When he died, entrepreneur Roger Baillon left behind an incredible assortment of classic and exotic cars, all tucked away on a farm in the French countryside. Now the collection is coming to market. Have a look at this amazing find.
French businessman Roger Baillon, the operator of a trucking company among other enterprises, began collecting rare and exotic European cars back in the 1950s with the hope of one day opening a museum. Stung by a severe business reversal in the 1970s, he was forced to give up his dream, and he sold off around 50 of the vehicles. However, he kept approximately 60 of his favorites, it seems, housing them mainly in an assortment of corrugated iron sheds, overgrown with vegetation and only partially shielded from the weather, on his property in Western France. There they sat, undisturbed for decades.
Just a few of the rare and desirable vehicles:
+ A Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, one of 37 built, with two celebrity ex-owners, actors Gérard Blain and Alain Delon; value estimated at $12 million to $15 million
+ Three T26 Talbot-Lagos with bodies by Saoutchik, including a Grand Sport Aérodynamique and a fabulous cabriolet once owned by King Farouk of Egypt
+ A Facel Vega, a Hispano Suiza H6B cabriolet Million-Guiet, and a Maserati A6G 2000 Berlinetta with body by Frua, one of three produced
Baillon’s heirs have now arranged with Matthieu Lamoure and Pierre Novikoff of Artcurial Motorcars to find new homes for the vehicles. The auction takes place at Retromobile in Paris on February 6, 2015, and is sure to create a major sensation in the collector car world. Meanwhile, the video below captures the collection just as it was found on Baillon’s farm. Watch this.
Can anyone ID the swoopy convertible that’s on the Facels left?
That’s the ex-King Farouk Talbot-Lago.
Why bother, they have all rotted in his “care”.
I get that he wanted to set up a museum, but a sensible person should have realised that it was time to let go once the vehicles started to deteriorate.