Mopar_® Hidden Gems at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals

They were left for dead. Rotting in fields, sitting behind houses, parked under carports, stuffed in the back of warehouses, and yes, even shoved into barns, covered in dirt, dust and rodent excrements. Many of these cars with tapped-out performance engines and faded paint were forgotten or left for dead. For those in the collector car hobby who dedicate their lives searching for old, beat-up muscle cars, it’s all about the hunt and scoring one of these extinct dinosaurs. These explorers of ancient muscle cars bring their recently acquired, unearthed treasures to the Barn Finds and Hidden Gem Invitational during the annual Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) event held every November in Chicago. Their goal is to have these ramshackle and shabby cars on display in MCACN’s highly popular Buried Treasures and Hidden Gems Invitational. These machines are like time capsules, frozen in time and nesting in some hidden tomb. They provide a firsthand account of how fragile these muscle cars were, as prior owners would slather cans of Bondo on the rotting sheet metal. The automakers who engineered the body, frame, chassis and driveline, with a ‘Planned Obsolescence’ business strategy, to the line workers who built these cars in factories whose mission was to roll out as many units as possible, never in their wildest dreams and hallucinations expected these vehicles would live over half a century.

Surprisingly, many did, and the ones in need of TLC found their way to the MCACN show for thousands of attendees to admire, shake their heads, and ponder where and how these rare gems got unearthed.

The people responsible for rounding up these cars that, in some cases, have been rescued from the jaws of death or even the scrap heap, are Bob Ashton and Ryan Brutt. These two have worked together for years, and the Barn Finds and Hidden Gems Invitational at MCACN is a sight to behold in all its grubby glory. While many makes and models of tattered muscle cars comprise the exhibit, it was the Mopar_® vehicles that really drew the crowds in. The variety of remnants from the Dodge Scat Pack, which included both a 1969 Charger Daytona, Charger 500 and 440 Six Pack Super Bee, along with a 1968 Charger R/T, had a non-stop crowd surrounding them. The old defunct Plymouth brand was also well represented with a real ‘V-Code’ 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Convertible powered by a 440 Six Barrel engine. But one of the many highlights was a real-deal 1968 Plymouth Super Stock HEMI^® Barracuda. It was rough but complete with great history, including the former owners who did battle on the drag strips across the country in both Super Stock and after a facelift to 1969 trim, Pro Stock.

“My favorite Mopar from this year’s Barn Finds and Hidden Gems was probably that 1968 Plymouth Super Stock HEMI Barracuda. It was such a cool time capsule, and it still has the original engine. That’s just crazy,” said Ryan Brutt. Like many of the ‘Barn Find’ cars we saw at MCACN this year, many will get restored one day, but for this particular HEMI Barracuda, its owner and longtime Mopar enthusiast, Steve Atwell, has other plans. “I bought this car from the family who purchased it brand new in 1968. I have all the paperwork, and it has a great history. This car has been certified by many Super Stock experts, so it’s the real deal. This HEMI Barracuda still has the original interior, lightweight glass, and what’s even more rare, since it was a racecar, the original 426 HEMI and TorqueFlite transmission came with it,” noted Steve. But knowing Steve, this will be more than just a museum showpiece. “I’m keeping the custom paint job that was applied over 50 years ago on it, and just give it a good washing. Then, I’ll drop in a 500-cubic-inch pump gas-friendly crossram HEMI that has it running low-10 second ETs. I’m also planning on participating in the 2026 Sick Michigan Miles Drag & Drive Event. I love road tripping and driving an original Super Stock HEMI Barracuda across the state will make the adventure even cooler,” smiled Steve.

Another cool Barn Find and Hidden Gem was this 1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee Six Pack. Another rare machine that saw its fair share of abuse from street racing skirmishes. Its current owner, Martin Raineri, from St. Louis, had been pursuing a 440 Six Pack Super Bee for some time after an exhilarating ride in one years ago that left a deep-rooted memory he never forgot. “I was at a car show at our local church and was speaking with a friend. He told me about a Six Pack Super Bee not too far from my house,” said Martin. “I contacted the owner and immediately went at and looked at it. It was a bit worn, but all there, including the numbers matching 440 Six Pack with the original Edelbrock intake and Holley carbs. The original four-speed transmission was still with the Bee, and that made me want the car even more. The fact that it was an original ‘Butterscotch’ painted car with a black bumblebee stripe and a coupe body style did it for me. But, the owner and I had to play a ‘cat and mouse’ game because he really didn’t want to sell it at first but after a while, a deal was made, and I brought it home. I was asked to have it on display in the ‘Barn Finds and Hidden Gems Invitational’ at MCACN, and that was really cool!”

“The 440 Six Pack engine still runs, but it’s tired. The Super Bee has only accumulated over 80,000 miles since it rolled off Chrysler’s Lynch Road Assembly Plant in the spring of 1969. My plans are to do a complete nut-and-bolt restoration once I get into my new garage,” noted Martin. “The car spent most of its life in Georgia, so the body, frame and chassis are really clean.” What’s nice for Martin, he also owns a fully restored 1970 Dodge Coronet R/T, so he knows what it takes to get these old muscle cars fixed up and looking good. It doesn’t happen overnight, but the fact that his Super Bee has ‘good bones’ and all the unique items are still with the car, like the one-year-only fiberglass lift-off hood and special air cleaner assembly, we expect Martin to have this car fully restored and looking good the MCACN show in the near future.

So, check out these old, rare and unrestored Mopar vehicles from the Barn Finds and Hidden Gems Invitational from the 2025 MCACN show!