




A treasure trove of classic cars worth around £20 million has been snapped up by a dealer in one of the biggest private deals in UK history.
John Collins bought the incredible collection of 27 cars which includes models from the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, Porsche and Lamborghini.
And among the Aladdin's cave of cars are an Aston Martin One-77 - which is the British car maker's ultimate hypercar - and a Ferrari 288 GTO , currently one of the fastest appreciating classics.
The vast majority of the cars have hardly been driven - with a 1982 Lamborghini LP500S having a mileage of just 500 miles.
Mr Collins was contacted about the collection, which has been hidden away in storage just outside London, and was asked if he was interested.
The businessman jumped at the opportunity to seal a deal.
Full list
Aston Martin One-77, dark blue, 900km
Aston Martin DB5, silver
Aston DB6 MK II, graphite
Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Sanction II, RHD, 9,000 miles
Ferrari F50,red, 21,131km
Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Cam, red
Ferrari 288 GTO, Red, 13,000km
Ferrari 512 BBI, red,
Ferrari Dino 246 GT
Ferrari Daytona plexiglass, red, 2,622km
Ferrari F40, red, 4,440km
Ferrari 250 Lusso red
Ferrari Testarossa, red, 1,788 miles
Ferrari Enzo, red 5,433km
Ferrari 575 Super America, red
Jaguar E-Type 4.2, 2,605 miles
Lamborghini Countach LP500s 812km
Lamborghini Miura SV, red
Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopo, yellow
Lamborghini Espada, silver, 4,280km
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, silver
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster,Dark Grey
Mercedes 190 SL, LHD, silver
Mercedes-Benz Mclaren SLR, LHD, silver
Mercedes-Benz Mclaren SLR 722, graphite
Porsche Carrera GT, graphite, 2,088km
Porsche 959, LHD, red 3,719km
It is thought the cars are worth around £20 million, making it one of the biggest sales of a private collection in British history.
A number of the Ferraris are worth more than £1 million; a 1991 Ferrari Testarossa has only 1,788 miles on the clock while a 1965 Jaguar E-Type has only been driven 2,605 miles.
There is also an Aston Martin DB4 Zagato Sanction II, of which only four were ever built.
A Mercedes SL Gullwing, regarded by many as the original and most beautiful sports car ever, is also in the collection, as is a convertible version.
Mr Collins, who runs Ferrari specialist Talacrest in Ascot, said: "The owner has built up the collection over the past 20 years and he decided to sell them.
"He didn't want to sell them separately so a contact got in touch with me and I decided I had to have it.
"I didn't know the collection existed. It has to be one of the biggest ever purchases of a private collection in the UK.
"When the warehouse doors opened and I walked inside, I thought 'wow', it was an Aladdin's cave of cars.
"All of the cars are special. There is a Lamborghini Countach LP500S with just 500 miles on the clock and a 1991 Testarossa which has only been driven 1,788 miles from new.
"To someone like me, the collection is amazing."
Despite only just doing the deal, Mr Collins has already re-sold 10 of the cars in a week.
Other cars in the collection include a silver Aston Martin DB5, like the model driven by James Bond, and a Lamborghini Miura, a car regarded by many as the original Italian supercar.
Comment