Secret collection of the world’s rarest cars discovered in an abandoned church
- A secret classic car collection was found in the Netherlands
- It is worth millions of dollars
- Read more to find out about its secretive owner
Published on Aug 07, 2024 at 3:44 PM (UTC+4)
by Nalin Rawat
Last updated on Aug 08, 2024 at 7:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A secret car collection of 230 rare and classic cars was found in a warehouse and an abandoned church by chance.
Until last year, the car collection was a closely guarded secret until a fire broke out at the owner’s largest warehouse.
The firefighters must have been quite stunned to see row upon row of classic cars when they turned up.
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Secret car collection
![Secret-car-collection-discovered-in-an-abandoned-church-1](https://supercarblondie.com/wp-content/uploads/Secret-car-collection-discovered-in-an-abandoned-church-1.webp)
The hidden car collection belonged to a reclusive collector, Ad Palmen, an 82-year-old businessman from Dordrecht in the Netherlands.
He had spent 40 years quietly collecting many rare and classic cars, worth millions of dollars.
The collection had a whole host of cars, including Ferraris, Lancias, Facel Vegas, Alpines, Fords, Tatras, BMWs, Mercedes, Lincolns, and many others.
It is not easy to maintain a classic car collection, much less one this big.
However, the owner started the engines regularly to ensure that they didn’t seize.
The secretive Dutch collector
![Secret-collection-of-rare-cars-discovered-in-an-abandoned-church](https://supercarblondie.com/wp-content/uploads/Secret-collection-of-rare-cars-discovered-in-an-abandoned-church.webp)
![Secret-rare-car-collection-discovered](https://supercarblondie.com/wp-content/uploads/Secret-rare-car-collection-discovered-2.webp)
The secretive Dutch collector also rarely sold a car, which is evident from the sheer size of his hoard.
He also seemed to have a great taste in classic cars.
However, he also had a preference for certain brands, judging from the pristine condition of various Maseratis, Jaguars, Aston Martins, BMWs, and Facel Vegas in his collection.
The car collection was so big that he had to store it in three different locations, two warehouses and an abandoned church.
His love for cars was also matched with his love of privacy.
This isn’t a collection you can just visit.
![Secret-collection-of-worlds-rarest-cars-discovered-in-an-abandoned-church](https://supercarblondie.com/wp-content/uploads/Secret-collection-of-worlds-rarest-cars-discovered-in-an-abandoned-church-1024x640.webp)
Even his neighbors didn’t know what he was storing in his warehouses.
Despite regularly asking the owner if they could take a look inside, their requests never came to a viewing.
Unfortunately, the owner grew ill and could no longer keep the classic car collection.
Since then, it has been sold to a classic car dealership for an undisclosed amount.
# Tags - Barn Finds, car collection, Cars, Classic Cars
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Nalin Rawat
Nalin started his career by working with various national newspapers in India. He has also worked as a writer/editor for many popular websites, while still pursuing his journalism and mass communication degree. Working as a digital nomad has allowed him to inform and educate through his work. When he is not writing, you can find him playing video games or travelling the mountains on his bike.