YouTuber Finds Abandoned Ferrari and Two Porsches Sitting for Years in a Barn

Madison Merchel could not have had a stronger YouTube debut. For her very first upload, she documented the discovery of a silver Ferrari 360 Modena, a yellow Porsche 986 Boxster S, and a dark blue Porsche 996 Carrera hidden in an abandoned barn. The cars had been sitting untouched for years under layers of dust and mold. In the grand scheme of barn finds, a three-car haul is tiny compared to some of the sprawling collections uncovered in recent years, yet this one still stands out as one of the coolest we have seen in a while.

Three Gems From the 2000s

After months of back and forth with the late owner's family, Merchel made an offer on all three cars as they sat. She knew none of them had run in ages. She also knew the risks. Still, she took the gamble. The family accepted the undisclosed amount, handing over three time capsules in various stages of decay. The Boxster had a mouse nest in the frunk, the Ferrari’s cabin showed patches of mold, and the Carrera (fitted with a K&N air intake) looked like it had hibernated for a decade. While the two Porsches are stick-shift cars, the 360 is equipped with the F1 automated manual transmission rather than the rare six-speed gated manual; however, a manual swap remains on the table.

Surprising First Starts After Years of Silence

With a new battery and fresh fluids, each car roared back to life. Massive plumes of smoke poured from the exhausts, especially the Ferrari, which practically vanished behind a cloud as it crawled out of the barn. Viewers winced when the 360 was revved while still cold, and it looked like it had been filled with too much oil. Only future videos will reveal whether any of this causes problems later. Despite having a rough idle, the fact that all three engines ran with only basic prep suggests there's more life in them than their condition had us believing.

The Start of A Promising Restoration Journey

While the two Porsches should be manageable projects, especially since Porsche now offers period-correct seat fabrics for older cars like the 996 to aid in the restomod process, the Ferrari might prove to be a real challenge. Despite being new to YouTube with only 2,000 subscribers, Merchel is no stranger to the autosphere, with nearly 38,000 fans following her journey on Instagram. Currently, she owns a 991.2 Porsche GT3 RS, an FD Mazda RX 7, and a 1JZ-swapped Nissan N13, and has worked on one of the most beloved M3 generations, the E36 M3. Whether these three new additions will return to factory spec or evolve into something entirely different remains to be seen. However, if history tells us anything, this will be a restoration series worth following.

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