Netherlands: Hundreds of classic cars discovered in abandoned church and warehouses up for auction

A surprise collection of 230 rare and classic cars uncovered in the Netherlands are expected to fetch millions at auction, ITV News' Rishi Davda reports

A treasure trove of 230 classic cars found in an abandoned church and warehouses is set to go under the hammer after the secret collection was uncovered by chance.

A fire brigade called out to a property in the Netherlands made the surprise discovery last year.

Firefighters were stunned to be greeted with the sight of row upon row of classic cars.

The treasures were later revealed to belong to a reclusive collector who had spent 40 years quietly amassing the hoard estimated to be worth millions of euros.The cars were stored in a warehouse and abandoned church by owner Ad Palmen, an 82-year-old Dordrecht businessman, who started collecting the cars decades ago, according to auction organisers.

Mr Palmen has since been diagnosed with dementia, and his car collection is being put up for auction.

The collection includes coveted Italian vehicles such as Alfa Romeos, Maseratis, and Ferraris, as well as British Jaguar, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce models, CNN reported.

Mr Palmen's reported ill-health led him to sell his collection and were purchased by Gallery Aaldering, a motor vehicle dealer run by Nico and Nick Aaldering, for an undisclosed amount.

The Palmen Barnfind Collection will go under the hammer online from May 19.

The full collection had never been publicly disclosed before, and boasts some of the world's rarest cars.

They include an Alfa Romeo 2600 SZ, Lancia Aurelia Spider, and a Mercedes-Benz 300S Roadster.

Nico and Nick Aaldering said: "Mr Palmen started collecting special classic cars about forty years ago and housed them in three different locations, two buildings and a church.

"The cars have been stored in good condition and have stood the test of time very well."

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