JAKARTA - You are a classic car lover and are hunting for rare high-value items? If so, don't miss the auction of 230 classic cars, including the rare Lancia B24 Spider America.

The cars found in the warehouse and an abandoned church in the Netherlands are believed to be worth millions of euros. The owner is businessman Dordrecht Ad Palmen (82) who started collecting cars 40 years ago, according to auction organizers.

Due to Palmen's health being reportedly sick, he was no longer able to store the vehicle and was recently purchased by Gallery Aaldering, a motor vehicle dealer run by Nico and Nick Aaldering, with an undisclosed amount.

"The Palmen Barnfind Collection" will be auctioned in the Netherlands starting May 19 as part of an auction organized by Gallery Aaldering and Classic Car Auctions.

"This Barnfind collection is truly a unique opportunity for car enthusiasts and collectors around the world to expand their collection," Nico and Nick Aaldering said in a press release.

"We are excited to be able to auction these cars through Classic Car Auctions and hope to see how much interest there is in this incredible collection."

Meanwhile, Carlo Te Lintelo, head of marketing Gallery Aahering told CNN, Palmen's treasure, which includes white Mercedes 300 S convertible, blue Ferrari 365 to Alfa Romeo Spider, was a closely guarded secret until the fire broke out at his home last year. A quick response from the fire department prevented the cars from burning.

Furthermore, it is believed that Palmen values cars more than they like certain brands. Many models, including Maserati, Jaguar, Aston Martins, BMW and Facel Vegas are in original condition, said Te Lintelo.

"These cars are in good condition and very diverse. What you often see is people focus on one brand when collecting cars such as Mercedes Benz, Jaguar or BMW. Mr. Palmen doesn't just collect expensive or exclusive cars, he buys everything he thinks is beautiful," explained Te Lintelo.

"This collection includes very special cars. Like Lancia B4 Spider America. As an illustration, the car itself will sell for 600,000 to 700,000 euros (660,000 to 770,000 US dollars). They are very rare, only a few are made. If they are in perfect condition, they can sell for up to 1 million euros (1.1 million US dollars)," he explained.

According to Te Lintelo, there are still many unanswered questions about the collection because Palmen is too sick to tell his story.

"We have hundreds of questions about why he started collecting," said Te Lintelo.

"There are so many mysteries around the car because he can't answer. (It's) so sad," he said.

But there is one thing that Te Lintelo believes, a car is Palmen's desire.

"He lives in a warehouse and not luxurious. A car is his life. We want to respect his legacy. This is his whole life. Gallery Allering brought the cars but we chose to name the collection in his name in honor of it," he said.

It is known that the auction, which started on May 19 at 17:00 local time, is divided into three stages, as quoted from the Classic Car Auctions website.

The first phase of the auction closes on June 5, the second phase closes on June 6 and the third phase closes on June 7, all at 20:00 local time.

If you want to see the collection being auctioned, the organizers will open a visit from 27 to 29 May at 18:00 local time.


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