North Carolina Is The Last Place You’d Expect To Find A Barn Full Of British Classics


If you’ve ever been abroad, there’s a fair chance a few unfamiliar cars may have caught your eye, and you perhaps may have been tempted to bring one or two back with you. Most people are faced with the fact that life is hard and sometimes you find yourself living in reality.

However, what if your goal was to achieve that dream? If you decide to pursue that dream, you may end up owning a warehouse similar to Vernon Brannan’s. According to Hagerty’s Tom Cotter, the Barn Find Hunter himself, Brannan is in possession of the most complete collection of Triumphs in North America, all hidden away in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Related: Lamborghini Espada Left in Barn for 30 Years After Owner Went Missing

Among his collection, which includes around 30 Triumphs, is a Triumph Acclaim, better known as an early example of badge engineering courtesy of Honda’s Ballade. The Civic front-wheel-drive sedan with Civic engine is just one of the few that have made it to the States. It isn’t the only front-wheel drive Triumph in the collection, either. And with only three FWD Triumph models to ever be produced, there’s an example of a 1500 front-wheel drive tucked away, too, making it two out of three.

The collection also includes an Mk1 Spitfire as well as a TR4 hatchback TR4 that Harringtons converted and a TR8 SCCA champion-winning TR8 piloted in Ken Slagle’s hands.

It’s not all Triumphs, though, as Brannan is a veritable aficionado of all things wheeled and British. Brannan also owns a 1962 998cc Austin Mini Cooper and a Jaguar XJ12 coupe as well as a Bond Equipe.

The most interesting aspect of this collection is their dry storage. Many of them seem in extraordinary condition. Vernon Brannan is a wealth of information on each car and continues to race some of them, including a triple-Webber’d Triumph Vitesse.

[embedded content]

Adblock Test (Why?)

For more car news, click here

Author: Brandon Park