Huge 170-plus barn-find car collection to be auctioned

A collection of between 170 and 200 barn-find cars, many of them classics, has been discovered in a Gloucestershire farmyard after decades of neglect. The whole assortment of cars is set to go under the hammer by FM Hutchings Commercial Auctioneers and the Tewkesbury Auction Centre in what might be the largest-ever sale of this kind in the UK.

We say might, because a similarly large collection of 174 classics came to light in North London in 2021, with the collection being sold the same year. With professional photographs and cataloguing of this collection now underway, the true scope of the find could see this sale exceed the North London collection, at least in terms of vehicle numbers. ‘We’ve publicised it as 170 cars because that’s what we know,’ Auctioneer Finley Hutchings explains, ‘but we believe there could be more than 200 cars, which may be the biggest barn find in the country.’

Found on a private site in South Gloucestershire, the collection features vehicles accumulated over many years, thought to have been initially intended for a museum that never materialised. The decision to sell comes after the owner abandoned the museum project and put the property up for sale. Hutchings notes: ‘The collection’s got to be sold – he can’t spend the money to move them all, so it’s time to let them go.’

Amongst the array of dusty treasures are predominantly British and German marques, with highlights including a Triumph TR7, several MGs, Jaguars, multiple Mercedes-Benz R107 SLs, and VW Golf Cabriolets. Notable luxury entries include a Bentley Turbo R and an Aston Martin DBS. There’s also an impressive stockpile of spare parts, such as Jaguar E-type bonnets, alongside automotive memorabilia, including original painted signs.

The eclectic nature of the collection extends further, with an Alfa Romeo Spider, numerous American cars from the ’50s to the ’70s, and a surprisingly extensive gathering of Peugeot 205s – at least a dozen in total – from basic five-door models right through to CTI and GTIs. Other rarities include an original Fiat 500, Citroen BX and Ford Sierra XR4x4.

Adding an intriguing twist to the find, one of the barns suffered a serious fire several years ago, with the charred remnants of several cars still visible. Hutchings believes these include the remains of a Porsche 911 Targa and a Ferrari 328, confirmed by several urban explorer videos on YouTube documenting the derelict site.

Despite the largely dilapidated condition of many vehicles, documentation does exist for a significant proportion. ‘We have about 10 or 15 folders full of V5s, but we’ve not gone car to car and attributed the right V5 to each car yet’