern Nissan underneath.
Want the most classic Datsun 240Z possible? Well, there’s a perfect-looking example from the 1970 model year, the first to be sold in the States. That same year produced the first Honda Civic, which looks tiny compared to its modern counterpart and only cost $1648 when new.
Want a Nissan Figaro?
I knew The Nissan Figaro was becoming popular with collectors, but Gary’s collection still came as a shocker. He’s got a “Figaro room” filled with at least 50 of them. So that could be a cool million dollars’ worth of cute little buggers like that. Apparently, Hagerty believes a concours condition model can be worth $41,000.
The collector also has a bunch of Nissan S-Cargo. They look like snails, in case the name didn’t give it away, and the manufacturer only made 8,000 of them from 1989 to 1991. I’ve watched the Doug DeMuro videos on it (he owned one), but I still don’t get why you’d want one.
Hagerty’s barn finder discovers a 4-doorย Willysย Jeep that was actually produced under license by Mitsubishi. I’m equally blown away and I almost don’t care about the R32… almost.
This video is a 2-for-1 special because after Gary’s ultra-clean collection we get to see a grittier parking lot that’s also in Virginia. Over 300 Volkswagen Westfalias have been collected from around the U.S. by a gentleman who wanted to save them from being scrapped.
