Latest news with #barnfind
Auto Car
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
I bought 70 classic Skodas, and I keep them in the garden
Think this year's Festival of the Unexceptional winner knows about Skodas? Mark is the real Skoda oracle Open gallery Mark's Skodas live barn-find style in assorted farm buildings Mark says generally classic car people are very interested in Estelles... ...but much less so with Favorits and Fabias. Close Mark Torok says his love affair with Skodas has, at times, got a little out of hand. 'There was a stage in my life when I was buying Skodas like other people buy groceries,' he admits. The Skoda enthusiast has amassed a collection of more than 70 cars for what he calls his 'Skoda orphanage', many of them dating from the company's transition period in the 1990s. The oldest is a 1973 S110 DeLuxe that Mark rescued from a scrapyard in the Czech Republic. The newest is a 2006 Skoda Superb V6 that he saved from re-export to eastern Europe. His favourite is an original 'stretched Passat' Superb of 2002. Mark says: 'In the UK, people's interest in Skodas stops at the Estelle and starts again with the Skoda Fabia and Skoda Octavia of the 2000s. Sadly, the Favorit and Felicia in between are trapped in that no man's land of obscurity. That's where I come in.' Mark's Skodas live barn-find style in assorted farm buildings but his aim is to get them together under one roof. For the time being, the main thing is that they are safely hidden away from the scrapyard. Remarkably, most of them require just basic recommissioning and a good wash. Skoda can trace its origins to 1895 when it was founded as Laurin & Klement. It made its first car in 1905 and was renamed Skoda in the 1920s. A succession of well-regarded models followed until progress was interrupted by World War II. The firm barely recovered under communism and, by the 1980s, 'Skoda' was a byword for unreliability. With the fall of communism and the arrival of new partner Volkswagen, things began to improve and a succession of impressive new models including the Favorit, Felicia and Skoda Fabia helped prepare the ground for the brand's revival. 'My grandfather was the biggest Skoda fan going and got me hooked on the company,' says Mark. 'It's been fascinating seeing the firm develop and grow. I often wonder what he would make of it all now.' He says the UK scraps and wastes cars far too quickly and believes there's never been a more important time to secure vehicles such as his Skodas for preservation: 'People say I am wasting my time but my girlfriend Victoria says they are not thinking in the fourth dimension, as Doc Brown does in Back to the Future. She says I am creating a treasure trove that will delight future fans of the Skoda marque. 'The doors to my orphanage will always be open to any unwanted Skoda. I will be to Skoda what the Schlumpf brothers were to Bugatti!' Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Next Prev In partnership with
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The $4 Million Barn Find Bugatti Hidden in a Garage for 50 Years
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector In 2009, one of the most astonishing barn finds in automotive history stunned the collector car world. Hidden in a dusty garage in Newcastle, England, sat a 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante—untouched, forgotten, and coated in nearly five decades of dust. When auction house Bonhams announced its discovery, enthusiasts called it a 'once-in-a-lifetime treasure.' But the story behind how this car ended up locked away is almost as fascinating as the car itself. Watch the full story of this incredible Bugatti barn find in our video below. A Forgotten Treasure The Bugatti was found in the garage of Dr. Harold Carr, an eccentric British orthopedic surgeon who purchased the car in 1955. Once owned by Francis Curzon, the 5th Earl Howe, a renowned Le Mans racer, the Type 57S Atalante was already considered a rare and desirable car in the 1950s. But sometime in the 1960s, Carr parked the Bugatti and never drove it again. For the next 50 years, it sat untouched, with cracked tires, cobwebbed headlights, and dust settling on every surface—a true time capsule. What Makes the Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Special The Type 57S Atalante is one of the most sought-after pre-war Bugattis ever built. Only 17 were produced, and its design was considered revolutionary at the time. Equipped with a 3.3-liter straight-eight engine, the 57S Atalante was lightweight, elegant, and fast, with a distinctive teardrop-shaped body that has become one of the most iconic Bugatti silhouettes in history. The fact that this particular car still had its original components intact after 50 years of storage made it even more valuable to collectors. The Auction Frenzy When the Bugatti crossed the auction block at Bonhams in Paris, collectors from around the world competed for the chance to own it. Despite its dusty, unrestored condition, the Atalante sold for an incredible £3.4 million—around $4.4 million USD. Some argued it should be preserved exactly as it was found, while others believed a full restoration would reveal its original beauty. The Mystery of Why It Was Hidden The biggest question remains: why did Dr. Carr hide the car for so long? Some believe he lost interest in driving as he grew older. Others suggest he may have wanted to preserve the car's originality, knowing it could someday be historically significant. There's even speculation that financial concerns or personal reasons may have played a role. Whatever the reason, Carr's decision inadvertently created one of the most important barn finds of all time. A Once-in-a-Lifetime Find Today, the Bugatti Atalante serves as a reminder that automotive treasures are still out there, hidden in garages, barns, and sheds, waiting to be discovered. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The $30 Million Baillon Barn Find: 60 Classic Cars Hidden for 40 Years
Read the full story on Modern Car Collector Few automotive discoveries in history have captured the imagination of collectors like the Baillon Barn Find. In 2015, auctioneers from Artcurial Motorcars uncovered an incredible collection of more than 60 classic cars, all left untouched for nearly 40 years in a crumbling French farm. Watch our full breakdown of the Baillon Barn Find story in the video below: The dusty treasure trove included some of the rarest and most valuable vehicles ever built—cars that had become legends in the collector world. But the real mystery isn't just the cars themselves; it's why their owner locked them away and never came back for them. The Forgotten Dream of Roger Baillon The man behind the collection, Roger Baillon, was a wealthy French shipping magnate who dreamed of opening a museum dedicated to preserving classic cars. During the 1950s and 1960s, he quietly acquired some of the most desirable European sports cars of the era. But financial difficulties in the 1970s forced him to sell part of his collection. The remaining cars were parked in barns and outbuildings on his property, where they sat forgotten for decades as Baillon's business collapsed and his health declined. By the time auction experts were called to the property following his death, the collection had become a time capsule—dusty, rusting, and sinking into the dirt floors of his barns. The Stars of the Collection The Baillon Collection contained some true automotive icons, including: Ferrari 250 GT California Spider: Once owned by French actor Alain Delon, this car alone sold for an astonishing $18.5 million. Maserati A6G Gran Sport: A rare hand-built Italian GT, considered one of Maserati's most elegant early designs. Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport: Reportedly owned by King Farouk of Egypt, this luxury pre-war coupe was another crown jewel of the collection. All of them were coated in thick layers of dust, sitting exactly where Baillon left them decades earlier. The Auction Frenzy When Artcurial brought the cars to auction in Paris, collectors worldwide scrambled for a chance to own a piece of this automotive treasure chest. In total, the collection fetched more than $30 million, with many cars selling for far more than their estimated values due to their incredible barn-find condition. For many enthusiasts, the Baillon Collection was more than just a sale—it was a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into a forgotten golden age of motoring. The Mystery Remains While the cars have since been restored or displayed in private collections, one big question remains: why didn't Roger Baillon ever return to them? Was it financial ruin, failing health, or simply a man holding onto a dream he could never finish? And perhaps the bigger question is this: how many more collections like this are still out there, locked away in barns, sheds, or garages, waiting to be discovered? What Do You Think? The Baillon Barn Find stands as one of the greatest discoveries in automotive history, a reminder that some of the world's most valuable cars might still be hidden away, forgotten by time. If you could search one abandoned barn, what car would you hope to find? Let us know in the comments. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
One of the Oldest Datsun 240Zs Ever Built Emerges from New Orleans Warehouse
⚡️ Read the full article on Motorious One of the earliest Datsun 240Z sports cars ever built has been unearthed in a dusty New Orleans warehouse, marking a rare and significant discovery for Japanese car enthusiasts and collectors. The coupe, chassis number 00021, is believed to be the ninth 240Z ever sold to the public and the sixth-oldest known to exist, according to records maintained by Z enthusiast site Only 543 examples of the original 1969 model year were built, making this particular car one of just 195 early survivors from that first run. The discovery was made by veteran barn-find expert Tom Cotter, who stumbled upon the car while seeking storage for his 1939 Ford Woodie. Cotter learned that the property's owner was safeguarding the historically significant Z car, which had spent over a decade off the road. Still equipped with its original 2.4-liter inline-six engine and four-speed manual transmission, the Datsun is remarkably complete. Though covered in dust, the body appears nearly rust-free—a rare feat for early 240Zs known for corrosion issues. The odometer shows just over 27,000 miles, though weathering suggests the car may have logged well over 100,000. Originally purchased by a mechanic who delayed its restoration for years, the car changed hands two years ago. Its current caretaker, a collector named Brett, now plans a full nut-and-bolt restoration to bring the iconic coupe back to its former glory. When new, the 240Z offered an affordable performance option to European sports cars like the Jaguar E-Type and BMW 2800 CS. Today, early examples have become increasingly collectible, with top-condition cars fetching six-figure sums at auction. Given its exceptional provenance and condition, chassis 00021 is poised to become one of the most valuable Datsun Z cars ever restored.
