Mythical Southern Californian ‘Junkyard’ Coming to Auction: RM Sotheby’s Announces the Collection of Noted Salvage Yard Owner Rudi Klein

The largest secret automotive hoard in the world will be unveiled on the world stage when it comes to auction in the fall of 2024 in Los Angeles, California. What some believed was a fabled myth is now fact, as RM Sotheby’s brings to market ‘The Junkyard: The Rudi Klein Collection.

• RM Sotheby’s to unveil the legendary and mythical collection of American businessman and collector, Rudi Klein, in late October 2024.
• Klein, a German immigrant who started out as a butcher, founded his scrapyard business in 1967, and over the next 40 years amassed an incredible collection of predominantly European collectibles, including ultra-rare makes from Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Aston Martin, and Lamborghini.
• Klein’s collection has long remained a fabled myth in the Southern California car community, with rumors swirling regarding what had been hidden away in the Los Angeles junkyard. The collection has lived untouched since Klein’s passing in 2001.
• The forthcoming auctions in October 2024 will include arguably one of the rarest Mercedes-Benz ever produced, the 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K ‘Caracciola’ Special Coupe, as well as a long-lost 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Alloy’ Gullwing and a 1967 Iso Grifo A3/L Spider Prototype.
• This sale marks the first opportunity for the public to see inside this long-fabled collection, ending decades of speculation, and the chance to acquire incredible models long considered lost.
• For images, please click here.

LOS ANGELES, CA – August 15, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – For decades, a mythical collection of incredible cars has sat in the hot California sun, some covered, some exposed to the elements. A collection whose existence was only a rumor, or mere whisper shared amongst enthusiasts. Inside of its barbed wire fence lived legends like the rarest Mercedes-Benz ever built, an Alloy Gullwing, long thought lost, and other fabled and rare cars. It was a collection never to be seen by the inquiring minds who had all tried, and failed, to gain entry. That is, until now. RM Sotheby’s is delighted to announce ‘The Junkyard: The Rudi Klein Collection,’ the world’s most secretive collection, tucked away for generations and now coming to market in October 2024.

Rudi Klein

A German immigrant who arrived in North America in the late 1950s, Rudi Klein originally started his career as a butcher, but soon realized a more lucrative living could be had in scrapping and dealing with European classic cars, resulting…