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Largest Rare Ford Collection in the World Sold for Over $7 Million

This past weekend, auction house Bonhams organized one of its biggest events of the year: the bulk sale of the Den Hartogh Museum in the Netherlands.
1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau 9 photos
Photo: Bonhams
1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau
The auction was a marathon in itself, lasting 10 hours and being conducted by four auctioneers. More than 200 Ford and Lincoln cars and commercial vehicles, as well as more than 50 motorcycles, had to find new owners on Saturday.

On Monday, Bonhams said the auction was a hit, with some 500 people showing interest in purchasing something. By the end of the auction, all the cars and motorcycles that went under the hammer found new owners.

Bonhams says that in all it raised €6,157,353 from the sale, or roughly the equivalent of over $7 million. The most expensive car sold was a 1905 Ford Model B Side Entrance Tonneau, which was the object for the longest bidding exchange of the sale and settled for €419,750 ($488,000), more than seven times its estimate.

The 1905 model was followed by the 1906 Ford Model K Open Tourer which sold for €345,000 ($401,000) and a 1903 Ford Model A Open Tourer that went for €143,750 ($167,000).

“A 100% sold auction is a rare occurrence, especially one with such a vast quantity of lots,” said in a statement Rupert Banner, Bonham’s motoring director.

“It was a pleasure to be able to find new owners for vehicles that had been treasured for so long. The result shows that the enthusiasm for veteran and vintage vehicles remains strong and that the Ford and Lincoln marques still have a global appeal.”

Unofficially, the Den Hartogh museum was believed to be the largest collection of Ford vehicles in the world. It included everything from a 1903 Model A to Canadian police-issued snowmobiles.

The museum was created by Piet den Hartogh, a Dutch national. He began amassing Ford vehicles in 1956 when he bought his first Ford car. The collection slowly grew until today’s size, as the Dutch wanted to own one of each Ford models ever built.

The cars were owned, but not shown, until the 1990s, when Den Hartogh's wife came up with the idea of putting the collection in a museum.

Bonhams says the collection is now being sold by Piet den Hartogh’s family, who want’s to share the cars “with the legions of Ford fans.”
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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