Discovering, Northern MN

Head to The Shed in Warroad for Northern Minnesota’s Largest Classic Car Collection

For a completely unexpected experience, stop at The Shed in Warroad, MN. We stumbled on a car enthusiast’s dream collection of classic and muscle cars at The Shed in Warroad, MN, and even more surprising is that it wasn’t even on our radar. A person doesn’t have to love cars to appreciate this car collection at The Shed.

A recommendation by a local is the only reason we stopped by The Shed in Warroad. A gentleman asked if we were on a schedule. We replied no so he told us to go stop at “The Shed”. Our instructions were to “go up three blocks from here and take a right. If the stoplight by the front door is green it means they’re open.”

We did as we were told and the stoplight was green!

Car Enthusiast’s Dream Collection at The Shed in Warroad, MN

We walked in and were admiring some hockey memorabilia that was in the entryway. We assumed that because we’re in “Hockeytown USA” it’s pretty typical to find hockey memorabilia in just about every building in Warroad, population 1,881.

Turns out, this “collection” belongs to Bob Marvin, of Marvin Windows, he’s also the Mayor of Warroad. It was more than a little collection of hockey memorabilia and old cars. Marvin also happens to own 20% of the Minnesota Wild. This isn’t just any car collector, and this isn’t just a “Shed”.

We were signing the guestbook when a charismatic, friendly gentleman named Rick started talking to us and asked if we would like a tour. Rick is the caretaker of The Shed in Warroad and a personal friend of Bob Marvin. We proceeded to walk through and hear the story about the 90 cars in the collection for the next 4 hours! Marvin’s wife and the dog even stopped in for a visit and she could not have been nicer. It was an experience we won’t forget. We were shocked that this stop was not even on our radar to visit.

Rick has had an amazing career in the music industry, touring as the soundman with any musician you’ve heard of. He has lots of stories to tell and even played a guitar gift to him by Keith Urban.

We mean it when we said this was an experience we will not forget.

There is no entry fee, however, they do accept donations that go toward helping out the community.

Coolest Car Collection in Minnesota

The coolest thing about this rare car collection is that many of the cars in The Shed in Warroad are one-of-a-kind or two-of-a-kind. For example, if there were 2 made in a series, Bob may own one or even both of those cars.

A person does not even need to be into liking old cars to appreciate this collection. Because the car collection is inside the “Shed” it’s comfortable to view in any type of weather.

The Shed is seriously packed with cars- 90 of them! Actually, there were only 89 during the time of our visit- one was off for repairs. The collection focuses on muscle cars from 1966 to 1970. All cars are in working condition and when Rick senses that you really like a car- he starts it up and lets you hear the engine roar.

Hop in!

Rick could sense which cars each of us really liked. He told us to get in for a picture!

One of the many cool things about this collection is the stories that go along with the cars. This car collection includes cars belonging to Hollywood stars, that have been in the movies or even Presidential campaign cars. Impressive doesn’t even begin to describe what is all under this roof.

Classic Cars at The Shed in Warroad, MN

Here is a list of the classic cars in chronological order that you’ll find at The Shed in Warroad.

  1. 1926 Ford Model T
  2. 1932 Buick Sedan
  3. 1932 Roadster
  4. 1933 Lincoln Phaeton which was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Presidential Campaign Car
  5. 1937 Cord 812 (1 of 900 cars produced)
  6. 1937 Lincoln 
  7. 1940 Packard Woody Station Wagon 
  8. 1953 Buick Skylark
  9. 1954 International R-140 Woody (1st one produced & the only to have survived. Used by the Army Corp of Engineers)
  10. 1956 Ford Fairlaine Crowne Victoria (1 of 600 cars produced)
  11. 1956 Lincoln Premiere (the car from Laverne & Shirley)
  12. 1957 Buick Roadmaster
  13. 1957 Chevrolet Corvette Fuelie 
  14. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
  15. 1957 Chevrolet El Morocco (1 of 18 cars produced)
  16. 1957 Chevrolet Nomad
  17. 1957 Chrysler 300 C
  18. 1957 Ford Thunderbird
  19. 1957 GMC Suburban S100 (1 of 500 produced)
  20. 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk
  21. 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham (1 of 304 cars produced)
  22. 1959 Cadillac Eldorado DeVille Biarritz
  23. 1959 De Soto FireSweep
  24. 1959 Chevrolet Impala
  25. 1960 Chevrolet Corvette
  26. 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air Z11 Experimental 
  27. 1959 Chevrolet El Camino
  28. 1962 Chevrolet Impala Z11 (1 of 51 cars produced and possibly the only left)
  29. 1962 Chevrolet Impala 409/409
  30. 1963 Corvette Sting Ray 
  31. 1963 Dodge 330 Max Wedge
  32. 1964 Ford Mustang
  33. 1964 Pontiac GTO (1 of 1 cars made in triple black)
  34. 1965 Pontiac GTO Riverside 500 Pace Car
  35. 1965 Buick Riviera- Bobโ€™s first collector car and the restโ€ฆ.is history!
  36. 1965 Chevrolet Malibu 396 Z16โ€“ first Malibu ever made!
  37. 1965 Shelby Cobra 
  38. 1965 Pontiac GeeTo Tiger 
  39. 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Big Tank (1 of 66 cars produced)
  40. 1967 Chevrolet RS Camaro Z28
  41. 1967 Chevrolet SS 427
  42. 1967 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro SS in blue (1 of 37 cars made and the only blue car produced)
  43. 1967 Yenko Stinger Corvair Stage 3 (1 of 14 cars produced)
  44. 1967 Dodge Coronet 440 Hemi
  45. 1967 Ford Mustang in Playboy Pink
  46. 1966 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350-H (1 of 999 cars produced)
  47. 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500
  48. 1967 Oldsmobile 442 W-30 Hardtop (1 of 337 made with hardtops)
  49. 1967 Mercury Comet Cyclone
  50. 1967 Chevrolet Cmaro RS/SS
  51. 1968 Chevrolet Camaro L89 (extremely rare L89 package)
  52. 1968 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro 427
  53. 1968 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport Z/28
  54. 1968 Chevrolet Smokey Yunick Camaro Hemi (1 of 3 Hemi Engines for GM)
  55. 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Ram Air IV
  56. 1968 Ford  Mustang Shelby GT 500 โ€“ SIGNED by Carrol Shelby and only (1 of 2 cas produced in black)
  57. 1969 Plymouth GTX Hemi Convertible
  58. 1969 COPO Chevelle
  59. 1969 Yenko COPO Chevelle ( 1 of 99 cars produced and 1 of 12 in Garnet Red- most are only found in museums)
  60. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 (1 of 69 cars produced)
  61. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS
  62. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
  63. 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro in yellow (1 of 198 cars)
  64. 1969 Chevelle COPO Camaro
  65. 1969 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro **This is the only collection that owns all 3 years of the Yenko
  66. 1969 Chevrolet Smokey Yunick Camaro Hemi
  67. 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 (1 of 237 produced)
  68. 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429
  69. 1969 Ford Torino Talladega (1 of 754 cars produced)
  70. 1969 Hurst Oldsmobile (1 of 912 cars produced)
  71. 1969 GTO Judge Ram Air III (Here come the Judge!)
  72. 1969 Pontiac GTO Judge Convertible ( 1 of 108 cars produced)
  73. 1969 Pontiac Trans Am (1 of 697 cars produced)
  74. 1969 Super Bee Hemi (1 of 38 produced)
  75. 1969 Yenko Nova
  76. 1970 Buick GSX Stage I (1 of 400 cars produced with the Stage 1 Package
  77. 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS-5 Convertible
  78. 1970 Cougar XR7 (1 of 19 cars produced and this is the only automatic)
  79. 1970 Cuda Hemi
  80. 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Convertible (1 of 2 cars produced)
  81. 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1 of 4 cars produced)
  82. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS-6 
  83. 1970 GTO GTO Judge Ram Air IV Convertible (1 of 17 cars produced)
  84. 1970 Dodge Challenger 
  85. 1970 Dodge Charger R/T SE (1 of 10 produced and the only car made in red)
  86. 1970 Nova SS L89 (one of the rarest Novas produced)
  87. 1970 Oldsmobile 442 Indianapolis Pace Car Edition
  88. 1970 Oldsmobile 442 W25
  89. 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 Indianapolis Pace Car
  90. 1970 Plymouth Super Bird (1 of 58 cars produced and only 58 with a meni + pistol grip shifter)
  91. 1975 Chevrolet Vega (Only Vega to leave the factory with a V8, the only car that still exists and was 1 of 5 cars produced)
  92. 1976 Chevrolet Cosworth Vega 
  93. 1987 Buick GNX
  94. 2004 Dodge Viper Custom (1 of 58 upgraded)
  95. 2005 Ford GT
  96. 2010 Chevrolet Hendrick Callaway Camaro (#18 of 25 cars produced)
  97. Chevrolet 789 which is a combination of a Chevrolet frame, 1957 Chevrolet front end, 1958 Chevrolet doors, 1959 Chevrolet rear end  (15th of 58 cars produced)
  98. 2012 Chevrolet COPO Camaro (1 of 69 cars produced)

Ice Cream Colors

One thing that stuck out when looking at these cars is to think about the automobile industry today- colors are not unique and cars are not unique anymore because they’re massively produced. This collection of cars is an example of how rare certain cars were at the time of their production.

As the saying goes, they don’t make them like they used to! Check out all the unique colors of these cars. Now, picture the variety, or lack thereof, of the cars we see on the road today.

1954 International Woody

This 1954 International Woody is one of 3 vehicles ever produced for the. This was used to aid in the construction of the Minuteman Missile sites in North Dakota. This vehicle is over 8′ tall and sits on a 1 1/2 ton chassis. This vehicle does a comfortable 45 mph.

1967 Chevrolet Yenko Camaro SS

This 1967 car has 25,000 miles on it and one paint job. It was decided in 1967 that Camaros could no longer have the 400 cid engine as it put them in a disadvantage in competition against the Ford Mustang, Plymouth Barracuda, and Dodge Dart.

Don Yenko created this with a Corvette engine and a fiberglass hood similar to that of the big-block Corvette.

Just One More Car…I Promise

There is a story to be told for every car! We heard all the stories and the stories are what made the tour for us! The rest of the story will be told in pictures.

Upon wrapping up our 4-hour visit, Rick gave us his business card and told us to read the bottom which says that a visit inside The Shed is either by appointment or chance (the green light signaling they’re open for visitors). We left The Shed in Warroad with a new friend. We got into our vehicle to get back to our road trip in complete awe of what we saw. Again, we continue to be amazed at the unique experiences we continue to have when we are on a road trip.

RELATED: Sleep at a Distillery near Voyageurs National Park

Road Tripping to The Shed in Warroad, MN

This stop at The Shed is truly one that won’t be forgotten by us and we think anyone would enjoy a visit. It’s worth the drive!

The Shed Website Address: 113 Lake St. NE, Suite B | Warroad, MN 56763

The Shed in Warroad, MN clos to the MN/Canadian Border.

From Mankato, MN to Warroad, MN – 404 miles | 7 hours

From Rochester, MN to Warroad, MN – 364 Miles | 6 Hours

From Duluth, MN to Warroad, MN – 248 miles | 4.5 Hours

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1 Comment

  1. Stay at Cantilever Distillery + Hotel for a Unique Minnesota Experience - Dining Duster

    March 21, 2022 at 8:36 pm

    […] was already an awesome day, as we had just come from an unexpected stop at The Shed in Warroad.  We stretched our legs at Bronson State Park and Zippel State Park on the way to […]

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