Collection of untouched classic cars found in abandoned dealership in Italy

  • This abandoned dealership is packed with never-used vehicles
  • The as-new cars included a Matra Bagheera and a Triumph Acclaim
  • Many of the cars still had plastic wrapping on the seats 

Published on Nov 25, 2024 at 2:28 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid

Last updated on Nov 25, 2024 at 5:05 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

A car lover discovered an abandoned dealership in Italy that held a collection of never-used classic cars. 

The cars dated back to the 1980s and included models from Austin, Rover, and MG.

It’s unclear how long the cars had been left at the dealership, but they all looked to be in great condition. 

Some even had the original plastic wrapping covering the seats. 

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A dozen cars had been left at the dealership in Italy

Interestingly, this isn’t the first defunct dealership that has been unearthed by urban explorers. 

Over in France, someone stumbled upon this former Saab dealership, that was still packed with old cars; another urban explorer discovered this abandoned Peugeot dealership that’s home to dozens of classic cars; and in Japan, explorers found a dealership that time forgot.

Meanwhile, in southern Italy, a man named Michele Sansome found a stash of ‘completely new’ cars in an old dealership. 

He posted shots of his find in the ‘Old British Cars’ Facebook group, where he revealed there were a dozen vehicles in total. 

“Hello, I’m a car enthusiast from Italy. Today I rediscovered 11 British Leyland cars and a Matra Bagheera completely new in a garage in Apulia, a southern region of Italy,” he wrote. 

In a comment to a fellow member, Sansome reiterated that all the cars were brand-new and unused, with only delivery mileage from the factory on the odometer. 

The abandoned cars were still in great shape 

Images shared by Sansome show there were several Austin Metros, two Austin Maestros, some Rover SD1s, a Triumph Acclaim, and a Matra Bagheera sportscar.

An impressive find, right?

Most of the cars were sporting flat tires, and all of them were covered in a thick layer of dust that appeared to confirm they’d been parked since the 1980s.

Despite the lengthy passage of time, the haul of classic cars appeared to be in great condition, with the photos showing some of the cars’ seats still wrapped in their original plastic coverings. 

While it’s unclear who owns the vehicles, the fact that they’re in such good condition means they could be worth a good chunk of cash. 

And wouldn’t it be nice to see them go to new homes where they could finally be given a chance to hit the road?

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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.