Stories of vintage cars in barns are a lot like those told by fisherman. With each telling the find becomes more amazing and more likely than not, the stories are founded on a grain of truth. On very rare occasions a find is so incredible it will suffice to fuel the imaginations of generations of story tellers.
An excellent case in point is this story out of England. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090101/ts_afp/britainautoauctionoffbeat_090101195011
Usually barn finds as they relate to automobiles are little different from other things left in barns by fellow stable mates such as cows or horses. Years of neglect have transformed a once stately automobile into little more that a pile of scrap that resembles an automobile.
Those that do survive are often the more mundane vehicles, those that were mere reliable transportation for the average Joe in their day. http://www.californiaclassix.com/archive/40_Barn-Dodge_c154.html
In any instance an automobile that has survived into the modern era intact after decades of hibernation is a true time capsule. They are rare, tangible links to an earlier time.
On a different note here is another one for the “And Now For Something Different File.” I am not a big fan of street rods as a customized vehicle looses that time capsule vehicle I so enjoy. Still, this is truly amazing. http://forums.finalgear.com/general-automotive/7-liter-twin-turbo-1939-international-truck-32207
