NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- For car collectors, it's equivalent to finding a Picasso in the attic or a letter from Abraham Lincoln in their grandfather's papers. A rare vintage car has been sitting in a barn for decades.
Next month in Kissimmee, Florida, a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona is set to go up for auction. The car has been sitting in a barn in Alabama for more than 40 years.
There were only about 500 of the cars ever built. The Charger going up for auction still includes most of its original features, including a white wing spoiler and the original 440 Magnum engine. The car has only 20,553 miles on it and was running until about four years ago, according to a story about the car in Hot Rod magazine.
The car was originally purchased in 1969 by a local judge for his wife, according to Mecum's auction site, which is handling the sale.
Hot Rod reports it was then purchased in 1974 by an 18-year old future anesthesiologist for $1,800. It was that owner who painted flames on the front of the car to trick it out before a trip to spring break in Florida.
That owner recently sold it for an undisclosed price it to Charlie Lyons, who runs a car restoration shop in Irvington, Alabama. It is Lyons who is the one selling the car at auction.
The car is being sold pretty much in the condition it was found in the barn, with peeling red paint, rust, and torn up bucket seats inside.
It is estimated to go for between $150,000 to $180,000, according to Mecum's. A restored version of the same car was sold at a Mecum auction in January for $900,000, according to the auction house.
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