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Extraordinary barn find

13K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  BSA_Bob 
#1 ·
This amazing collection of old cars secreted away includes three pre-war bikes. The link has a picture gallery - from The Daily Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...2002/Classic-car-barn-find-photo-gallery.html
There's romance in rust

An amazing collection of classic cars has been unearthed at the home of a Norfolk eccentric.



By Dave Selby
Last Updated: 12:57PM GMT 19 Mar 2009

A Daimler Regency gathering moss in Mr Blanch's garden Photo: Dave Selby



If you lived in a certain part of rural Norfolk – I can't say exactly where – the chances are that you knew James Blanch. If you didn't, then at the very least you'd probably have heard of the elderly bachelor, a harmless eccentric with a well-known penchant for old cars.


Locals feared for the welfare of the one-time wheelwright as, well into his late 70s, he cycled regularly along the A140, one of the busiest stretches of A-road in Norfolk. As motorists sped by they briefly glimpsed a vision of another age – an old man going about his daily business, doggedly cycling along in a great Edwardian motoring coat, gauntlets and trousers patched and padded with old beer mats.
Blanch sadly died last December when part of his crumbling home fell on him, since when the astonishing scale of his consuming passion for old cars has slowly come to light.
At least 30 vehicles have been unearthed in outbuildings and the undergrowth on the 1.75-acre site. It's a sad scene of almost stage-dressed dereliction. There's romance in rust.
Through a ***** in a clap-board wall there's a tantalising glimpse of a big 1920s Austin tourer - that would fetch £15,000 in good condition. You'd also find an Austin 7, a 1930s Morris Minor that looks restorable (worth perhaps £7,000 when done up), a Lea-Francis from the late 1940s or early 1950s, a 1920s Morris commercial, sundry pre-war Singers, a brace of 1920s Swifts and a six-cylinder Sunbeam 20.9hp, again from the '20s. That could be a bit special - the last time one of these refined 70mph tourers sold at auction it made £32,000.
It's clear Blanch had an eye for quality, sporting British cars. There are several 1930s Riley Nines, including Monaco saloons and a Lynx tourer. This last is a favourite of the more discerning post-vintage-thoroughbred gang and looks eminently restorable. Really nice examples can fetch £15,000 or more. At the other end of the spectrum there's a Ford Anglia 105E that looks pretty sound.
One of the few people to have seen this hoard is Guy Snelling of Keys auctioneers, who will be selling off the collection on April 4. He said: "It's been a fascinating experience, but also quite sad. There's a private and personal story that we'll never really know. In later years Mr Blanch was clearly living in very straitened circumstances but still he could not bring himself to part with any of the cars he loved."
It seems Blanch ran a motor repair business in the London suburbs before moving to rural Norfolk in the early 1970s. Photos taken at the time show many of the cars being unloaded and placed in storage, where they have remained to this day. For some reason, perhaps fear of theft, the shed doors were screwed and sealed shut.
Today many of the structures are unsafe and experts have been called in to remove the vehicles from the collapsing buildings. Fears of looting and the site's dangerous nature mean the find's precise location has been kept secret. Snelling said: "A few so-called enthusiasts have decided to try to help themselves. We found an axle from the Sunbeam hidden in the undergrowth - it had clearly been secreted there in preparation for removal."
As well as the cars, there are lots of spares and a mountain of documents, literature, handbooks, magazines, manuals and photographs. "If things had been better preserved it would have been truly magical," said Snelling. "Much of it has unfortunately been destroyed by the elements, but we've done our best to salvage what we can."
The 1920s Swift 10 tourer is loaded with books, all the way to its door tops, and is being sold like that, exactly as found. One can only guess what treasures might, or might not, be discovered.
In addition to the better-preserved vehicles that were kept more or less under cover, there were several others dotted around the site. These included an Armstrong-Siddeley, two 1950s Daimler Regencies and a 1960s Humber Super Snipe. "Sadly, the moss was structural," said Snelling. "When we tried to move them they simply collapsed."
Among Blanch's most recent acquisitions were three pre-war motorcycles – a BSA and two Sunbeams – all in better condition than any of the cars. Two were bought in the late 1990s and one as recently as 18 months ago. It's a touching end-piece to his motoring odyssey because it's thought he bought the motorcycles to court a local lady friend. Even while his house crumbled around him, and his cars quietly decayed, he still had hope.
* Mr Blanch is thought to have died without relatives and has left his estate to charity. His amazing hoard will be offered, without reserve, during Keys' next classic car sale at Palmers Lane Saleground, Aylsham, Norfolk (01263 733195 or 07701 084692, www.keys24.com)
 
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#6 ·
Forgive the thread-jacking for just a minute, but last Memorial Day I had the opportunity to help recover a 1926 Franklin sedan from an old shed here in town.

A group of Model T enthusiasts stopped at the local greasy spoon. They attracted more fans than the restaurant did flies. I was one of the flies, ehr I mean fans. One of the Model T club participants asked if anyone would help her move some old cars from a shed. How can you say "no" to an offer like that? So off my 3 sons, a friend, and I went to see what she had.

The Franklin was the car she wanted moved. As near as I could tell, the car had been sitting inside since the early 70s. It was parked next to a 1915 Model T and a 1970 Mustang Mach 1, under wraps. We had to yank the Franklin sideways away from the shed's east wall as it had been jammed in a corner. It took all 5 of us to inch the car into the shed's interior where we could hook on with a tow strap and a 4-wheeler. I asked the owner why she was moving the car after so many years. She said she wanted to haul the Franklin to Reno - to the National Auto Museum - to determine if it needed restoration before she sold it.

My youngest son, the only skinny one of the bunch, manhandled the steering as it was pulled out to the street then loaded into a large Toy Hauler. My friend, feeling suddenly flush, asked the lady if she'd sell him the Model T. She said sure, but she'd need $9,500 for it. He went home, snagged the cash, and paid her on the spot. He and I aired up the tires, hooked up the same tow strap, and pulled it to his garage using his pickup.

He's gone through it since and it runs like a champ. Interesting history too. From what he found out from DMV records, the T was originally purchased by a traveling doctor. It was sold to the widow's husband from an estate sale, and put in the shed at the same time as the Franklin and Mach 1.

It was a great adventure! I do understand the thrill of barn discoveries.

Here are some pics:

The spoon...

The Franklin in the shed...

Shedding some light on the subject (notice the side skid marks of the rear tire)...

Me and Frank...and yes, that's the Model T in the background my friend bought...
 
#10 ·
I'll snap a few pics in the next few days and post them to this thread. Checking the prices for Model Ts, $9.5K was bottom end of the scale with $12K being the top. His is a roadster and has the original wood spoke wheels and unblemished lug nuts, a rarity in the Model T world.
 
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