Back in August, RM Sotheby’s announced that it was auctioning off Rudi Klein’s collection. For decades, Klein ran Porsche Foreign Auto, a Los Angeles-based scrapyard rumored to house an incredible collection of iconic junked cars behind its tall walls. While there were whispers of the collection’s contents, no one truly knew what was in there. Following Klein’s death, his sons decided to sell the collection, and Sotheby’s finally revealed what was inside. In a word, it’s staggering.
Since the yard was called “Porsche Foreign Auto,” the collection is mostly filled with old Porsches and relevant parts. Between the countless old 911 and 356 bodies and endless Porsche engines, gearboxes, and body panels, someone can likely build an entire car out of Klein’s collection alone. And I sincerely hope someone does, because that would be awesome.
It’s far from just Porsches, though. There are several pre-war Mercedes, a few classic Ferraris, at least two vintage Aston Martins, and four Lamborghini Miuras. Admittedly one of the Miuras is really just half a chassis and a front end. At least it comes with its own 1969 Volkswagen Type 2 flatbed pickup to haul it around.
However, dig a little deeper into the collection and you’ll find some cars that aren’t junked or damaged. Some of them are in excellent condition, albeit covered in dust. More importantly, a few are so incredibly rare that even the most well-connected collectors thought they’d been lost to time. Some of the cars in this collection dropped my jaw.
For example, the 1956 BMW 502 “Marburg”—a one-off, coachbuilt, post-war coupe that I’d bet even the most diehard BMW fans didn’t know existed. It packs a 3.2-liter V8 and a four-speed manual, with a column-mounted shifter. And there it lies, in Klein’s scrapyard with flat tires, covered in dirt and rust, and looking like it was plucked from a post-apocalyptic movie set. You can see how pretty it is underneath its patina, though, and the potential it has to be restored into a gorgeous classic. The estimated sale price is between $30,000 and $50,000, which seems like a good deal considering the rarity.
The 1956 Facel Vega FV2 cabriolet conversion is an especially cool car and still in surprisingly good shape. This specific Vega is said to be the first one ever delivered to the United States and was originally owned by actor Edward Ashley. In 1990, it was converted to a cabriolet, which seems like a shame as the standard coupe was so much better looking. Whoever did the conversion also ditched the original and wonderful wire wheels, for a genuinely ugly five double-spoke set that looks like it was pulled from a ’90s Pontiac. The rest of the car is awesome, though, with its combination of funky French styling and Chrysler V8. RM Sotheby’s estimates the Facel will sell for between $20,000 and $30,000, which also seems low. I blame it on the wheels.
Want to talk funky? Klein’s collection also houses a 1971 NSU ro80 2 Porte +2 by Pininfarina. Another one-off, this Pininfarina-penned NSU show car was designed for the Turin Motor Show. The normal NSU ro80 was interesting enough, with its quirky sedan styling, West German roots, and rotary engine. However, the 2 Porte +2—despite having the most annoying name to type—was a coachbuilt version, based on the normal sedan, meant to feature more backseat space and better aerodynamics. It’s also one of the few cars in the collection that still looks clean. This one should sell between $60,000 and $80,000.
However, my favorite car in this collection is the 1964 Iso Grifo A3/L Spider Prototype. The standard Iso Grifo coupe is desirable enough, with its gorgeous Italian design and 454 cubic-inch Corvette V8. However, the A3/L Spider is the only convertible version that Iso ever built. Not only that, but the coachworking was done by Bertone, with Giugiaro holding the pencil, and was built for the Geneva Motor Show. It’s breathtakingly beautiful, packs American muscle under the hood, and lacks a pesky roof to get in the way of its incredible V8 soundtrack. The one-off Grifo drop-top isn’t in perfect condition, with worn paint, a rough-looking interior, and a very dirty engine bay. It doesn’t even wear its original sage green paint, as it was painted red sometime between 1973 and 1980. Still, it’s a spectacular car and one that we certainly won’t be seeing the last of, as it’s bound to end up on many concourse lawns in the future. The estimated sale price is between $700,000 and $1,000,000.
All of the cars in Klein’s collection are cool, even if some are just balled-up hunks of steel. I can’t wait to see some of them fully restored to glory and shown off at the likes of Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este for years to come. They might even become more valuable than normal, unrestored versions, as they’ll have the distinction of being Rudi Klein cars, previously thought to be lost to time but brought back from the dead.
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