There’s nothing quite like a barn find when it comes to the classic car world.
A true time capsule into "automobilia" past, forgotten for years, just waiting to be discovered.
One of these fabled finds had long been limited to the realm of dreams — a collection so vast and impressive it sparked whispers and speculation for decades. But it remained just that: Speculation.
RM Sotheby’s announced this month it would be bringing the collection to market in October. And along with it, the story of “the largest secret automotive hoard in the world.”
A German immigrant named Rudi Klein moved to the West Coast in the mid-20th century. After trying his hand as a butcher, he founded his own scrapyard in 1967. For four decades, the scrapyard would act as his furtive storage facility for some of the rarest and most expensive European cars ever produced.
“Over the past 40 years, our team has brought to market countless significant historical cars, each special in its own way. However, bringing something out of hiding that’s only been rumored to exist, like the legendary Klein Collection, is truly special,” RM Sotheby's car specialist Cary Ahl said.
“Discovering a hidden Mercedes 500K or an Alloy Gullwing is the kind of story that resonates with everyone, not just automotive enthusiasts. What Klein amassed here is one of a kind, and we know that many of these cars will live on for generations."
As Klein's collection grew, word got out. Though nobody quite pinned it down, the regional car community could smell some gasoline in the air.
A 2008 post in a Ferrari chat forum puts it best:
“Ever since I came to LA in 1965 I have heard stories about this junkyard (I think it is on Atlantic?) that has a treasure trove of cars. I went there once and I think I saw some Bentleys jumping up to see over the fence but couldn't get very far into the place because of a large dog. I thought of going back with a bigger dog (what tops a German Shepherd) but anyway recently read that they have an old pre-war Mercedes that is worth $10-11 million.”
Klein, who died 2001, did not disappoint when the collection finally became public. If anything, the rumors were an understatement.
One of the most notable cars from the collection is a 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K "Caraccola" Special/Coupe — no others known to exist and worth in excess of $10 million. Then there’s the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Alloy" Gullwing, one of just 24 produced in 1955 and considered the quintessential post-war sports car; another sold for nearly $7 million in 2022.
Then there’s the only factory-built Iso Grifo convertible ever produced and the sole known surviving 1939 Horch 855 Roadster.
The extent of the collection is unclear, but amid the rusted rows of treasure, it would stand to reason that there are plenty more to come as Sotheby's plans to roll out the collection in a series of auctions.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.