The recovery of the Baillon collection after almost 50 years brought us all the cars forgotten and found in various circumstances. Here are some of the most important breakthroughs.
We all dreamed of finding a car that was rarely forgotten somewhere in a barn. Or to inherit an old house in whose garage to discover a four-wheeler gem. Our dreams are fueled by occasional news about incredible discoveries in the auto field. Periodically, a forgotten treasure is discovered by some lucky, or more recently, auction house specialists.
Baillon Collection
Two French specialists at the Artcurial auction house managed to discover a forgotten collection for more than 35 years. Almost 100 classic cars, in various stages of degradation and belonging to Roger Baillon, a hero of the Hexagon transport, were found on a forgotten field in France. Although the collection contains extremely rare specimens, it was almost completely unknown to the specialists.
Roger Baillon's collection was initially higher, with the French magnate buying 200 cars between 1953 and 1966. Baillon, a great passionate of the world, built a roadster in the 1950s, which he exhibited at the Motor Show Paris. Enthusiastic and with a business going well, Baillon began to collect cars at a sustained pace.
More than 200 cars and other vehicles consisted of its collection in the mid-1960s. But his business was going through a difficult time, and Baillon had to sell some of the collection. The rest of the cars were stored on one of its properties in the west of France in improvised sheds. These shelters provided minimal protection, most of which were exposed to natural elements. Of the nearly 100 cars found, 60 can be saved and purchased by the auction house. The rest are too degraded, and the heir family will try to sell them for parts.
Roger Baillon died 10 years ago and left his collection as an inheritance to his son, who died last year. His grandchildren did not know what the value of this collection was and contacted the specialists of the auction house. Thus, the Baillon collection was rediscovered. For France, it is the largest such discovery since the presentation of the Schlumpf Collection, which has since become a national heritage. Specialists say this will be the last such breakthrough in France.
The Schlumpf Collection
Although it has never been officially lost, the impressive collection of the Schlumpf brothers has been a well kept secret for a good period of time. The brothers Hans and Fritz Schlumpf are Swiss citizens born in Italy but settled in their mother's home, Mulhouse, in Alsace.
In 1935, the Schlumpf brothers started a woolen fabric business. The business thrived after the war, and Fritz Schlumpf was passionate about cars and racing. He owned a Bugatti Type 35B with which he participated in various car races in the region. In the 1950s, the two brothers began to collect cars obsessively, acquiring especially Bugatti models. By 1964, they had bought 50 Bugatti, alongside many other regular and racing cars. The collection included 18 cars belonging to Ettore Bugatti, including a Bugatti Royale Coupe Napoleon. Fritz Schlumpf's obsession with Bugatti cars continued through the acquisition of a collection of 30 copies belonging to an American collector. In 1967, the inventory of the Schlumpf collection showed that 105 Bugatti copies were purchased.
In total, over 400 vehicles have entered the Schlumpf collection, and the brethren have decided to allocate a former building of the weaving to shelter them. Forty carpenters were hired in secret to turn the building into a warehouse for the automobile collection. Although there were specialists who knew the size of the collection, the Schlumpf brothers kept it secret, with few being the ones who could admire the 400 cars.
In the 1970s, the Schlumpf business began to shake, so the brethren had begun to sell out of their factories and to give out a great deal of workers. A strike would break out and the workers at the factory in Mulhouse revolted and took control of the factory and the annexes. They would discover the impressive automobile collection, an unrestrained Austin falling prey to their anger and being set on fire.
The Schlumpf brothers were to flee to Switzerland, and the workers decided to open the collection to the public to recover some of the lost wages. In two years, 800,000 people visited the Schlumpf collection. However, the debt accumulated by the Schlumpf brothers grew, and the creditors stared at the collection of cars to recover from the sums. In 1979, the collection was seized and put up for sale. The French state realized the heritage value of the Schlumpf collection and the Association of the National Automobile Museum acquired the collection in 1981. It was transformed into a museum that opened in 1981 and since 1999 the museum is operated by Culturespaces, who upgraded it.
Mercedes-Benz 500K 1935 Rudi Caracciola
One of the most important discoveries in the automotive world is not a collection, but a car. It is the only specimen of the Mercedes-Benz 500K built specifically for the German driver Rudi Caracciola.
Assembled in 1935, the unique model was a gift from Mercedes for the pilot who has won numerous victories during the interwar period. In a race of circumstances, the unique Mercedes and other rare models came to the possession of a certain Rudi Klein, the owner of a car cemetery and trucking company in southern Los Angeles. Klein died in 2001, and his collection of rare cars attracted to his sons. An American journalist investigating the disappearance of the famous Mercedes 500 K Caracciola has come to discover the amazing hidden collection in a warehouse of the Los Angeles Cemetery.
Among the cars found, according to the official report, "two inter-war Maybach models, one of two models Iso Grifo Spyder (designed and built by Giotto Bizzarini), one of 29 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing models with aluminum bodywork, two BMW- 507 and 502, six Lamborghini Miura and the last spec Horal 855 Spezial Roadster built, exemplary that was once owned by Eva Braun. "
It is unclear what will happen with this impressive collection, Klein's followers even refusing an offer from Mercedes-Benz Classic to restore the Caracciola's 500K model for free.
Bugatti Type 57S Atalante
One of only 17 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante models ever built was discovered in a garage in the UK after 50 years of standing. Given the rare nature of this model, the Bugatti recovered was estimated at £ 3 million. The car belonged to the president of the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC), Earl Howe, and through a series of consecutive sales came into possession of Dr. Harold Carr. He drove the car for a few years, then parked it in his 1960s garage and decided not to use it anymore. In 2007, Dr. Carr died, leaving his family's will to contain the contents of the garage. The car was thus found in excellent condition, only 26,000 miles aboard, and was sold at auction.
Lamborghini Miura
A Lamborghini Miura purchased by the famous Aristotel Onassis was forgotten in the Sofitel hotel parking lot in Athens. Onassis purchased the brown Miura copy in 1969 as a gift to Stamatis Kokotas, nicknamed Elvis in Greece, as a token of appreciation for his music. Kokotas parked him in the underground of Sofitel Hotel in Athens. the car being abandoned for 30 years.
The story says Stamatis Kokotas was a passionate driver, and he was a 2002 BMW. Having received the Miura S model, he was equally enthusiastic, but after over 60,000 kilometers, the V12 gave his last breath. This happened in 1972, and the car was put into the parking lot of the Hilton Hotel in Athens while the engine was sent to Italy for repair.