The Palmen Collection has been called ‘one of the greatest barn finds of all time’ as it contains over 230 cars which were collected over a period of over 40 years and then hidden away and very rarely shown to anybody.

The collection is named after its owner, Mr. Palmen, who stored the cars in an old church and two dusty warehouses. The assortment is eclectic to say the least, including cars from Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati, Ferrari, Facel Vega, BMW, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, Cadillac, Alvis and many other brands.

Fast Facts – The Discovery of Over 230 Palmen Barn Cars

• The Palmen Barn Find began with the purchase of a yellow Lancia B20 around 40 years ago. Although the owner did not know it at the time, it would gradually build up one of the largest secret collections of private vehicles on the European continent.
• Today the collection has more than 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 letting the cars sit, Mr Palmen regularly started them and revved the engines to prevent seizures, and reportedly kept the cars running. The collection spanned an old church and two dusty warehouses.
• The entire collection of over 230 cars is now to be auctioned by the team at Classic Car Auctions, bidding will start on May 19 and run until the auction closes in early June.

The discovery of the Palmen barn

There have been many barn finds throughout modern history, some involving only a single rare car and others more notable for their size, with collections of dozens or sometimes even hundreds of unearthed cars after decades of quiet dust.

Video above: This short video provides an overview of the storage facility that currently houses the Palmen Barn Find. As you can see the cars are dusty but most look complete.

The Palmen Barn Find is one of the latest discoveries, encompassing more than 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, although 40-50 of them are scooters, mopeds, motorcycles, vans and other types of vehicles including bicycles from MV Agusta, Moto Guzzi and Vespa.

The full list of cars is too long to include here, but some highlights include an Alfa Romeo Zagato 2600 SZ, Lancia B24 Spyder America, Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, Rolls-Royce Camargue, 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 Saloon, a Fiat Dino Coupé, an AC Bristol Aceca, a Lancia B24 Spyder America and hundreds more .

There are also more unusual vehicles, including motorhomes like the Winnebago Renault Traffic Lesharo, and other blue-collar classics like the MGA, MGB, Citroën 2CV, Triumph TR3B, Sunbeam Alpine, Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, and more.

The collection is located in Dordrecht, the fifth largest city in the Netherlands, and those wishing to view the cars will need to travel there after coordinating with the auction house. Dates for in-person visits are listed below. The value of the collection is impossible to know at this point, it will be in the millions of dollars of course and some of the cars here are worth six figures even in their current condition. The Lancia B24 Spyder America alone could sell for almost a million USD.

Due to the size of the collection, the auction is to take place over a period of several weeks, starting May 19 and incorporating viewing days on May 27, 28 and 29, which will allow potential bidders to see the cars in nobody.

The auction will then end in early June, with the cars due to be collected around a week later in mid-June.

If you would like to learn more about this collection, see the full vehicle list, or register to bid, you can visit the list here at Classic Car Auctions.

Images courtesy of Classic Car Auctions

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