Palmen Barn Find story

The Palmen Barn Find Collection by Gallery Aaldering

A collection of more than 200 barn finds has been discovered, a collection of such calibre and condition that it is unlikely such a find will be seen again!

230 classic cars will be auctioned from The Palmen Barn Find Collection, with the online auction starting on Friday 19th May and concluding in three stages from the 5th to 7th of June 2023.

A unique collection of 230 classic cars from a location in Dordrecht in The Netherlands.

Gallery Aaldering is auctioning this gigantic collection in cooperation with Classic Car Auctions. From Lancia Aurelia Spider to Mercedes-Benz 300S Roadster and from Alfa Romeo 2600 SZ to various Facel Vegas: the diversity is enormous.

Mr Palmen started collecting special classics about forty years ago and kept them in three locations, two buildings and one church. The cars are in great condition and the entire collection was hardly seen by anyone, even nearby neighbours had no real idea of what was inside.

Mr Palmen had been starting the cars regularly, with most of the collection in an unrestored and original condition. He rarely showed the collection to anyone, so very few people knew of its existence. The maintenance was mostly done by himself. You can call it one of the best-kept secret car collections in Europe.

A yellow Lancia B20 was his first car and the variety is more than eclectic. Mr Palmen did have a fondness for Italian cars such as Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati and Ferrari. Other nationalities feature too, however, such as the French Facel Vega, German BMW and Mercedes, British Jaguars, Aston Martins and Rolls-Royces. American classics are in there too with Chevrolet, Cadillac and Ford among the collection, plus many more.

Gallery Aaldering will sell the collection through a major international online auction: "This barn find collection is truly a unique opportunity for car enthusiasts and collectors around the world to expand their collection," said Nico & Nick Aaldering, of Gallery Aaldering. "We are very pleased to be able to auction these cars through Classic Car Auctions and look forward to seeing how much interest there is in this wonderful collection."

Due to circumstances, 82-year-old Mr Palmen could no longer keep his collection and Gallery Aaldering recently became the owner of one of the largest barn find collections in the world in recent years.