60 Vintage Cars Found After 50 Years Of Neglect On French Farm Are Worth At Least £12 Million
Even today, when the whole world has been mapped by GPS, there are still valuable hidden treasures left to discover. After calling in auctioneers, the grandchildren of entrepreneur Roger Baillon discovered that the collection of 60 vintage cars from the 1930s to the 1950s left to rust in sheds on the family’s farm in western France could be worth £12 million or more at auction.
These aren’t your run-of-the-mill 1930s old cars, either (if such a thing exists). One Talbot-Lago in the collection had previously been owned by Egyptian King Farouk and a Ferrari had been used in the filming of a movie with Jane Fonda. Along with the rare cars such as the Maserati in this collection, Baillon had intended to build a museum with his classic car collection. When things didn’t go as expected, however, he had to sell 50 of these supercars, and the rest of the collection was forgotten.
The car collection will be put up for auction in Paris on February 6th, 2015. Any of the cool cars unfit for restoration will be sold for spare parts.
More info: artcurial.com (h/t: dailymail)
“This sort of thing doesn’t happen often enough! I think, above all, you go into this profession for discoveries like this. Yes, this really is a treasure,” said Artcurial Motorcars manager Matthieu Lamoure
“I have to say that when we arrived here, 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”
Facel Vega (left) and a Talbot-Lago (right)
Pierre Novikoff, a senior specialist at Artcurial, said, “this was somewhere between a metallic graveyard and a museum. Nature had taken a hold, over the years. Ivy had invaded a car and entirely covered its wheel, while weeds had taken root in a passenger compartment as easily as in a greenhouse”
“We were standing in front of the Baillon collection. It was thought that everything had been sold, and its existence had been forgotten about. And here, we had just found the lost collection!”
“Certain cars, much like paintings or sculptures, are works of art, created by artists! Not only the engineering, but their styling reflects the history of design”
A vintage Ferrari (left), once sat in by Jane Fonda, and a Maserati A6G 200 Berlinetta Grand Sport Frua (right), one of only three in the world.
Ferrari 250 GT California SWB. “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!” explained Lamoure.
A Talbot-Lago T26 Cabriolet once owned by Egyptian King Farouk
Hispano Suiza H6B Cabriolet Millio
Matthieu Lamoure (left) and Pierre Novikoff (right), the auctioneers and classic car experts who found the collection
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Share on FacebookUnbelievable, beautiful cars history....you must save them, please.
ashes to ashes, dust to dust; you can't take it with you, and now it's just a pile of rust. What a waste of money, time and life.
Oh s**t! Quick action needs to take care of all these amazing cars. More history hides behind these cars. http://www.classiccarbase.com/
Wow they definitely need saving they would look amazing done back up to the way they should look.
My lifelong dream, just sitting there neglected, I looked after a collection of Bentleys and Rolls Royce saloons for a guy - heaven.
Wow, talk about a challenge for the resto people who might their hands on these. Sadly most will cost more to restore than they are worth.
The poor darlings! What a shame no-one looked after them. Now at least they will be brought back to their beauty.
Devant une telle merveille on ne dira plus que les français ne sont pas conservateurs!!
Probably collected off the streets after WW2, I would love to spend a few hours looking around them though.
now I know where these guys http://softchamp.com/news/car-made-3d-printer/ have got the inspiration to create the first 3d printer car :D
Wow - fascinating....Great music choice on the video. Sad to see such beautiful cars left to sit for so long - glad they were found.
Wow...fascinating . all those cars just sitting there - beautiful at one time....I agree, what a sad waste
My Reatta not in class with these beauties. Never was, not now nor ever
Better late than never. What a beautiful find to now share with the world... Ta
Makes me both so very happy and sad. I really hope someone follows what happens to the ones bought and restored. I would LOVE to see that
These pictures really upset me. Some of these wonderful cars are beyond just being cars, but are automotive sculpture. They must be saved.
This is a marvelous discovery of the century....I really love those vintage cars....It has a history of art and culture in its auto heritage
How Aweful. Hoarding and then allowing them to go to rot...so so sad.
this is a hoax, should check this out before posting it unless you are only after clickbait
The caption for the second picture mentions Lord Carrington. Shouldn't that be Lord Carnarvon?
The caption for the second picture mentions Lord Carrington. Shouldn't that be Lord Carnarvon?
I Think they were had a party on the castle when they were been murdered, and left their cars. :D
http://www.fakt.pl/200-wrakow-spoczywa-w-lesie-,artykuly,58552,1.html
On Poland we have sompthing like that, on forest. But none of this will do nothing. http://www.fakt.pl/200-wrakow-spoczywa-w-lesie-,artykuly
I had to laugh at the Ford Taunus sat amongst all those treasures! I'd give that one a home.
90% rust,nothing to save from most of them. You cannot sell as original. not even spares 80% of the cars.
It's a Taunus, the German version. Slightly more squared off.
Load More Replies...Unbelievable, beautiful cars history....you must save them, please.
ashes to ashes, dust to dust; you can't take it with you, and now it's just a pile of rust. What a waste of money, time and life.
Oh s**t! Quick action needs to take care of all these amazing cars. More history hides behind these cars. http://www.classiccarbase.com/
Wow they definitely need saving they would look amazing done back up to the way they should look.
My lifelong dream, just sitting there neglected, I looked after a collection of Bentleys and Rolls Royce saloons for a guy - heaven.
Wow, talk about a challenge for the resto people who might their hands on these. Sadly most will cost more to restore than they are worth.
The poor darlings! What a shame no-one looked after them. Now at least they will be brought back to their beauty.
Devant une telle merveille on ne dira plus que les français ne sont pas conservateurs!!
Probably collected off the streets after WW2, I would love to spend a few hours looking around them though.
now I know where these guys http://softchamp.com/news/car-made-3d-printer/ have got the inspiration to create the first 3d printer car :D
Wow - fascinating....Great music choice on the video. Sad to see such beautiful cars left to sit for so long - glad they were found.
Wow...fascinating . all those cars just sitting there - beautiful at one time....I agree, what a sad waste
My Reatta not in class with these beauties. Never was, not now nor ever
Better late than never. What a beautiful find to now share with the world... Ta
Makes me both so very happy and sad. I really hope someone follows what happens to the ones bought and restored. I would LOVE to see that
These pictures really upset me. Some of these wonderful cars are beyond just being cars, but are automotive sculpture. They must be saved.
This is a marvelous discovery of the century....I really love those vintage cars....It has a history of art and culture in its auto heritage
How Aweful. Hoarding and then allowing them to go to rot...so so sad.
this is a hoax, should check this out before posting it unless you are only after clickbait
The caption for the second picture mentions Lord Carrington. Shouldn't that be Lord Carnarvon?
The caption for the second picture mentions Lord Carrington. Shouldn't that be Lord Carnarvon?
I Think they were had a party on the castle when they were been murdered, and left their cars. :D
http://www.fakt.pl/200-wrakow-spoczywa-w-lesie-,artykuly,58552,1.html
On Poland we have sompthing like that, on forest. But none of this will do nothing. http://www.fakt.pl/200-wrakow-spoczywa-w-lesie-,artykuly
I had to laugh at the Ford Taunus sat amongst all those treasures! I'd give that one a home.
90% rust,nothing to save from most of them. You cannot sell as original. not even spares 80% of the cars.
It's a Taunus, the German version. Slightly more squared off.
Load More Replies...
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