Every enthusiast dreams of finding that rare muscle car in a barn, the one that's been hidden away for decades waiting for you to swoop in and buy it for a small percentage of its actual value. I came across a couple of these recently.

While riding my bike I happened upon a couple of valuable, very desirable Corvettes. The first was the '71 Warbonnet Yellow coupe you see here. To be honest, when I first laid eyes on it the year was 1997. It was stuffed in a garage and all you could see of it was the taillight panel. Everything else was covered in boxes, junk and who knows what else. I talked to the owner who gave me the details. He'd bought it in the early 1970s, it was a 454/4-speed car and no it was most definitely not for sale. Mr. Owner told me he was going to restore it after his sons graduated college. At the time I discovered it, it had been in storage for years.

I always inquired about it whenever I happened upon the owner. It was never for sale.

I wouldn't know for how long it was in storage until two weeks ago. My 9-year-old son, Sam, saw it first: "Look, there's that Corvette." I stopped in my tracks. The car was out of its cocoon for the first time since I learned of its existence. I spoke to the owner. He and his sons were cleaning out the garage. He offered to let me go over the Stingray. The first thing that caught my eye was the New Jersey inspection sticker—expired as of April 1979. Yes, it had been sitting for nearly three full decades.

Opening the driver's side door, I was greeted my a nasty, moldy smell, but the sight of the factory air conditioning setup made me ignore my nose. There was no tilt wheel. As you can see, it has the optional turbine hubcaps. There was a bunch of stuff packed in the storage area and passenger's-side area. The paint was rough from years of neglect and abuse.

Still not for sale. That's OK. I've got my '72 LT-1 now, alias Project Homewrecker. The last thing I need is to bring home another stray Corvette. The '71 is now back in its garage, away from prying eyes. I hope his kids graduate soon because this car is deteriorating quickly.

Next week I'll tell you about the '67 coupe that was found just three blocks from my house!