Huge Barn Find in Britain

[MB_Mike]

I stumbled across this article, I can't wait to see the full list of all the cars!

http://www.practicalclassics.co.uk/news.php?sid=848&page=1

[Mforcer]

Should be an interesting auction.

I still can't fathom how someone builds a collection like that and can then let it go

[Martin 280s]

Is this for real or just another hoax like the one in Portugal?

[MB_Mike]

Is this for real or just another hoax like the one in Portugal?

I believe its real. There was a link in the article to an auction house and if you then click the catalogue link there is an excel spreadsheet of 70-80 cars.

[WGB]

A DX Vauxhall and a Rover 90 - the two cars I learnt to drive in.

Even a 105E Anglia complete with one of those stick on rear window demisters.

God I'm pleased I lived long enough to outlive most if those cars (Rover 90 excepted).

Bill

[John Hubertz]

Happens - I met a guy by phone the other day with 40+ MBs, 126s, 108s, 116s (at least one 6.9 - a good silver/black euro that a guy gave up on when a rebuilt trans wouldn't pull...)

He's sellingnow - can't answer the question "why did you collect these?"

Obsessive/compulsive perhaps?  Most who do this never build a single car to use....

[macatron]

Yeah, there's a guy like that who lives in the canyon about 5 miles from my home.  He has about 20 cars under tattered covers in his driveway.  It was obvious he never so much as lifted the covers to look at them...  Something made me think he was older and maybe just kept them for sentimental reasons, or dementia.

[oscar]

Is this for real or just another hoax like the one in Portugal?

I believe its real. There was a link in the article to an auction house and if you then click the catalogue link there is an excel spreadsheet of 70-80 cars.

Had a look at that snopes.com site that dispells many urban myths.  Nothing came up but the auction house link and the article itself makes it look ridgy didge.  BTW, the Ford Anglia, that's like Harry Potter's flying car isn't it?

[craigb]

I had to reply to your post John. As the owner of 16 cars (not to mention 6 motorbikes and a sidecar), I have my moments of standing there and thinking How the hell did this insanity happen!!  And then I go back over each one and at the time there was a good reason for it. It just sneaks up on you if you don't stop and take a reality check on a regular basis. I probably should consult my very tolerant wife more....... now I want you to be really harsh with me here, should we buy this! (now that does sound like insanity!)

I did in fact take my wife along to the last purchase. It was a one owner 1968 280s with 56k on the clock. A few small jobs to do but basically a lovely car, just like it was. The tip off (and pressure to look at it) was from the President of the rural car club I was in at the time. We sat down and had a cuppa with this 80yo who reminisced how they had a 'hydrak' Benz they had before but the complicated automatic had caused them problems. Her husband was a sheep judge at rural shows around the country and on an occasion in 1968 when the hydrak broke down, another judge picked him up in his brand new 280s. He was so impressed he ordered one when he got back.... but with manual trans, no power steering (never seen another 108 280 without it!) and no air con! He died unexpectedly in 1972 and the car spent the rest of its life in a garage or doing the odd trip into town and down to Melbourne to visit family. I have never seen such an 'unaffected by australian sunlight car' with lovely shiny alloy trim, uncracked dash etc.  I loved the car and my wife loved the old lady and the history more so we bought it! Logically though, it makes absolutely no sense for us to have this car!

Anyway, I better stop rambling and get going.

[WGB]

Logically though, it makes absolutely no sense for us to have this car!

So what's logic got to do with big expensive gas guzzling cars - especially old ones.

Bill

[johnnyw116]

cool barn find ! do you also know the barn find in switserland http://www.autofriedhof.ch/   
http://foto.blick.ch/album/CID-u0003196-147/

[johnnyw116]

cool barn find ! do you also know the barn find in switserland http://www.autofriedhof.ch/   
http://foto.blick.ch/album/CID-u0003196-147/

first they wanted to clean up this caryard but now its open for visiting , for a few decades nobody has been here becouse it was an forgotten place                                             

regards : johnny  .                                                                           

[craigb]

Coming from Australia it is hard to imagine you could lose your keys in a country of that size, let alone hundreds of cars!

Seriously though, do you know if they intend to keep it open for visiting? All over the world there are collections of old wrecked cars rotting away out in the weather and there always seems to be this obsession to clean it up. I was fascinated looking at the photos (could be a good car club quiz to print off a number of the photos and play guess the car)  but most of those cars are never going to make it back on the road and probably don't have much in the way of useable parts that couldn't be found elsewhere. Mind you I wouldn't mind checking over that 170!

I think the world has turned into a mass of tidy freaks and I reckon there should be room in every country for at least one of these places...... for history sake.

[kolin]

my mate here in good ol' RSA, has a lamborghini espada in one of his sitting rooms.we pulled it in, next to the fullsize billiard tabel, removed gearbox to replace clutch and then didnt bother putting it back.its been 22 years on stilts now.and he has a 10 car garage with about 15 cars squeezed in and a 22foot 3 axle caravan outside and few more cars outside.
what happens is that you dont bother with something then you get used to seeing stuff lie around and then its 20 years when you look again and you couldnt be bothered with fixing anything.

[Big_Richard]

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