Rare barn find collection of 150 classic cars being auctioned in SA
Classic-car “barn finds” usually involve a handful of cars, and every now and then forgotten caches of 50 to 100 cars make big headlines.
A South African collection being auctioned this month is much larger.
“Louis Coetzer’s treasure trove of approximately 150 collector cars, discovered in a barn in a remote corner of the Eastern Cape, is a very rare find on a scale that even we don’t come across in the US,” said Joseph Mast, lead auctioneer of global auction giant Barrett-Jackson.
Apart from the scale of the collection, what makes these cars more incredible is the way they’ve been preserved, said Mast.
“Barn find-type autos tend to be discovered in hidden outdoor locations. They’re often just shells, inhabited by critters and sprouting vegetation. That’s not the case with Louis Coetzer’s collection. The cars may have been coated in inches of dust but for countless years they were stored indoors, protected from the elements both by the building in which they were found and by its inland location nearly 1,800m above sea level.
“Collectively, this means these cars could possibly be among the best-preserved barn finds ever brought to market.”
Mast says the unique preservation of Coetzer’s forgotten Barkly East barn cache should reflect in the prices they achieve at auction.
The online-only sale started on March 25 and runs until April 3. It is under the auspices of SAbased Creative Rides. Creative Rides CEO Kevin Derrick says the incredible discovery of these “lost” collector cars was made in a remote barn near the town of Barkly East last year, more than three years after the passing of passionate car lover “Oom” Louis and his wife Hermien.
“Adding the Barkly East inventory to Oom Louis’ previously-known collection, it now appears that through five decades and with more than 600 vehicles, he amassed what is believed to be the largest privately-owned classic car collection ever recorded in SA.
“In this auction Oom Louis and his family’s lifelong passion for Mercedes-Benz collecting will — as before — be highlighted, along with a phenomenally wide range of American, European, UK and South African classics.”
Derrick says cars from the auction collection already attracting significant interest from prospective buyers include rare 1950s, 1960s and 1970s Mercedes-Benzes, rare Chevrolet Novas in hard top and convertible, Chev Impalas, Mercedes-Benz bakkies, Volvo coupes, Cadillac Devilles and Ford Fairlanes, among many US muscle car models.
The online auction is accessible online at www.creativerides.co.za or via a Creative Rides app available on iOS and Android. To register for the auction, email admin@creativerides.co.za.