Spectacular barn find: 230 classics under the dust

What starts with one or two nice cars – especially if you have the space and the financial means for it – turns into a hobby that has gotten out of hand before you know it. Many of you undoubtedly know someone whose passion for collecting is unparalleled. Collecting is of course possible at any level, as evidenced by the collection of no less than 230 classics that Gallery Aaldering recently became the owner of and which will go under the hammer later this year.

The colorful collection of classics comes from a Mr. Palmen who forty years ago gave free rein to his collecting passion and over the years came to a collection of no fewer than 230 cars. The often special cars look dirty and dusty in this extensive and intriguing set of more than 200 photos, but they have all been put away in good condition at some point. According to Gallery Aaldering, the owner removed the spark plugs and then followed a strict schedule, starting the engines of the cars spread over two sheds and an old church from time to time to prevent the machines from getting stuck. It is striking that hardly anyone – not even in the immediate vicinity of Palmen – got to see the collection.

The entire collection is now in Dordrecht. The online auction starts on May 19 and anyone interested in one or more automotive time capsules can come and take a look on Saturday May 27, Sunday May 28 and Monday May 29 between 10:00 and 16:00.

There is simply too much special to name each car. We see models such as a Jaguar Mk2, but also rarer classics such as a Facel Vega, Lancia’s Aurelia, a Matra Bonnet and so on. From a Citroën SM to stretched classic Benzen, from Chevrolets Corvair and Corvette to MGs B, Jaguars XJS, Fords Edsel, Ferraris and even a Mazda RX-7 Cabriolet: there seems to be something to suit everyone’s taste. Enjoy watching!

If you could pull one car from the collection, what would it be?