60 cars? Incredible treasure trove of rusting classics worth £12 MILLION

[jfreakofkorn]

Now where did I park my 60 cars? Incredible treasure trove of rusting classics worth £12MILLION is found languishing in a French farm garage after 50 years  | Daily Mail Online

Ferrari and a rare Maserati are among dozens of rusting classic cars found on farm in western France

The astonishing collection, left on the farm since the 1970s, is thought to be worth up to £12million

Classic cars owned by Egyptian King Farouk and sat in by Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine are for sale

Collection includes Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB, one of 36 ever made including one owned by Chris Evans

Owner of the collection Roger Baillon died more than 10 years ago, passing the cars on to his family

They did not realise the classic cars were worth so much, calling in auctioneers who delivered the surprise


By Ollie Gillman for MailOnline



A £12million treasure trove of 60 rusting classic cars left languishing on a French farm for 50 years has gone up for auction.

The haul of motors, which includes dozens of vintage sports cars, was found gathering dust under piles of newspapers in garages and barns on a farm in western France.

Among the vehicles up for sale are a Ferrari once sat in by Jane Fonda and a Talbot-Lago previously owned by extravagant Egyptian King Farouk.

The cars were collected from the 1950s to the 1970s by entrepreneur Roger Baillon, who dreamt of restoring them to their former glory and displaying them in a museum.

However, his plans were dashed as his business struggled, forcing Mr Baillon to sell about 50 of the vehicles.

Since then his collection has sat dormant in makeshift corrugated iron shelters and outbuildings on the farm.

Mr Baillon died about 10 years ago and his son, Jacques, who inherited the collection, died last year.

Mr Baillon's grandchildren had no idea of the extent of the collection, calling in car specialists Matthieu Lamoure and Pierre Novikoff of auctioneers Artcurial Motorcars to estimate its value.

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They found a 1956 Maserati A6G Gran Sports with coachwork by prominent designer Frua, one of just three in the world, which is estimated to sell for just under £1million.

But the auctioneers' greatest discovery was that of a 1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spider with covered headlights, which was hidden beneath piles of newspapers.

The car was previously owned by French actors Gerard Blain and Alain Delon, who was photographed in it with Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine, and is expected to attract attention from Ferrari collectors with an estimate of £9.5million.

Only 36 of the particular model of Ferrari were ever made, including the one in the barn and another bought by Chris Evans in 2008 for £5.5million.

John Collins, from Ferrari dealer Talacrest in Ascot, has spent the last 12 months trying to find the car, which hen thinks could sell for £10million.

He said: 'I have known about the car for years and I was gutted when I found out about three weeks ago that an auction house had got it.

'Apart from a few people, not many knew the Ferrari still existed. It is a phenomenal car and the best barn find in more than 20 years.

'I am sure it will go for an eight-figure sum and I will be one of several people looking to buy it. It is really great - people are going to be fighting over it.'

A Talbot-Lago T26 Cabriolet once owned by King Farouk of Egypt was also found. The Egyptian King's extravagant lifestyle included owning hundreds of prestigious cars.

While some of the cars are in a rusty and decrepit state, others have been well-preserved.

Mr Lamoure said: 'These sorts of finds do not happen often. I think you go into this profession for discoveries like this; it really is a treasure trove. No doubt a once-in-a-lifetime discovery.

'We speak about 'barn finds' as cars that are intact, that have remained untouched for years, and are found again.

'On entering the gates of this property, we had no idea what we would find. We had to go in through the gardens at the rear of the property, to get a first look. Across three hectares, we could see different makeshift structures. From there, we realised that this was something big.

'We realised that there were dozens of cars parked underneath. We soon realised that some of these had been put there 50 years earlier and left untouched.

'Wooden posts, between the cars, supported the fragile roofs. The sides were open to the elements. We still didn't realise exactly what we were faced with; the number of cars, the marques, their condition.

'When we discovered the extent of the collection we found ourselves overcome with emotion.

'Probably much like Lord Carrington and Howard Carter, on being the first person for centuries to enter Tutankhamun's tomb, it really was a case of waking up sleeping beauty.'

Speaking of the rare Ferrari, Mr Lamoure added: 'Ferrari is a legendary name in the automobile world. And this car is unique. Only 37 examples of this model were built making it extremely rare.

'Every example has been carefully documented by historians and this one was thought to be lost. We have found it.'

Mr Novikoff said: 'I'm not sure I have ever seen so many exceptional cars together in one collection; Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, Talbot-Lago, Panhard-Levassor, Maserati, Ferrari, Delahaye, Delage. Roger Baillon saved these cars and succeeded in his task - to trace the history of the automobile through the finest examples.

'A collection like this can't fail to arouse the passions of those who love automobiles, as well as art and history enthusiasts. Never again, anywhere in the world, will such a treasure be unearthed.'

The collection will be sold by Artcurial Motorcars in Paris on February 6 next year.


TAKE YOUR PICK: FULL LIST OF THE 60 CLASSIC CARS FOUND ON THE FARM THAT ARE NOW FOR SALE

Amilcar C6 Berline

Amilcar CGS

Ariès Coach

Auto Union Cabriolet

Avions Voisin C15

Avions Voisin Limousine C15

Avions Voisin C7 par Gallé

Ballot 8 Cyl Limousine

Barré Torpédo

Berliet Coupé Chauffeur

Berliet Type VIGB 10HP Taxi Landaulet

Bugatti 57 Ventoux

Citroën Trèfle

Delage D6

Delage D8 coach

Delahaye 135 Cabriolet Faget Varnet

Delahaye 135 Coach Chapron

Delahaye 235 Coach Chapron

Delahaye 235 Coach Chapron

Delahaye 235 Coupé Chapron

Delahaye Type 43 Coupé Chauffeur

Delahaye GFA 148 L

Delahaye Type 43 Camionnette

Delaunay Belleville Limousine VL8

Facel Vega Excellence

Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider

Ferrari 308 GTS i

Ferrari 400

Ferrari Mondial 3.2L Cabriolet

Hispano Suiza H6B Cabriolet Millon-Guiet

Hotchkiss Cabriolet

Innocenti S Cabriolet

Jaguar type S 3.4 L

La Buire 12 A

Lagonda LG45 Cabriolet

Lancia Thema 8.32

Lorraine Dietrich B3/6 Plateau

Lorraine Dietrich B3/6 Torpédo par Grumman

Lorraine-Dietrich Torpédo

Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Frua

Mathis FOH

Packard cabriolet Super Eight

Panhard-Levassor Dynamic Berline X77

Panhard-Levassor Dynamic Coupé X76

Panhard-Levassor limousine X72

Porsche 356 SC ex-Sonauto

Renault AX Torpédo

Renault Vivastella Cabriolet

Sandford cyclecar 3 Roues

Singer Cabriolet

Talbot Lago 11/6 Cabriolet

Talbot Lago Baby Cabriolet

Talbot Lago Baby Cabriolet

Talbot Lago Cadette 11

Talbot Lago Coach

Talbot Lago T26 Coach

Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport Coupé Saoutchik

Talbot Lago T26 Record Coupé Saoutchik

Talbot Lago T26 Cabriolet Saoutchik

 

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[Jason in Enid]

edit - never mind. I thought this was the fake facebook story. This one is different. These need a lot of work but some incredible finds!

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Here's the same treasure but with different coverage and a video:

Amazing collection of 60 classic cars uncovered after four decades | Fox News

By Gary Gastelu
Published December 10, 2014
FoxNews.com



It’s one of the greatest barn finds of all time — a collection of 60 cars, some rare and potentially worth millions, that was hidden away on an estate in western France.

The cars were collected by Roger Baillon, a French truck manufacturing magnate who purchased them and many more throughout the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, then sold half the lot and left the rest to rot in 1978 when his business went bankrupt. They’ve remained untouched ever since.

The trove was discovered by a team of automotive specialists at the French auction house Artcurial who’d heard about it from a Baillon family friend. They were shocked that such an extensive stash wasn’t already on anyone’s radar.

Among the finds are a Packard Super Eight Convertible, Bugatti 57 Ventoux, Delahaye Type 43 coupé chauffeur, a Hispano Suiza H6B cabriolet Millon-Guiet, and a Talbot Lago T26 Cabriolet Saoutchik that once was owned by King Farouk of Egypt. Many of the cars are one of a kind, custom-designed by famous coachbuilders of the day.

“I have to say that when we arrived here, we found ourselves overcome with emotion,” said Matthieu Lamoure, managing director of Artcurial Motorcars. “Probably much like Lord Carrington and Howard Carter on being the first person for centuries to enter Tutankhamen’s tomb. It really was a case of waking up Sleeping Beauty.”

Unfortunately, unlike Kings Tut’s treasures, most of the cars were stored under simple corrugated roofs and open to the elements, and all to some extent are worse for wear. The prize of the collection, though, a Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spider, was left in a garage and is in relatively good condition despite spending decades buried under piles of magazines.

The Ferrari had previously been owned by two French celebrities, including Alain Delon, who was photographed in it on separate occasions with Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine in the passenger seat. It’s one of only 37 made; a similar one in pristine condition sold at auction in August for $15 million.

Baillon had hoped to build a museum for his collection, but it was not to be. He died a decade ago, followed by his son last year -- the cars ending up in the possession of Baillon’s grandchildren. Instead, they will be displayed and then auctioned off during the annual Retromobile Salon classic car event in Paris in February.