If you live anywhere near France, you should be in the town of Fayence today. There’s a huge auction happening in that historic town that was somehow not picked up by the mainstream media – which is surprising considering how popular barn finds have become and how significant this sale is. All the cars may be in project form, but just look at the photo above to get an idea of what was sitting in the owner’s backyard. Can you make out the lettering on the trunk lid? Yep, it’s a Lamborghini Miura S! Can you believe it? One of the world’s most iconic supercars is just sitting out there rotting away!
You may have spotted another special car sitting behind the Lambo. That’s an Alfa Romeo Montreal! It came with V8 power and was more expensive than a Porsche 911 when new. Hopefully, an Alfista is already preparing to drag it home and start the painstaking process of restoring it.
The owner of these vehicles wasn’t just into Italian cars either. Here’s one of a few Lotus Elans I spotted in the photos. These were lightweight sports cars with excellent handling. The fiberglass body may look solid in the photos, but there’s obviously a lot of moisture in this part of France so hopefully the frame isn’t too far gone.
With all this exotic metal laying around, it surprising to see a humble Camaro sitting in the trees. The owner of all these cars must have been a major car guy with varied tastes. Just take a look a the full lot list for proof. How on earth did these all wind up in one person’s backyard though?
Now, let’s move inside one of the buildings to see what’s stashed in there. Most of us American’s get excited when we see this body shape because we think of the Shelby Cobra. Well, it’s not one of those, but a 1958 AC Bristol is still something to get very excited about! It was the car that provided the body for the Cobra and was very respectable in its own right. What else do you think could be in here?
Since we are in France, there’s got to be a few French cars, right? Well, this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s a Alpine A210 Prototype and it raced in the 24 Hours of Lemans three times! This may be one of the most significant cars in the whole bunch, but there are a few other surprises yet to be seen. We will let you look through the lot list and find them yourself though.
What kind of person accumulates so many rare and valuable cars and then just leaves them to rot in their backyard? Well, there’s actually been lots of men who have done the very same thing, but few rival Gerard Gombert. See, Gerard was once a high flying rally driver who even owned his own specialty garage at one point. As life slowed down, he obviously wanted to hang onto the good memories. He once said that all of his cars would be crushed when he passed away, but it looks like someone changed his mind before that happened. Classic Driver did a story on him back in 2012 that you can read here. This was an incredible collection and we hope that all of Gerard’s treasures find good homes!
Doesn’t look like much left of the Miura, just the back clip and engine block. Block would make a nice coffee table after all this time…
The Alfa seems salvageable, even the AC if all the parts were there.
An orange Miura S, and that’s just one car of many rare and special performance / competition cars that he owns….or what’s left of them anyway.
The workings of the human mind can be unfathomable….for example, an ex-rally competitor who loves performance and competition cars enough to collect lots of them, but wants them to be crushed after he’s gone. I hope this auction actually happens today and that he hasn’t change his mind first.
Got to go…..must check that my cars are OK and that my will still says they stay in the family and must not be sent to the crusher.
WOW That is so dam cool that the Lemans race car still has its class winning laurel wreath on the back deck!
Very neat collection and rare stuff you don’t see everyday. Love the Alpine’s.
Amazing to view the catalog in HD.
Some of those cars, particularly the Alpines…. Wow.
Non mon frere’s – these est un terrib’ deesaster! Le teen-worm weens again!
BWTM – neglect and senility will do that too often. Dig out the kleenex – my eyes are moist
Miura looks like it’s been through one too many tunnels
4:25EST. I expect most of this auction is over by now. Damn shame as I know a few people on that side of the pond who would have certainly been at this event. The auctioneer should be flogged for not properly publishing this.
Lots of interesting motor cycles which are more complete than the cars. I wonder why most of the mechanicals from the cars are gone?
wow…….
nice to have a link to the published article on him and his collection….thanx
There all kinds of situations where airplanes/art/cars/boats/houses/etc are diminished, destroyed, lost. Neglect, fire, accidents, theft, deliberate vandalism. Then there are floods, tornadoes, runaway brush and forest fires, sinkholes, and the list goes on.
I lost my beloved 55′ Nomad many years ago to theft and yahoos shooting it full of holes after it was stripped and rolled over a steep embankment. Reggie Jackson lost a lot of his collection to fire, and that happens quite often.
Concept/collector cars lost when a ship sinks. US Customs crushing cars that are not legal. But, many are just lost because of neglect from being stored outside or in leaky buildings or trees falling on them. I see a lot of car/vehicle/equipment grave yards in the rural areas of the US. Some on CL, others that can be viewed from the road, and a lot that I see flying around.*
Its unfortunate, but it’s attrition that will have no end. A wise old friend of mine once said… “Man shouldn’t own anything he can’t leave out in the rain.”
Being a sailor, I’ve always said… “Never own more boat then you can afford to leave on the bottom.”
And so it goes………………….
I recently acquired a 53′ Buick Skylark I saw from the air in a large collection of vehicles. I punched in the coordinates and got the property information from the county and contacted the owner. Weeks later I loaded up the Skylark. http://www.conceptcarz.com/valuation/9163/Buick-Series-70-Roadmaster.aspx
Tre Duece all that you have said is true. Two things I’d like to add is if everything that we made survived in good shape how would anything become rare? Also where would we put it all?
The lotus might be the easiest of all of those to restore for new frames are available but the rest is truly tragic. For all those out there perhaps we should find homes and pry these beauties away from their owners but when we do we need to promise to bring them back to the men and women that loved them so much they might let them rot before they let them go.
It is far better for the mind to see something you love doing what is was meant to do. If you know it will be coming back to entrance you again as it did in your earlier years it might be far easier to let them go to those more capable of caring for them.
I am old enough to see both sides. I have had to sell MG’s Alfa Romeos, Triumphs, Austin Healies, Jaguars, and Maserati that I can no longer afford but would give my eye teeth to drive again if just for a few blocks so the memories can come back of days in my youth.
That is what this web site and the hobby is all about for many of us. To take the beauty we could not afford when we were younger or that beautiful thing we could afford but not keep and bring it back to the pride it should hold. I have a friend that last year won the best restoration at Oshkosh with an AT-6 and I have restored many cars with him in the past. Just thinking about him and the shop we worked at brings a smile to my face. The two wrecked MG -TD’s that became an MG Pick up truck with the entire bed being a beer cooler, and all the rest.
To all of you send photos of the beauties you acquire to those that loved them and if you have a chance return to visit and you will have more than a car, you could easily make a friend and raise a smile to one that might need it .
Thank you for reading this. Enjoy as you wish, but if given the chance share the joy of making something better with the small child that is fascinated by what you are doing or the previous owner if you can.
Top Ten all-time post among those posted on BF, IMO.
Thanks.
“.. if you live anywhere near France…”
American way of thinking about Europe……
Europe is not that small!!!!!!
France is a big country!
It made me smile too. (I’m from Holland, that’s small. :) )
If only I was in France great find/auction
Wow, I live in Germany and would have made the trip if i had known in time – unbeliveable collection of automotive history – what a wonderful opportunity, cars, motorbikes, bikes and just beautiful old parts. No use crying over spilt milk – thanks for posting – green with envy for those who attended.
This auction house in France gets interesting if you have a look at some of the results of recent auctions. The results of the auction featured here on BF aren’t up yet.
From the Nov. 6th auction:
Lot 307, 1953 MG TD = 24,000 Euros = US$25,920
Lot 322, 1968 MGB cabrio = 19,200 Euros = US$20,736
Lot 336, 1976 MGB GT = 16,200 Euros = US$17,500
Lot 339, 1968 Mercedes Benz 280SL = 7,920 Euros = US$8,553
All of these cars look like excellent drivers, not concours but no serious visible flaws.
So, nice but common MGs consistently bring about 2 to 3 times what a nice ’60s Mercedes SL brings. Go figure.
What I figure is that it might be worth selling your MG there, and buying an SL with part of the proceeds.
Fantastic find, Jesse. Those Alpina A110’s, a Renault 8 Gordini and even a 12 Gordini! What a guy and I have not read the story from Classic Driver yet,
All those bikes! , too bad Mike and Frank didn’t find this guy first.
Total sale comes close to 1.7 million Euros; Over $2 Million; not bad for a “scrap yard” !