The mystery of barn finds: Shelby and Alfa Romeo, two unique gems from the memory barn

The extensive collection left by the renowned neurologist Fred Simeone to the foundation that now bears his name in Philadelphia, where the cars he meticulously gathered during his lifetime are displayed, includes some fortuitously rediscovered automobiles. We have selected two for their contemporary significance, a significance that was not fully recognized at the time, not even by those who created them.

The Shelby Cobra Coupe Daytona chassis CSX2287 is the first of just 6 built and is the only one entirely built at Shelby America in Venice, California.

Let's begin with the Shelby Cobra Coupe Daytona, which Carroll Shelby designed in 1964 to compete with the more aerodynamic Italian and German cars in endurance races. This car was significantly different from the earlier Cobras, which were derived from the AC Ace sports car with a Bristol engine and were not suitable for high-speed racing. The Daytona Coupe was meticulously handcrafted in the United States with an aluminium body. The car possessed both beauty and formidable performance, a combination so successful that it prompted the creation of five more, this time masterfully crafted in Modena, the heart of sports car production in those years (see ModenArt). Today, these automobiles are highly sought after by collectors, but their rarity renders them nearly unattainable. The last time one went up for auction was in 2009, and the price of over seven million dollars paid then would significantly increase today. If Simeone's original, the number 1 car, were to go to auction, its historical significance would eclipse any consideration of its initial sale price. The fact that when it retired from racing, the owner sold it to his chauffeur for a symbolic sum of $1,000 would matter little. You read that correctly, just a thousand dollars!

Left in original, unrestored condition the Shelby Cobra Coupe Daytona is displayed at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

At that point, the car seemed lost. The chauffeur had given it to his daughter, who hid it and denied owning it to everyone, even Carroll Shelby, who tried to buy it back from Donna O'Ara, the owner's name. She adamantly refused to acknowledge it. The woman's mental health deteriorated significantly, and in October 2000, she tragically committed suicide, setting herself on fire. After her passing, the car was discovered abandoned in a storage facility in Southern California, in rather poor condition but still intact. Simeone didn't hesitate to make a convincing offer and brought it to his magnificent museum, where it can be admired and, on certain occasions, even seen in action.

Found in Argentina, this 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 A finished 2nd in the 1937 Mille Miglia.

Equally astonishing is the story of the Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 A from the 1930s, one of the museum's star attractions. After finishing second overall in the 1937 Mille Miglia, driven by Nino Farina, who would later become the first Formula 1 World Champion, the car changed hands between gentleman racers before being re-bodied by Alfa Romeo itself with a sleeker and softer silhouette. After the war, the Alfa, with its captivating but rather "retro" body, was purchased by an Argentine nobleman and later sold, once again in Argentina, to another wealthy gentleman racer. There are traces of its presence in local races until 1952 when it disappeared. In the 1970s, Simeone, while flipping through an old issue of Road & Track magazine, discovered the existence of this 8C 2900A in Argentina. He didn't hesitate and embarked on a quest to find it. The task seemed impossible, but he succeeded. He found the car, initially without its engine but in rather good condition. Undeterred, he persevered and eventually located the engine too, which fortunately was mostly complete, including the rare carburettors and compressors.

Transported to Philadelphia, meticulously restored, and made fully operational, it is one of the most significant attractions of a museum that everyone should know about.

Found in a barn, initially with the engine missing, the 1937 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 A was restored and raced at the 1000 Miglia in 1991.