By Classic Yorkshire correspondent Tony Lofthouse
Six untouched Ford cars worth thousands of pounds have been discovered in an abandoned car showroom in Germany.
After some painstaking work, the YouTube channel Auto Retro tracked down the cars nearly 40 years on from the closure of a local dealership.
The ‘new’ cars included three zero-mile Sierras (including one estate), a Fiesta S MkII, an Escort 1.1 Laser MkIII and a 1.6 Orion diesel.
The owner of the showroom died in 1994 and the contents were left to his widow.
The showroom had not been opened to the public since the early 1990s, but his late wife made sure the building was kept tidy until her health meant she had to go into care. This maintenance helped keep the cars largely dust free.
The YouTube team originally found pictures of the garage online and used Google Maps to pinpoint the business.
It seems that in the 80s the owner stocked hundreds of cars at any one time. Many of these were sold when he died, leaving just a handful of untouched Fords kept in memory to her late husband.
The future of the motors uncovered seems unclear. On the one hand, the value of these ‘factory original’ cars is certain to rise. At current prices, the Sierras could be worth around £6,000 and Fiesta S double that.
But, it could be that the most fitting way forward would be to keep these treasures in honour of their late owner.
To view the YouTube film on this rare find click https://youtu.be/Pa5_5bRpgks?si=SJs5iV43D0ERSaIK