Greatest Barn Find Ever: The World’s Largest Collection of British Automobiles

Many of us know the pain of having to make room for a new project by getting rid of an old one. It’s hard to part with a car, especially one in which you’ve invested time and effort; a car associated with memories, good and bad. And yet, what if you didn’t have to get rid of the old car? What if you never got rid of an old car? What if you had, at your disposal, a former fruit processing plant in Haumoana, Hawke’s Bay, on the beautiful east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, a stone’s throw from the pristine blue-green waters of the South Pacific? The answers to these questions exist in the form of a place: Ian Hope’s British Car Museum, now listed with NAI Harcourts and advertised here on realestate.co.nz. My sincere thanks to Stephen for the tip that led to this piece.

Ian Hope was a man who lived by one rule: buy what you like and never, ever, sell. This simple mantra ultimately led him to build the largest collection of British cars in the world. Family members estimate that, at the time of his death, his collection included more than five hundred vehicles. This is only an estimate, since they seem to keep finding more cars. I can honestly say that the pictures we are able to include here do absolutely no justice to the size and scope of his astounding collection. It is well worth the time to explore the listing provided above, or the other websites devoted to the museum.

The collection includes multiple examples from every major British maker. There must be over fifty Austins alone, including everything from a 1929 Burnham to a 1979 Princess. There are more than thirty Morris Minors, Vauxhalls until the world looks level, and Hillmans and Humbers galore. Even in photos, I have never seen so many cars in one place, literally piled one on top of another. And yet, aside from a MGB GT here, a Spitfire there, and a solitary Austin-Healey 100/4, there are comparatively few sports cars. Excepting a Bentley, a Rolls, and baker’s dozen Land Rovers and Jags, there aren’t that many luxury marques. Ian’s backyard museum was overwhelmingly dedicated to cars of the people– the cars that his neighbors had (often literally) learned to drive on, the cars that fetched the groceries and dropped off the kids and made the commutes. Unrestored, unmolested, unapologetic: these are the cars that tied the communities of the North Island together. These are the cars that were an important part of the fabric of New Zealand life for decades.

From real estate documents, valuation on the property runs into the millions of New Zealand dollars, and while the family would like to see the museum continue, its future is certainly unclear. Sealed bids for the property, cars included, are being taken until July 7. Cars aside, the lot alone is just under six acres, and there are few places in the world more beautiful than Hawke’s Bay. More, there are a four large industrial buildings in addition to the huge central warehouse. All which means, if the cars are lucky, and the family is lucky, and the community is lucky, and this magnificent collection can be preserved… well, the buyer is lucky, too. Because there’s definitely room for a few more.