Classic Cars Forgotten On Farm Up For Sale

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A collection of rare classic cars that was were left forgotten on a farm for almost 50 years will go on sale on Friday.

The cars bear legendary marques such as Bugatti, Hispano-Suiza, Talbot-Lago, Panhard-Levassor, Maserati, Ferrari, Delahaye and Delage.

The "sleeping beauties" are being auctioned by the Artcurial auction house and are expected to fetch €16m (£12m) in total.

They will be sold as seen, rusty and weather-beaten, having been kept poorly protected with some exposed to the elements for all those years.

Among the 60 is a Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, one of only 37 ever made, found under a pile of old car magazines.

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Gallery: Classic Cars Found In 'Metallic Graveyard'

Artcurial were tipped-off to the collection of car that had been forgotten in western France

Sixty cars were found rusting behind a chateau

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Artcurial's Mattieu Lamoure (R) and Pierre Novikoff (L) inspect their finds

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The Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider was once owned by actor Alain Delon. Continue through for more images

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The car was once owned by actor Alain Delon, who was photographed in the car with actresses Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine.

Another discovery is a Talbot Lago T26 Cabriolet that was once owned by Egypt's last monarch, King Farouk, a hugely rich man known for his extravagant tastes and great collections.

The once-in-a-lifetime discovery was found after a tip-off to one of the auction house's specialists who was on the look out for rare items.

"This was somewhere between a metallic graveyard and a museum," said Pierre Novikoff explaining how some of the cars were hidden by evergreen ivy while, in other cases, the cars were masked by corrugated iron.

"This is surely the last time that such a discovery will be made, anywhere in the world. What is so special here is the number of cars, the range and the quality and pedigree of the models."

The exact location of the collection has been kept secret but the original owner is known to have been car enthusiast Roger Baillon.

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Gallery: Long-Lost Classic Cars Go On Show At Retromobile

A Ferrari 250 GT SWB California spider, which belonged to French actor Alain Delon, is displayed at the Retromobile Car Show 2015 in Paris

A Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Berlinetta Frua from the Baillon collection

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He made his fortune in the transport business at the end of the 1940s and used his money to buy the farm in Echire and turn it into a classic car museum.

Much of the collection was gathered between 1955 and 1965 with some of the cars restored and others left in their original state.

When his business suffered badly in the 1970s, Mr Baillon sold off a large part of his collection and dealers thought that was the end of the matter.

They did not realise he had held on to some of the best.

"This is a very rare opportunity presenting works of art unknown to the market!," said Mr Novikoff.

"For the Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport coupe Saoutchik, caved in at the rear, I think it should be left in this condition. It is a sculpture."

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