If you’re searching for a treasure trove of vintage classic European cars lightly covered in dust and general grime, well, ‘London Barn Finds’ recently offered 174 vehicles for auction that have aroused the interest of the motor trade industry.
When rare items discovered in a warehouse go up for auction, the sale never fails to arouse the interest of collectors who already have plenty of vehicles in excellent condition and want something out of the ordinary.
This enormous collection of cars from London Barn Finds is certainly that. All the vehicles were displayed in London for a pre-auction tour on Monday, August 30th, 2021, in North London, motor trade experts from panel beaters to motor trade insurance brokers made the trip to inspect the collection.
The ‘lot’ includes some extremely valuable vintage cars that just need a bit of care and attention. Models featured including a VW Y2 Camper, a BMW M5, and a BMW 2002. Several Land Rovers also featured, including a Lightweight model, MG coupes and roadsters, as well as several intriguing sports cars including a first-generation Nissan 300ZX and a highly sought-after Porsche 911, believed to be a 964 convertible. Citroën 2CV, Volkswagen transporter and Fiat 500 were also in the catalogue.
Interestingly, Instagram was the only marketing tool used to promote this event to attract buyers able to afford such gems. As time goes on, these rare finds become ever more exciting as there is a finite amount of very old cars awaiting discovery, and this huge collection was filled with cars well worth seeing.
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The background of the sale is unclear; it is believed to be the result of a death in the family. The people organizing the sale seemed unfamiliar with the practice and gave the impression of being overwhelmed by events. Held at short notice at the end of August, the auction was announced just three days before the public car show.
There were a few mistakes regarding vehicle descriptions on the listing page indicating that the sellers are not experts; the sale was therefore very interesting to informed bidders. However, while they expected approximately 200 people, the auction organizers received a much greater interest.
Visits were restricted to a quarter of an hour per person, which was a bit limiting considering the number of cars to view, which were gathered in a large council-owned warehouse.
While most of the vehicles don’t have any service history and no paperwork, each allegedly drove into the barn using its own power and could be driven out again in theory, although a jumpstart or two, and a check by an MOT tester will probably be necessary. Some were even taxed for road use as recently as 2016!
The full list of lots was published to enable potential bidders to better prepare for their visit. No sale will be made on-site; bidders were invited to contact the sellers to complete the sale in the days after the exhibition. Cars that failed to sell were re-advertised on eBay.
For bargain-hunters, eBay often offers an opportunity for deals compared to prestigious auction houses, so keep checking those listings for the next collection.
