Previously, we brought you the story of 60 vintage cars discovered in an old barn in France. The cars belonged to Roger Baillon and were discovered by a pair of motorcar specialists who made the biggest barn discovery in a century. It was expected that this awesome collection of vehicles would fetch at least $18 million at auction! Here is a closer look at one of these cars and what happened to it.
The car is a 1949 Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport SWB par Saoutchik. The collection was put up for sale at the Artcurial auction in Paris, France in February 2015. Many of the cars brought in more than was expected. According to Yahoo Autos, The Talbot Lago Saoutchik "was once considered the most beautiful French post-war car ever built." It found a new owner who parted with $1.9 million to buy this vintage classic.
This exact car was used to advertise at auto shows in Europe. The Saoutchik is a sports car that was re-bodied by a custom chassis maker, and only four bodies like this were built. Auto historians thought this car was lost, but it turns out it was just rusting away inside Baillon's barn. Although the car really did rust out over the years, a closer look reveals its fine details, such as the portholes inspired by Buick. It is believed that it would take about $1 million to recover the Saoutchik back to its glory days.
So which car earned the most money at the auction? That was the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder. The Spyder was stored under a stack of books indoors and once it came out of hiding, it sold for $18.5 million!
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
$1.9 million is a lot to pay for something that's rotted out and doesn't run, but what have other cars gone for at auction in the past? A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO became the most expensive car to ever be sold at auction, when it went for $34.65 million in 2014. In 2013, a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196 sold for a reported $29.6 million. Ferrari's are typically the most expensive cars sold at auctions, and they generally represent four of the five highest prices ever paid at auction. A pair of 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas come in at 3rd and 4th on the list, selling for $16.4 million in 2011 and $12.4 million in 2009. Rounding out the Top 5 was a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder that sold for $10.9 million in 2008. It seems that anything starting with Ferrari 250 is going to go for big time money at auction!
