Just when I think all the world's "barn finds" have been found (or the barns converted for trendy living spaces), along comes another one. Yet few, if any, were as spectacular as what the nephews and nieces of Harold Carr discovered when they opened the doors of a dusty old garage left to them by their uncle. The astonished relatives discovered a treasure-trove of classic cars, including a 1937 Bugatti, one of only seventeen in the world. The Bugatti Type 57S Atalante, which had spent decades parked alongside other classics, including a Jaguar E-type and an Aston-Martin, will be the highlight of Bonhams' Retro-mobile show in Paris. It could become the most expensive car ever sold at auction.

One wonders how such a car could be left untouched since 1960, when it was last driven with a mileage of only 26,284. But Doctor Carr was obviously an eccentric, "a severe obsessive compulsive who never married or had children." Even his nephew described him as "a mad doctor." The Bugatti was delivered to Earl Howe, first president of the British Racing Drivers' Club and a winner of the 24 Hour Le Mans race, soon after it was completed on May 5, 1937. He kept the car for eight years, after which it changed hands a couple of times before Doctor Carr bought it from Lord Ridley, a member of the Northumberland gentry, in 1955.

There is more, much more, to the story than what I've related here. For the rest I refer you to this delightful article in the TimesOnLine, brought to my attention by friend and contributor Nigel Matthews. Don't miss it if you still have dreams of someday opening that barn door and finding more than a few bales of hay and a vintage pitchfork.

As 2009 rolls in I'm going to do something I've never done before: make predictions. Dire ones for the most part, but concluding with a cheerful prediction just to keep you smiling.

Because of the economic crisis the automotive world has been especially hard hit, affecting everything from manufacturers to motorsport, and there is no reason to believe the collector car hobby won't be similarly affected. Therefore I predict that while auctions will still be popular there'll be more sellers than buyers, especially at the lower end of the market where folks are struggling to survive loss of jobs, investments, and homes (when times get tough it's the toys that go first). Concours and major car shows that depend on sponsor support will also take a hit and become less flamboyant. Classic car media will be affected by advertising cutbacks. Museum presentations, vintage races and rallies, will be forced to reduce their budgets.

If all the above sounds like the apocalypse arriving, relax. I also predict that it will be for the common good. Collector car prices have risen to absurd levels over the past decade, particularly among the muscle car class or, even worse, any finned and V-8 powered rust-bucket from the 50's and 60's. Bargain hunters can enjoy a bonanza as old cars will again be priced according to realistic values rather than emotional images of a past that never actually existed, except in our imaginations. The collector car hobby will become affordable again in 2009. And that, my friends, is the silver lining in a cloudy new year.

[Image: Russo and Steeles 2009 Scottsdale Auction, 1959 BMW]

It's that time when media personalities go to great lengths (means: "lacking better ideas") to produce Top 10 lists. As an automobile journalist I've been tempted to add my own "10 Best New Cars" or "10 Best Cars Tested in the Past Year," etc., but always managed to resist. And what can one say about vintage autos? With thousands of great cars manufactured in over a century, who dares to claim which were the greatest?

Nevertheless I've finally decided (lacking better ideas) to create a personal list. Below, in no special order, is Philip Powell's "10 Best Events You Shouldn't Miss Seeing in 2009."

• Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction

• Goodwood Festival of Speed

• Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza

• Texas Concours d'Elegance for Classic Cars and Wooden Boats

• Legenda e Passione: RM Ferrari Auction at Maranello

• Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

• London-Brighton Veteran Car Run

• Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance

• The Woodward Dream Cruise

• Monterey Historic Races

There are hundreds more wonderful concours, auctions, competitions, shows and parades to be seen all over the world and no matter how depressed the economy gets car owners will still bring out their classics and enthusiasts will still trek to the locales to observe and admire. Feel free to add your personal choices in the Comments section below.

[Image: 2009 Villa d'Este Poster]

The worldwide recession is, as everyone knows, leading to talk of auto manufacturer buyouts: GM buys Chrysler, Renault buys Chrysler, the Chinese buy GM, etc. You'd better hope it never happens as history shows us that when car company A takes over car company B the results are usually disastrous. Ironically, it was Chrysler itself that bought Britain's Rootes and soon destroyed it and all Roote's great marques, then did the same to France's Simca.

On December 28 1954, production of the 1955 Nash-based Hudson Hornets and Wasps began and they were, to put it charitably, unattractive, being Hudson design details layered onto Nash bodies. In 1954 Hudson had amalgamated with Nash to form the American Motors Corporation. Manufacturing was transferred from Detroit to Kenosha, with the Hudson range sharing its unitised bodies with bigger Nash models. The last Hudsons featured L-head 6-cylinder engines and Packard-built V8s.

Hudson was a car company with a fine and historic reputation. The 1932 model's straight-eight engine was so admired that it powered European Specials like Railton and the Brough Superior. 1948 brought the revolutionary "step-down" models with low-to-the-road unitary construction, rear wheels mounted inside the chassis frame, coil spring independent front suspension, and a 145 hp 6-cylinder twin-carb engine that led it to sweep NASCAR stock car events for several seasons. At the end of the 1957 model year the name was dropped forever.

"Back to the Future," as the saying goes. Buyer beware!

Back in my teen years, working out daily at Toronto's Balmy Beach Canoe Club to become a flatwater canoe racer in flimsy "peanut shells," I was encouraged by a gentleman from a much earlier era. Overweight yet totally relaxed, with a red nose like Hollywood comedian Wallace Beery, Cec (pronounced "Cece") Webster warned me that in later years I'd pay the price with a body permanently twisted by the contortions of a totally unnatural pose. He was right. Today I can reach one foot but not the other. The above photo is of an Olympics medal-winning BBCC pair from my era. Look closely and you'll see what I mean by "twisted contour."

Cec Webster owned and loved a 1930s Reo sedan. As a marque the name was a mystery but, beginning to appreciate automotive design, I was delighted when Cec took me along as a passenger and demonstrated the Reo's "automatic transmission." It was only automatic by name, for the system, first developed in the UK, required the driver to select a gear in advance by means of a small lever, then hit the clutch pedal when the up-or-down shift was needed. Shifts were smoother than in manual systems, happening almost simultaneously, hence the "automatic" claim. Thanks to Cec Webster I got to enjoy riding in a Reo, and also thanks to Cec, I became a winning canoe racer. As my "ex" often reminded me, "that and 25-cents won't get you a cup of coffee."

The New York Times Wheels site has a lengthy list of comments resulting from a contributor's beef with certain contemporary car features. One suggestion that kept popping up was that manufacturers should bring back vent windows. Obviously the readers were boomers or older, since those handy devices haven't been seen in new cars for many years. What was the last car sold in North America that had them? Anyone recall? I'm one who remembers them well and I agree with the crowd on this. Nothing could clear mist off the inside of a windshield faster than opening a front vent window except air conditioning, and that uses energy.

With a vent to redirect airflow you could lower the side window and not be subjected to a hurricane blast. Or you could keep the side window raised and open the vent just slightly to get some cooler air inside. Yes, I can do that with my five-year old car's built-in vents and fan but the air gets subjected to under-hood heat. Even though I may want to drive along the highway with the windows closed to reduce exterior noise, the car's airflow system won't keep me cool so I'm forced to turn on the air conditioner. Old fashioned side vent windows would make that unnecessary. (When Fisher Body first introduced the system on GM cars in the early 30s they called it "No Draft Ventilation.") Finally a question for you aerodynamics experts: Is it possible that friction created by air passing over the hood at speed causes it to be heated before entering a car's ventilation system?

[Photo: Philip Powell]