The Mother Of All Barn Finds Is In Rural France And Is Worth Millions

Imagine the awesome feeling upon discovering a rare car sat hiding away in a deserted barn, just waiting for the loving restorative hands of an enthusiast. Now imagine how the Baillon family felt when they discovered a collection of around 100 cars left to them in hastily-constructed iron sheds, and called in experts who revealed the haul was worth around £10 million.

The cars were originally owned by the late Roger Baillon, an entrepreneur who bought around 200 rare cars with the intention of restoring them to their former glory. Unfortunately his business began to struggle, and he was forced to sell about half of his collection, storing the rest at a barn in rural France. About 40 are un-salvageable and will likely be sold for parts, leaving 60 rare, vintage cars available for auction.

So what’s in the collection? There are a number of works by pre-war French coachbuilders such as Chapron, Saoutchick and Million-Guiet, but perhaps the most exciting find is a Ferrari California SWB. The great thing about the Prancing Horse is that no one knew it was unaccounted for. Fortunately it had been stored in a brick garage hidden from the elements, and although the massive bundles of newspapers and magazines sat atop it weren’t ideal for preservation, it remains in remarkably good condition.

Despite the fact that many are rotting away, the video above proves that cars used to be made with such interesting, elegant shapes. The time before crash tests and safety conscious design might have been dangerous, but boy did cars look awesome.

Source: The Telegraph