In my previous barn-find books, I’ve listed careers that are ideal for barn-finders—landscapers, policemen, and delivery people, for example. The reason? These people can legally enter private property and potentially see what is invisible from the street.
But Alan Szarek may have the very best career for barn-finding: he’s a certified auto appraiser! Szarek is called by folks who desire to sell their cars. That includes cars that have been hibernating in garages for decades.
We should all be jealous.
Recently, Szarek received a call to appraise what was called a 1946 Cisitalia Pininfarina Custom. The Italian Cisitalia brand was one of the first post–World War II manufacturers to take aerodynamics seriously. The sleek bodywork was a good match for the small Fiat 1,100 and 1,500 engines. Cisitalia pushed automotive design forward; perhaps that’s why one sits as part of the permanent collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
The Cisitalia Szarek inspected had been sitting in the garage of his client’s father-in-law for decades. And it had been modified. The “Custom” in the car’s name means that the 1,500 cc Fiat engine had been removed a long time ago and replaced with a small-block Chevy, apparently in 1955.
Further modifications included an Oldsmobile rear and a Heidt’s front suspension, meaning that this would be a difficult car to source original parts for a concours restoration. Surprisingly, though, the car in its current condition—even though very rough and modified—is still quite valuable. Cisitalia 202 models like this one are rare and in demand, so even though the investment to correctly restore this car would be steep, Szarek’s appraisal was $86,900.
If this barn-find Cisitalia had been left unmodified, it could have been worth a small fortune in restored condition. Unfortunately, it had been converted long ago to a Ford V-8, so many original were parts were lost. DAVID WILLIAMS
So it’s not priceless, but for the average consumer, it’s close enough. And you can’t put a price on beauty.