Locked away for more than 50 years, the soon-to-be-auctioned collection of “scrap metal” is said to be worth millions
A German immigrant who would initially work as a butcher in Los Angeles, Rudi Klein found his calling once he opened Porche Foreign Auto in 1967. Purposely including a spelling error in the name of his European automobile trading and scrapping business after raising the ire of Porsche in Germany, Klein started filling his yard with countless exotic cars, components and memorabilia. Insistent on keeping prying eyes away, while rumours of what was on Klien’s growing inventory list spread over the years, it wasn’t until his surviving family decided to open the gates to RM Sotheby’s auctioneers that the true value of what had been gathering dust under the hot Californian sun at this otherwise unassuming scrap yard was revealed.
While an online auction taking place on 26 October 2024 aims to move many of the components and even replacement engines for some of the rarest cars in history, a live auction happening between 26 and 28 October will feature 358 lots, including more components and, indeed, some extraordinary vehicles – each of which will need some form of restoration before realising their true worth.
Highlights of the collection include one of only 29 examples of a 1956 alloy-bodied Mercedes-Benz Gullwing, a 1938 Maybach SW38 Sport Cabriolet, a 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 by Bertone with its original V12 engine and a one-of-a-kind 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K “Caracciola” Special Coupé. Of the 51 Porsche models set to go under the hammer, the rarest is a 1962 356 B 1600 “Twin-Grille” Roadster by D’Ieteren.
Offered as a complete lot, the front chassis section from a late-production Miura P 400 is still loaded onto the back of a VW Type 2 single-cab pick-up.
A restoration job for someone with a lot of time and money on their hands, the so-called Junkyard Collection also includes the wrecked remains of 1967 330 GTC, estimated to be worth up to $75,000 (R1.3 million).
Ian McLaren has more than 20 years of experience as a motoring journalist. Here, he will be compiling a series of articles documenting his learning curve when it comes to all things auction. Find him on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok at @IanMcLaren76.
These articles aim to offer insights only and in no way encourage reckless or hit-and-miss purchasing decisions.