One of the nice things about retirement is the check marks of achievement it can add to the free time you’d never enjoyed previously. One of the guys in our world who’s one of the very best at maximizing that freedom is our longtime pal Tom Cotter, who, after running the PR department at Charlotte Motor Speedway and then establishing a communications firm that represented some of the best in America motorsport, has dedicated a lot of his existence to ferreting out old cars, in any condition, anywhere. Tom does this a lot and has hosted more than 100 YouTube episodes on his adventures, along with authoring several well-received books about the cars he’s located. His newest book distills the methodology and motivation behind his obsession to find vintage cars.
How you arrive at a wellspring of free time is up to you, but in 208 hardcover pages, Secrets of the Barn Find Hunter will lay out the techniques Tom’s applied, with great success, in digging these old crocks out of their musty, shadowed existence. The author recounts his own success stories, including his Cunningham C-3 coupe that’s in running condition, while introducing us to the techniques he uses to persuade total strangers to reveal their treasures. Hint: Personal presentation and persistence are very important qualities to possess. The good news here is that you can do this, too. It’s going to be a long time before every vacant structure in America can be checked for the presence of automotive archaeology. You’ll enjoy this breezy, forthright tale. It’s a Motorbooks title, priced at $30.00.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 