The Palmen Collection has been called “one of the greatest barn finds ever,” as it contains over 230 cars that were collected over a period of 40+ years then stashed away and very rarely shown to anyone.
The collection was named for its owner, Mr Palmen, who stored the cars in an old church and two dusty warehouses. The assortment is eclectic to say the least, it includes cars from Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati, Ferrari, Facel Vega, BMW, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac, Alvis, and many other marques.
Fast Facts – The 230+ Car Palmen Barn Find
- The Palmen Barn Find started out with the purchase of a yellow Lancia B20 approximately 40 years ago. Although the owner didn’t know it at the time, he would slowly amass one of the largest secret private vehicle collections on the European continent.
- Today the collection stands at over 230 cars including cars from Alfa Romeo, Alvis, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Facel Vega, Jaguar, Lancia, Maserati, Mercedes, Rolls-Royce, and others.
- Rather than just leaving the cars to sit, Mr Palmen regularly started them and ran the engines to avoid seizing, and is said to have maintained the cars in running condition. The collection spanned an old church building and two dusty warehouses.
- The entire 230+ car collection is now due to be auctioned by the team at Classic Car Auctions, bidding will start on May 19th and run until the auction closes in early June.
The Palmen Barn Find
There have been many great barn finds throughout modern history, some involve just a single rare car and some are more notable for their sheer size, with collections of dozens or sometimes even hundreds of cars coming to light after decades of quietly gathering dust.
Above Video: This short video offers a look around the storage facility that’s currently holding the Palmen Barn Find. As you can see the cars are dusty but most appear to be complete.
The Palmen Barn Find is one of those latter discoveries, encompassing well over 200 cars from many of the world’s most prestigious luxury and sports car manufacturers from Italy, Germany, France, Britain, and the United States.
The total number of vehicles in the collection is 280, though 40-50 of them are things like scooters, mopeds, motorcycles, vans, and other vehicle types including bikes from MV Agusta, Moto Guzzi, and Vespa.
The full list of cars is too long to include here however some highlights include an Alfa Romeo Zagato 2600 SZ, a Lancia B24 Spyder America, a Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, a Rolls-Royce Camargue, a Ferrari Dino 308 GT4, a Lancia Aurelia B50 Cabriolet Pininfarina, a Jensen Interceptor III, an Iso Rivolta IR300, a Delahaye 135M, a Talbot Lago Record T26 Berline, a Fiat Dino Coupe, an AC Bristol Aceca, a Lancia B24 Spyder America, and hundreds more.
There are also some more unusual vehicles including motorhomes like the Winnebago Renault Traffic Lesharo, and some more blue collar classics like the MGA, MGB, Citroën 2CV, Triumph TR3B, Sunbeam Alpine, Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, and more.
The two blue sports cars in the foreground of this image are a 1965 Matra Bonnet (left) and a 1955 Lancia B24 Spyder America. Restored examples of the Lancia can sell for well in excess of one million USD.
The collection is located in Dordrecht, the fifth largest city in the Netherlands, and those who wish to view the cars will need to make their way there after coordinating with the auction house. The dates of the in-person viewings are listed below. The value of the collection is impossible to know at this stage, it will be in the millions of dollars of course and some of the cars here are worth six figure sums even in their current condition. The Lancia B24 Spyder America could sell for close to a million USD on its own.
Due to the sheer size of the collection the auction is due to take place over a period of weeks, starting on May the 19th and incorporating viewing days on the 27th, 28th, and 29th of May which will allow prospective bidders to see the cars in person.
The auction will then close in early June, with the cars due to be collected approximately a week later in mid-June.
If you’d like to read more about this collection, see the full list of vehicles, or register to bid, you can visit the listing here on Classic Car Auctions.
Images courtesy of Classic Car Auctions
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