Cars found in dusty Suffolk barn auctioned

The Bentley Mulsanne Turbo was found with just 609 miles on the clock

A fleet of seven cars found in a barn in Suffolk has sold at auction for more than the expected price.

Auctioneers discovered the dust-covered cars on the rambling Bury St Edmunds estate of a collector who had died.

The Maseratis, Bentleys, DeTomasos and a Jensen were expected to fetch up to £160,000 on Saturday but eventually sold for a total of £190,000.

"When I opened the door to the barn I just burst out laughing," said Edward Crichton of Lacy, Scott & Knight.

'Got something here'

"You could say we were somewhat surprised," Mr Crichton said.

"I saw a DeTomaso with only 700 miles on the clock and cellophane covers on the seats and I thought, 'We've probably got something here'."

The cars had been stored away by the collector, who owned an engineering firm and whose identity has not been revealed.

A Bentley Continental R Mulliner, from about 1999, which had been valued at up to £35,000, achieved the highest sale price of £45,500.

A 1976 Jensen Interceptor which had been expected to sell for between £2,500 and £4,000 was bought for £15,000.

Other cars were a 1996 Bentley Mulsanne Turbo, which sold for £39,000; a Maserati Khamsin, from about 1982, which fetched £25,000, and a Maserati Quattroporte III, registered in 1989, which sold for £14,500.

Two DeTomasos, a 1988 Longchamp GTSE and a Deauville from 1983, fetched £34,500 and £16,000 respectively.

A Nissan Patrol, believed to have been used by the owner as his everyday vehicle, sold for £5,800.

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