Alan Olee Book Report

I owe the inspiration for this post to Gizmag – an awesome site:

http://www.gizmag.com/worlds-most-valuable-barnfind/35178/

Delahaye 135 Cabriolet Faget Varnet – just one of the rare cars (this one nicely restored…) found in a barn in France earlier this year.

From Gizmag:

Proof that priceless barn finds are still possible emerged from France this week when elite auction house Artcurial disclosed it had discovered the automotive equivalent of Tutankhamen’s tomb.

Earlier this year, Artcurial’s Matthieu Lamoure and Pierre Novikoff came across the remarkable treasure trove of rare automobiles on a provincial farm in the West of France.

Novikoff had fielded a phone call from the representative of a deceased estate, which in turn had been inherited by the deceased from his father a decade prior. Several children had been bequeathed the estate, which included a collection of old cars that had lain untouched for nearly half a century.

Seriously.  Check out the link to Gizmag if you are even remotely interesting in this sort of thing.  It is simply astonishing the number of extremely rare cars in this barn complex – sixty cars.  One has been sold so far.  For over 5 million dollars!  No.  It’s insane.  If you haven’t heard about this, it’s important.  You need to get up to speed.

Talbot Lago T26 Record coupé by Saoutchik © Artcurial

They were all just corroding and rotting away.  But never fear – they can all be restored just like this:

Or how about this before-and-after shot:

Bugatti Type Type 57 Ventoux  Image ® Artcurial

Here’s one more amazing machine:

From the Baillon barn legacy, an Hispano Suiza H6B Cabriolet with body by famous French coachbuilder Millon & Guiet, which built bespoke carriages for the wealthy for half a century before beginning to produce bespoke automobile coachwork in 1895. The car was designed by the much celebrated Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt, who was nominated for the Car Engineer of the Century specifically for his design of the H6.

http://www.gizmag.com/worlds-most-valuable-barnfind/35178/pictures#22

At the end of Gizmag’s post is a listing of the sixty cars.  I am so happy they have been discovered and are probably all going to be restored to their former glory.  It is a testimony to the great level of our civilization that we recognize the magnificent artistry of these early automobiles; have the capacity to renovate them; and the wealth to value and preserve them.