AN INCREDIBLE fleet of abandoned cars that were sat in a junkyard for decades were recently sold off at an auction – with many fetching millions.
The famous Rudi Klein collection, which includes retro Porsches, dilapidated Lamborghinis, and even a Mercedes Gullwing, finally went under the hammer on October 26.
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Famed auction house RM Sotheby’s ran the sale, known as The Junkyard, with total sales topping an unbelievable $29.6 million – roughly £23million.
The old yard was packed with vintage cars, many of them classic Porsches, including 356s and 911s in various states of disrepair, as well as dozens of the German brand’s iconic air-cooled engines and other parts.
There was a pair of Ferrari 330 GTCs, a 275 GTS, and a handful of Lamborghini Miura P400s.
Several rare Mercedes-Benz machines were also under the hammer, including a largely complete 1957 300 SL Roadster.
Who was Rudi Klein?
Rudi Klein, a German immigrant who arrived in the US in the late 1950s, began as a butcher before he founded Porsche Foreign Auto, a scrapyard business located in Los Angeles, in 1967.
Over the decades, Klein has amassed an incredible collection of classic cars from Europe, including Ferraris, Porsches, Maseratis, and Lamborghinis, all of which were kept hidden away from prying eyes.
The junkyard was never open to the public, and is known for its high levels of security. Few people have ever seen the collection.
Even after Klein’s death in 2001, his sons continued to keep the collection hidden.
This incredibly rare ‘Alloy’ Gullwing iteration was the last of its kind to leave the Mercedes-Benz factory, making it particularly desirable, and it sold for a cool $9,355,000.
Elsewhere, a 1935 Mercedes 500 K, built as a one-off for racing driver Rudolf Caracciola, who became an icon during the Silver Arrows era of Grand Prix racing, sold for $4.1m.
This was slightly ahead of a 1939 Horch 855 Special Roadster that sold for $3.3m, and a stylish Iso Grifo Spider prototype that went for $1.8m.
A worse-for-wear Miura sold for $1.3m, such is the iconic motor’s pulling power.
Klein, a renowned figure in the world of collecting, started amassing the collection at his junkyard from 1967, with a particular focus on rare or unique cars from Europe.
For petrolheads, Klein’s collection has always been something of a mystery, with very few industry collectors knowing of its existence and even fewer having peeked behind the lot’s barbed wire fences.
Following the auction, RM Sotheby’s specialist Cary Ahl said: “We knew we had something truly special when we first announced this sale.
“The Rudi Klein collection has been a source of intrigue for decades, and when the story finally broke, the global response was immediate and overwhelming.”
This comes as a last-of-its-kind Mercedes is set to sell for an eye-watering £2.7million at an auction next month.
The immensely rare Gullwing machine – similar in style to one sold at The Junkyard – is said to be the last ever on the planet and is widely regarded as the most iconic and recognisable car ever made.
Elsewhere, Chinese EV maker Xiaomi have built the world’s fastest four-door car – and it’s well on its way to beating an official record.
The up-and-coming car brand’s SU7 Ultra prototype recently recorded a super lap around the infamous Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit and beat a time set by Porsche in the process.
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