The legend of the barn find keeps on giving. It’s a powerful thing for a car enthusiast–finding a new project under rags, dust, and dirt. Ready for some love and ready for a vision. However, most car folks may be overwhelmed with the 230 cars found in a Dutch abandoned church and warehouse, once owned by an ambitious collector and now up for sale on Classic Car Auctions.
Ad Palmen began his collection 40 years ago, buying anything he though was beautiful or notable. His collection, which he had to sell because of his falling health at the age of 82, is full of European classics. Everything from a Mercedes 300 S to Ferrari 365 to an Alfa Romeo Spider is represented in his collection, now up for grabs. The collection isn’t being sold whole, so folks will get a chance at owning individual cars from it.
Palmen sold the collection as a whole to Gary Aaldering, who organized the auction alongside Classic Car Auctions. As it’s presented, it’s called The Palmen Barnfind Collection. Not only is the car list so deep that it would take up way too much space to itemize, but the place and condition that the cars were stored in are also stunning on their own. How much more romantic does it get than an abandoned church and warehouse in Europe full of rare classics in patinated decay?
Unfortunately, Palmen can’t answer many questions about how and why he started collecting cars due to his health. According to CNN, he lived in the warehouse where the cars were stored, and “not in a luxurious way.” Clearly, Palmen had a true dedication to his collection and a genuine love for cars.
There are hundreds of diamonds in the rough to be found in Palmen’s collection. Most of them are in barn find condition with plenty of dust and aging that sweetens that restoration dream. If it were my money, I’d grab that Citroën SM.
