Honestly, there’s something genuinely therapeutic about the sound of tall grass scraping against the underside of a Lamborghini Centenario. You're out there, somewhere in the vast, sun-bleached expanse of the Australian Outback, squinting at a blurry purple circle on your mini-map. It’s 2026, and while we’ve had newer maps and fancier graphics in subsequent sequels, the Forza Horizon 3 barn finds still hit differently. It isn't just about the car. It’s about that specific "click" when the GPS stops chirping and you spot a corrugated metal roof peeking through the eucalyptus trees.
Most people think of these as simple fetch quests. They aren't. They are the soul of the game.
When Playground Games dropped Horizon 3 back in 2016, they nailed the "exploration" vibe in a way that later entries arguably over-gamified. In the later titles, you’re bombarded with icons. In Horizon 3, finding a classic Holden or an old American muscle car felt like you were actually uncovering a piece of history buried in the dust. You'd be cruising near the Pink Lakes or through the dense rainforest of Byron Bay, and suddenly, Warren—the best mechanic in the franchise, don’t @ me—would crackle over the radio. He’d give you that vague hint, and the hunt was on.
The Weird Logic of the Forza Horizon 3 Barn Finds
If you’re just starting a nostalgic replay or picking it up for the first time, you need to understand that these cars don't just appear because you drove past them. There is a trigger system. You have to play through the Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, and Outback festival expansions to unlock the rumors.
Basically, the game rewards you for being active. You can’t just spend ten hours doing nothing but looking for barns; the rumors are tied to your level of influence and your progress in the main campaign. It’s a pacing mechanism. It stops you from getting the best cars in the game within the first hour.
Why the 1969 Ferrari Dino 246 GT is the hardest to find
Let's talk about the Dino. It’s iconic. It’s beautiful. It’s also hidden in a spot that makes most players want to throw their controller into the Tasman Sea. Located just east of the Dry Reservoir, this specific barn is tucked away in a valley surrounded by thick foliage.
The trick here isn't just looking for the barn. It’s looking for the absence of trees. If you look at your drone view—which is your best friend in this game, seriously—you’ll notice a small clearing that looks slightly out of place. Most players stay on the dirt paths. Don't do that. You have to go off-road, deep into the brush, to find this mid-engine masterpiece.
The Dino represents the peak of the Horizon 3 experience. It’s a car that was once considered "not a real Ferrari" because it lacked a V12, but in the context of the Australian landscape, its nimble handling and screaming V6 make it perfect for the winding roads of the Yarra Valley.
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Finding the Australian Icons
Since the game is set in Australia, the local legends are the real stars. You aren't just looking for European exotics. You're looking for steel that was forged in the heat of the local car culture.
Take the 1974 Holden Sandman HQ. It’s a panel van. It’s literally a box on wheels. In any other racing game, it would be a joke. But in Horizon 3, it’s a legend. You find this one near the Alpinka Station, south of the rainforest. The Sandman is a cultural touchstone in Australia, often associated with surf culture and... well, "shaggin' wagons." Finding it in a derelict shed feels authentic. It’s a car that belongs in a barn.
Then there’s the 1973 Ford XB Falcon GT. If you’ve ever seen Mad Max, you know why this matters. It’s the Interceptor. Finding this beast in the Coober Pedy region feels like you’ve stumbled onto a movie set that everyone forgot about. It’s heavy, it’s loud, and it’s unapologetically Australian.
The Drone Trick Nobody Mentions
If you are struggling with the search area, stop driving. Seriously.
Open the menu and switch to the Drone. I’ve seen so many people try to find these barns while driving a supercar with three inches of ground clearance. It’s a nightmare. The Drone can fly over fences, zip through dense forests, and—most importantly—it can hover. When you find the barn with the drone, it marks it on your map permanently.
- Pull over in a safe spot (or don't, it's a game).
- Launch the drone.
- Fly in a "lawnmower" pattern across the purple circle.
- Look for the distinct "green door" or the rusted corrugated iron.
The Restoring Process: Why Patience Wins
Once you find a barn find in Horizon 3, you don't get the car immediately. Warren takes it back to his shop. This is where the "realism" (if you can call it that) kicks in. Some cars take longer to restore than others.
If you find the 1946 Ford Super Deluxe Station Wagon, it’s going to take a while. It’s an old "woody" wagon. Warren has to source parts that probably haven't been manufactured since the Korean War. You can "pay" to speed up the restoration using in-game credits, but unless you’re sitting on a mountain of cash from the Goliath circuit, just wait.
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The wait makes the delivery feel special. When Warren calls you up and says the car is ready, and you see that shiny, restored paint job for the first time, it’s a genuine dopamine hit. You’ve saved a piece of history.
Hidden Mechanics: The "Missing" Barn Finds
There are 15 core barn finds in the base game. But there’s a catch.
There were originally "Forzathon" exclusive barn finds, like the 1932 Ford De Luxe Five-Window Coupe. If you are playing the game now, years after the live service updates have slowed down, you might notice that some barns simply won't trigger. This is a common point of frustration.
The base 15 are always there. They are:
- Holden 50-2106 FX Ute: A classic Aussie workhorse found in the parklands.
- Holden Torana A9X: Found near the reservoirs.
- Ford XB Falcon GT: The muscle legend.
- Valiant Charger E49: A Mopar-adjacent beast found near the outback.
- Nissan Skyline GT-R V-Spec (R32): Hidden in the snowy peaks (if you have the Blizzard Mountain DLC, though the base game R32 is near the rainforest).
- Jaguar MK2 3.8: A classy getaway car.
- Toyota FJ40: The ultimate off-roader.
- Dodge Charger Daytona Hemi: The one with the massive wing.
- Meyers Manx: A buggy for the dunes.
- Maserati A6GCS/53: An expensive Italian relic.
- Ferrari Dino 246 GT: The aforementioned hidden gem.
- Lamborghini LM002: The "Rambo Lambo."
- Reliant Supervan III: Yes, the three-wheeler.
- Ford Super Deluxe Station Wagon: The woody.
- Holden Sandman HQ: The surf van.
If you have the Blizzard Mountain or Hot Wheels expansions, there are additional cars to find, but the core 15 are the ones that define the Australian experience.
The Technical Reality of Hunting in 2026
If you’re playing on an Xbox Series X or a high-end PC today, the draw distance is actually your enemy. In the original Xbox One version, the "pop-in" of objects sometimes helped you spot the barn because the shed would load before the surrounding trees. Now, with the hardware being so fast, everything renders at once. It’s actually harder to spot the sheds because they are so well-integrated into the environment.
The lighting engine in Horizon 3 also uses a very specific "HDR" skybox—they actually filmed the Australian sky for months to get it right. This means that at sunset or sunrise, the shadows can be incredibly long and dark.
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Pro Tip: Hunt for barns at midday. The sun is directly overhead, and you won't get tricked by shadows that look like structures.
Misconceptions About the Map
A lot of guides tell you to look for "roads" leading to the barns. That’s a lie. Or at least, it’s a half-truth. While most barns have a faint dirt trail leading to the door, these trails often don't connect to the main road. They are isolated loops of dirt.
You should be looking for "interest points." A lone silo, a cluster of dead trees, or a specific rocky outcrop often signals that a barn is nearby. The developers at Playground Games didn't just place these randomly; they placed them in spots that look "scenic" in the photo mode.
Actionable Steps for the Modern Hunter
If you're looking to clear the map and get that 100% completion, here is how you handle it efficiently without burning out.
- Focus on Festival Upgrades: Don't hunt until you've upgraded at least two festival sites to Level 3. This triggers the rumor mill much faster.
- Use the Centenario for Travel, the FJ40 for the Hunt: Use a fast car to get to the purple circle, but once you’re inside the zone, swap to something with high ground clearance. It makes navigating the uneven terrain of the Outback significantly less frustrating.
- Check the Map "Voids": Open your world map and look for large areas where there are no roads and no icons. 90% of the time, that’s where the barn is hiding. The game tries to fill the "empty" space on the map with these collectibles.
- Listen to the Radio: Sometimes, the DJ will give a small bit of flavor text about a "local legend" or a "hidden treasure" just before the rumor pops. It’s a nice bit of immersion that actually serves as a gameplay hint.
The Forza Horizon 3 barn finds aren't just a checklist. They are a love letter to automotive history. Each one tells a story of a car that was once loved, then forgotten, and finally rediscovered by you. Whether it’s the roar of the Falcon GT or the quirky tilt of the Reliant Supervan, these cars add a layer of personality to the game that modern racers often lack.
Stop worrying about your lap times for a second. Head out into the red dust of the Outback, launch your drone, and go find some rusted metal. It's the most rewarding thing you can do in the game.