Most barn-found classic cars come with similar stories nowadays: they were driven for a couple of decades and then parked and forgotten for various reasons. Well, this 1957 Buick Century is a bit different because it’s been taken off the road after only five years.
Yes, this once-gorgeous full-size sedan was parked in a barn back in 1962. There’s no info as to why that happened, but it spent a whopping 60 years in storage as of 2022. And amazingly enough, it’s still in one piece.
Mostly complete and covered in a thick layer of dust, the Century came back into the light with a surprisingly low amount of rust. For a car that’s been sitting for six decades, that is. There’s lots of surface rust on the upper body panels and some holes around the side skirts and wheel arches, but it’s nothing that can’t be fixed.
The interior is in a similar condition. While complete, it’s dirty and some surfaces show corrosion. But while a good cleaning could revive the upholstery, the door panels, and the dash, there’s no way to assess the condition of the floor panels from the photos provided by the seller. The same goes for the frame, but the ad says there’s “not much rust at all.”
Not surprisingly, the Buick doesn’t run, but that’s because the engine is disassembled and the intake manifold is missing. This could be a hint as to why the Century was decommissioned after only five years.
All told, this classic is in rough shape overall, and based on the current market value of a 1957 Buick Century, it’s not worth restoring. At least not if the plan is to flip it. It will probably end up as a parts car, but it’s a solid project vehicle at only $2,450. The family-owned four-door is located in Lawton, Iowa and is available through Facebook Marketplace.
If you’re not very familiar with the Buick Century, this barn find is a second-generation full-size. It was built from 1954 to 1958, shared underpinnings with the Oldsmobile 88, and was fitted with a selection of “Fireball” V8 engines. It arrived with a 322-cubic-inch (5.3-liter) mill rated at 200 horsepower in 1954 and got a larger, 364-cubic-inch (6.0-liter) powerplant good for 300 horses in 1957.