Huge barn-find haul for sale

Everything must go

Yes, that is a lot of classic cars.

It is the astonishing collection of a gentleman called Mr Palmen who began amassing them around 40 years ago, storing them in two buildings and a church.

And very few people knew about his collection… Until now.

Variety is the spice

This massive collection in The Netherlands is now all for sale, via two Dutch companies, classic car specialist dealer Gallery Aaldering and Classic Car Auctions.

It all began with a yellow Lancia B20 and grew from there, the wide-ranging cache featuring a huge number of marques, both extinct and extant.

And it’s not limited to cars, a tractor, mopeds, scooters, campervans and a cabinet all feature in this enormous 234-lot sale.

Under wraps

Prior to starting this amazing collection, Mr Palmen was a car dealer and although these vehicles are today in an unrestored condition, it is understood their owner started them regularly, to stop the engines from seizing.

All the cars are as they were when they entered his collection and once he’d bought a car he seldom sold it.

Time to say goodbye

The best-kept secret car collection in Europe? Quite possibly, because Mr Palmen rarely showed anyone what he was doing. And all will go under the hammer between May and June 2023.

Now let’s take a closer look.

A piece of history

A shaft of sunlight falls upon this 1965 Matra Bonnet that is looking a little worse for wear.

Which is a shame considering this model was the world’s first mass-produced, mid-engined sports car.

Fallen star

As you can see from this angle, the stylish two-seater will need some TLC if it is to return to the road.

Not to mention a jolly good clean, too.

Drop-top dreams

There might be just one Matra in this collection, but alongside it is one of 13 classic Lancias Mr Palmen acquired.

This 1951 Aurelia B50 Cabriolet Pininfarina was once perfect for roof-down cruising across the roads of Europe – let’s hope one day it can do this again.

Austin trio

Three classic Austins feature in this sale and this A90 Atlantic caught our eye.

Well, if its deep-red paint can look that enticing when under a thick layer of grime and dirt, just imagine what it will look like when cleaned and polished.

Sole example

Another car with paintwork that stands out is this 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, the only such car in this vast collection.

It is a car about looks over everything, although its rear-mounted four-cylinder engine is reasonably torquey.

Have you seen one of these before?

Now here is a real rarity.

This is a 1931 Super Six Roadster from the short-lived, but relatively prolific American marque Essex.

Let’s hope this car finds a loving new home soon.

Happy half-century

Ah, the unmistakable lines of the Alfa Romeo Montreal, a Bertone design, by Marcello Gandini.

It’s a flawed but fabulous car, powered by a four-cam 2.5-litre fuel-injected V8 courtesy of Carlo Chiti’s Autodelta, and this red example is 50 years old this year.

One-year wonder

We’ve another car from a defunct American car maker now in the form of this ’58 Edsel SE Citation Cabriolet, once the marque’s flagship.

The model was produced for just a year, making this a rare classic car.

Two’s company

Here we have a pair of Talbot-Lagos, waiting to be rescued.

Both are examples of the Talbot-Lago Record T26 Berline, the left-hand car from 1950, the other from the year before.

These once luxurious French classics could make a great project for a new owner.

Beyond help?

However, not all the items in this 234-lot auction look like they could be brought back to best.

Apparently, this is a Chevrolet Corvette C3. Or, at least, it was.

The lap of luxury

We were a little surprised to see that this 1959 S2 is the sole Bentley in this collection.

Powered by the famous and very long-lived 6230cc L-series V8, depending on this classic car’s condition, this could make someone’s automotive dreams come true when it goes under the hammer.

Bag a Buick

There is yet more Americana in this hidden hoard, as the next few slides will demonstrate.

We will start with this 1937 Buick 8 which appears to be in reasonably fine fettle – or at least we hope so.

Pick up a Packard

Also going under the hammer is this 1950 Packard De Luxe Eight, another slice of top-level US classic motoring.

You’d better watch that fabulous if rather large bonnet mascot if this car returns to the road, though – and this example looks to be in better shape than many others it shares garage space with.

Gold standard

While there’s just one Buick and one Packard in Mr Palmen’s collection, there are three Studebakers.

There is a ’55 Champion Coupe, a ’58 President and this gold-coloured example of the continental-inspired Avanti from 1963.

In period advertising, the Avanti was described as, ‘America’s high-performance 4-passenger luxury car’ and ‘the Maximum Automobile’, which is rather a lot to live up to – let’s hope this one gets another chance to do that.

Future focused

Parked next to a 1964 Chevrolet Corvair drop-top is a Citroën SM from 1972.

This hydropneumatically suspended, Maserati-engined classic Citroën is as head-turning today as it was when new and still has a strong following. We hope it finds an appreciative new home.

French fancies

There are eight Facel Vegas here, which is an impressive number, and this is one of three Facellias.

Indeed, it is one of two coupés gathered by this collector, as well as one convertible. 

The show and the go

Here is another from the family, a 1964 Facel Vega Coupé.

Combining American V8 oomph with sleek, French lines, we can well understand why someone might want to add one of these luxury coupés to their collection.

Along came a spider

We’ve another defunct marque to consider now with this sweet-looking 1966 NSU Spider.

You don‘t see many of these about, so let’s hope it is in a reasonable condition and can be brought back to best.

And if you are an NSU enthusiast, note there is also a 1976 Ro80 for sale in this auction.

Bavarian bunch

NSU isn’t the only German marque represented here, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen (as mentioned earlier) and Porsche among the other makers chosen by Mr Palmen.

There are also five classic BMWs: a 1968 1600GT, a 1963 3200 CS, two examples of the 2000 CS from 1969 and ’72, and a 1996 3 Series.

Here comes the sun

The sleek lines of this Sunbeam-Talbot could also be yours.

Both its brown-painted body and cream folding soft-top look like they require some care and attention, but this would be majestic transport in which to arrive at classic car shows.

Californian catch

It wears a Californian historic-vehicle plate and eye-catching green paint, and towers over the cars it is parked next to.

Yes, this 1927 Ford Model A Roadster will need some work and a good clean before it is road ready, but what a prospect.

Daring Daimler

This is the only Daimler Dart in this colossal collection. A 1958 car, it is hard to tell its condition given the layers of grime, but the lack of headlights is not a great sign.

It has also been stored with the roof lowered, meaning the cabin will need plenty of work to make it presentable.

Vive Volvo

Saab (with a Sonnet III) and Volvo both feature here, too. There are four Volvos and this 1973 1800ES is the oldest. And, while looks can be deceiving, it doesn’t appear to be in too poor a shape.

Incidentally, to this classic Volvo’s left is a rare, French-built Villard Type 27.

The Zagato touch

Now this is a seldom-seen Italian classic car, and one that definitely deserves to be rescued and restored.

This is a 1967 Alfa Romeo Zagato 2600SZ and is one of 20 from the marque in this gigantic collection.

Sprint start?

Speaking of which, here is an Alfa Romeo Sprint 1600 that appears to have a flat front tyre, some damaged chromework and a front bumper that is no longer attached.

Anyone fancy this as a project? 

British flair

Now if this was in fine fettle, what a motor car it would be.

It is understood that just 169 Bristol-engined AC Acecas were built, so this car is definitely worth saving. 

A new chapter

This incredible 234-lot collection will be sold by Dutch auction house Classic Car Auctions from Friday 19 May 2023, with bidding closing on 5-7 June, depending on the item.

When bidding, of course the cost of any potential restorative work must be considered, but given all these cars have to go, some good deals might be there for the taking.

Want to find out more? Classic Car Auctions has all the details here.