This rare auto sat untouched for nearly 50 years in a downtown Asheville warehouse until three local car enthusiasts gave it new life

The 1956 Chrysler 300B is known as one of America's first muscle cars

This 1956 Chrysler 300B sat in a Coxe Avenue warehouse for nearly 50 years before being brought back to life by three Asheville car enthusiasts./ photo by Franzi Charen

This newsletter sponsored by Citizens Fuel Co., a family-owned Asheville company.

The dusty black car sat tucked into the garbage-strewn back corner of a downtown Asheville warehouse when Heath Towson first laid eyes on her.

She had a ghostly, imposing presence, despite her flat tires and disrepair. But Towson, an old car aficionado, knew just how special she was.

Then this past fall, after a long negotiation, Towson partnered with two other Asheville vintage car enthusiasts to buy the classic auto and bring it back to life. It hadn’t been touched for nearly half a centure.

It was “the classic ‘barn find,’” says Kip Veno, one of the partners — a car with only minor imperfections, simply frozen in time and waiting for someone to notice.

Reid Moffitt, the third partner says simply: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime car.”

Beyond the thrilling discovery of a truly rare car, the story of the resurrection of the 1956 Chrysler 300B, one of America’s first muscle cars, is one that illuminates Asheville’s rich automotive history filled with the culture’s car obsession and dotted with movie stars and legendary NASCAR drivers.