At the 2022 Mecum Glendale auction, held at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, HotCars contributor Michael Van Runkle walked the floor during day two of a massive sale featuring more than 1,500 vehicles. The inventory ranged from classic one-offs to stock Jeep Gladiators, but one machine refused to blend into the crowd: a 1937 Ford Custom barn find with a wartime past and a paint job so valuable it could fund a small supercar collection.

The car belonged to Baron Von Kuhl, whom Michael nicknamed the Baron of Cool in what might be the dad joke of the year. It is a Roadster D’Elegance winner, and its lines are the kind that make grown enthusiasts go quiet. Chip Foose reportedly saw the Ford and claimed the paint alone is worth $300,000. That is supercar money, not barn-find money. 🚗💨

.jpg?&fit=crop&w=1200&h=675)

The legend is all in the details. The Ford began life as a custom coachbuilt 1937 Ford Cabriolet. Its chassis went to Grue & Co., a Ford dealership in Copenhagen, before being sent to Deutsh for a custom coachbuild for Baron Von Kuhl. The result was not just a car; it was a statement with fenders, a rolling sculpture that seemed to wear its history like a tailored suit.

When World War II began, Von Kuhl worked with Allied forces, helping retrieve top secret maps and other important documents and information. The Nazi Party, according to the story, did not appreciate Baron Von Kuhl’s car club, nicknamed Klub Schness Street Rods Germany, because its members simply had too much fun. There was also the matter of the Baron’s Ford Custom winning a Best of Show award over cars owned by Nazi leaders. That kind of trophy does not make friends in dangerous places. 🕵️‍♂️

In exchange for the information, France hid the car for the Baron and his wife, who carried the memorable nickname the Ice Princess. Tragically, the Von Kuhls died in a bombing. The Ford survived, but its future became a question mark. A farmer who purchased the land later sold the car, and it eventually went to Switzerland. That is where Steve’s Auto Repair in Portland, Oregon, spotted it and bought it on the spot.

David Brost redesigned the car while keeping true to its original appearance. The work began in 2000 and took about 15 months to complete, a labor of blood, sweat, and tears. The estimated cost reached $860,000. For a vehicle with this much history, the investment sounds less like an expense and more like a rescue mission.

Today, as of 2026, the Ford remains a favorite example among barn-find hunters and coachbuilt enthusiasts. It is in pristine condition. Under the hood sits a 514 cubic-inch Ford SVO V8 coupled to an automatic transmission. The old lady is no slouch, as the saying goes, though the gorgeous Italian leather seats make it easy to forget the car can move with serious authority. The cabin invites comfortable digging, not delicate perching.

The auction result is a curious footnote. A car with a $300,000 paint job, an $860,000 restoration estimate, and a World War II spy-adjacent narrative failed to meet its reserve at $96,250. For observers, the number felt like a glitch in the collector-car matrix. For the Ford itself, it was another chapter in a life that has never been ordinary.

In 2026, the 1937 Ford Custom remains a reminder that barn finds are not only about rust and forgotten chrome. Sometimes they are about bravery, hidden maps, a car club that had too much fun, and a Baron who earned the nickname Baron of Cool. The Ford may not have sold on that day in Glendale, but its story keeps appreciating. 🏁