The people who are fond of classic cars rarely get the same satisfaction from buying a new model from a dealership. The used car market and auction sites are always available, but there’s something that’s even better. One of the most rewarding things for a classic car enthusiast is going to and documenting barn finds. Barn finds are activities of discovering classic cars and bikes often in derelict condition. These vehicles and the barns they are in are forgotten, abandoned, or left aside for the owners for a long time. Most barn finds occur when automotive archeologists find these sheds/barns in the middle of nowhere or when the owners finally decide to have the vehicles restored or auctioned.
The idea of seeing cars of the past century persevering the test of time, ready to display their beauty and charm from their time to the current world is enamoring. Barn finds usually have a collection of multiple cars from the same owner, and these collections do very well in an auction. The Pierre Heron collection was born in 1965 in France. It comprises French classic cars and one Spanish coupe. These cars are from different decades, with the oldest one dating back to the 1920s. Let’s have a look at the barn find of the magnificent Pierre Heron collection.
Let’s Follow Artcurial In This Barn Find
Artcurial is a leading French auction house that started in 2002 and opened up its YouTube channel six years later. Antoine Mahe is a specialist at Artcurial Motorcars, and he seems stoked to be at this barn find as he enters. The first glimpse inside the building swiftly brings us back to the bygone era; it’s as if time has stopped there and has completely isolated it from the outer world. Apart from the usual dust and cobwebs, there doesn’t seem to be any interaction to have taken place with the cars at all. We see some beautiful sedans from Hotchkiss, Talbot, and Salmson, all French automakers. The first car we see is the Hotchkiss-Grégoire, a luxury car company from Paris. They started its production in 1950 and it lasted until 1954. The Grégoire is a very rare piece, as only 247 of these have ever existed.
Some Of The Rarest And Most Gorgeous Cars Ever
The 1928 Hispano-Suiza Type 49 Coach is the only car in the Pierre Heron collection that’s not French. The Hispano is a Spanish Coupe, and the one we see in the video is chassis number 8013. It keeps all its original parts when it goes under the hammer. It has undergone no restoration work in its life. We see a 1954 Talbot Lago T26 GSL, and we are indeed lucky to have seen it. That’s because this is one of only 15 T26 GSL coupes ever made. The one we have here in the barn bears the chassis number 111007. If you are a fan of the French automaker Delahaye, you’re in for a treat! There are several Delahaye models in the collection. But the most amazing of them is probably the 1948 Delahaye 135 M Cabriolet “El Glaoui” by Figoni & Falaschi. You may have read about the 135 MS ‘Narval’ from Delahaye, as it is one of the most beautiful cars of the entire decade. The 135 M Cabriolet “El Glaoui”, being essentially the same car underneath, is not far behind in that area as well. They made only 18 of these convertibles, and this collection has the one with chassis number 800833.
There Are Even More Cars!
Matthieu Lamoure, the managing director at Artcurial Motors, joins Antoine as they discover even more cars hibernating in the backyard area. There’s yet another Delahaye, the 148. French designer Henri Chapron received the chassis of this coupe for further design. Like most other cars in the collection, the 148 remains in its original state. There are a few more cars featuring Chapron’s design in the collection. Hidden under a tarp cover is a 1951 Delahaye 148 L Berline. But this one got the Letourneur & Marchand coachwork treatment instead. These things had small engines with simple carburetors, and the one we see here keeps the same engine. There’s a 1937 Talbot Lago T15 Cadette Berline too! There is yet another small shed in the backyard, and inside it is something very special. It’s the 1956 Tracta-Grégoire Sport Coupe. Jean-Albert Grégoire was one of the greatest pioneers of front-wheel drive vehicles. It’s the one and only model in existence, and Chapron handled the outer bodywork. It looks sort of like a French Aston Martin, but original and beautiful enough to set it apart from the British legend.
Another Talbot hides behind the eye candy, and this time it’s the 1951 Talbot Lago T26 Record Sport Berline. This berline comes equipped with a 4.4-liter triple carburetor grand sport I6 engine and a 4-speed manual Wilson transmission. Side note, ‘Berline’ is an old-school name for a car that has a glass partition that separates the front and rear compartments, kinda like a limousine. The collection also includes a 1950 Talbot Lago Record T26 Cabriolet with a Wilson pre-selector gearbox.
The Fate Of These Cars
There are quite a few Talbot Lagos and Hotchkiss-Grégoires that sound very similar to each other. But they are all unique, and the collection features a lot of them. 24 of them will feature in the Artcurial auction block on 2nd July 2022. They will appear under Le Mans 2022, from lot 101 to 124. A couple of years ago, the Delahaye 135 Competition fetched a whopping $125 Million. But these 14 cars probably won’t ask for that much in the upcoming auction. They are all in barn-find condition and will need extensive work before they are up and running again. Artcurial expects the asking price of these cars would fall anywhere between $6,000 and $210,000. Someone who is a classic car enthusiast or has a thing with French classics and is up for some restoration work should definitely check this auction out on the 2nd of July 2022.
