Barn finds often end with a dusty car being dragged into daylight and an ambitious promise that it will someday run again. Hagerty’s latest Barn Find Hunter story is different because the family involved is actually following through.
At the center of it is Molly, whose late father Bernie accumulated an extraordinary collection that included a genuine Shelby Cobra, a 1959 AC Ace, and a 1968 Shelby GT500. Some sat unused for decades, and Molly grew up around them without fully appreciating just how special they were.
Now Molly and her husband Jared are taking responsibility for bringing the cars back. Their plans range from getting one running largely as-is to carrying out an extraordinarily detailed reconstruction of the most valuable car in the collection.
The project has also become a tribute to Bernie, who died in December 2025. His daughter has committed to keeping the cars, restoring them, and eventually doing something particularly appropriate with the Cobra: learning to drive it properly.
The “Fake Cobra” Isn’t Fake At All
Growing up, Molly knew the 1959 AC Ace simply as her dad’s “fake Cobra.” In reality, the aluminum-bodied Ace is a rare and historically significant sports car closely related to the machine that eventually became Carroll Shelby’s Cobra.
Bernie bought the Ace in 1976 for $5,500, apparently intending to use its aluminum body for his damaged Cobra. Thankfully, that never happened, leaving the Ace intact apart from some decidedly homemade wooden bumpers fitted after a towing mishap.
Its original engine is gone, replaced with what appears to be a Chevrolet 327 V8 incorporating several period Corvette components. Molly and Jared plan to clean it up, make it mechanically safe, and return it to the road without erasing the unusual history it accumulated under her father’s ownership.
The GT500 Has Been In The Family Since 1968
Then there’s the 1968 Shelby GT500, a non-KR model that Bernie purchased new after trading in a 1967 Oldsmobile 442. He later fitted KR-style front-end components, including the functional ram-air hood, reportedly after a minor collision damaged the originals.
Time hasn’t been especially kind to the Mustang. Its exhaust deteriorated beyond saving, the driver’s floor has severe rust, and various pieces have been removed, although the family still has many of them stored away.
Molly and Jared intend to give the GT500 a full restoration. Considering Bernie remained its titled original owner, preserving the car also means preserving a direct connection to the man who bought it nearly six decades ago.
The Cobra Is The Biggest Challenge
The collection’s centerpiece is CSX2410, an authentic 289 Shelby Cobra that Bernie bought in 1973. Hagerty’s video documents how the car’s identity was confirmed through its chassis and engine numbers, with Shelby records linking its original 289 V8 directly to chassis 2410.
Its condition explains why Bernie never simply put it back together. A previous owner crashed the Cobra in 1968, reportedly rolling it four times and destroying the original aluminum exterior bodywork.
Bernie acquired what remained with a fiberglass replacement body, while the genuine chassis, engine, and numerous original mechanical components survived. Restoration specialists at Vintage Motorcar Corporation are now rebuilding it to an exceptionally high standard, preserving original chassis sections and hardware wherever possible while replacing pieces too badly damaged to save.
This Cobra Won’t Become A Garage Ornament
The Cobra restoration has already been underway for several years and could require a few more before completion. Bernie was able to see its progress before his death, with the shop describing completion of the car as essentially his final wish.
Molly plans to initially show the restored Cobra at concours events, but permanent display isn’t the end goal. Afterward, she wants to drive it alongside the AC Ace, bringing together two closely related chapters of sports-car history.
First, however, she needs more practice with a manual transmission, and few driving lessons come with quite as much motivation as knowing there’s a genuine 289 Shelby Cobra waiting at the end.