- A remarkable collection of rare classic cars, stored for decades, will be auctioned in October.
- It includes a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Alloy’ Gullwing, one of just 29 ever made.
- The cars were owned by a man named Rudi Klein, who had been storing them for decades.
A remarkable collection of classic cars, abandoned and left to rot for decades in Los Angeles, is set to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s this October. If you think typical barn finds are impressive, this jaw-dropping collection will leave you absolutely stunned.
This fleet of cars was owned by a man named Rudi Klein. He was a German immigrant who came to the US and worked as a butcher. He later found success in scrapping and dealing with European classic cars and founded Porsche Foreign Auto in 1967. While in business, Klein built up a huge collection of classics, storing them at his scrapyard in LA. But very few were ever allowed to see the cars he had.
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Even after Klein passed in 2001, his sons kept the cars away from prying eyes. Until now. The collection will be sold through a series of live and online auctions in October. All of the cars will be sold in ‘as-is’ condition, meaning none of them have been restored and many could do with some serious TLC.
One of the most valuable cars in the collection is a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Alloy’ Gullwing. This is one of just 29 ‘Alloy’ Gullwings that were ever produced and was originally delivered in black, although it’s since been stripped of its original color. The car was previously owned by Ferrari racing driver Luigi Chinetti and could serve as the perfect basis for a comprehensive restoration.
Another prized member of the collection is a 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K ‘Caracciola’ Special Coupe by Sindelfingen. It was once owned by Mercedes-Benz racing driver Rudolf Caracciola and is a one-off. Klein’s collection also includes a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, a 1939 Horch 855 Special Roadster, a 1967 Iso Grifo A3/L Spider Prototype by Bertone, and a 1961 Porsche 356 B 1600 ‘Twin-Grille’ Roadster by d’leteren.
RM Sotheby’s won’t announce the full array of cars being auctioned until next month. However, preliminary photos from inside the collection show at least three Lamborghini Miuras, numerous classic Porsches, and dozens of old engines.
