See What Beauties Lie Within This Celebrity's "Secret Lair" Collection

I said “still has left,” because last summer, Hammond had to sell some of his classic cars to fund a documentary series about restoring classics. The irony of that was not lost on him, and he openly joked about it. You have to respect the fact that he walked the walk when he said, “I’m putting my money where my mouth is.”

Now back to the mystery barn. The first item on the agenda is a Suzuki GSX-R 1100. Like almost every other vehicle in there, it “lives” in a protective tent. When it first came out in late 1985, it had a 64-cubic-inch (1052 cc) engine producing roughly 128 hp (130 ps) with 76 lb-ft (103 Nm) of torque and weighed 496 lbs. (225 kg). It was all about the big engine and high performance back then. According to Hammond, he gathered 6,000 miles (9,656 km) on it, and each one was “awful.”

Next up is the 1968 Mustang 390 GT. Yes, it’s the same model Steve McQueen drove in the movie. This 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8 produces 325 hp (329 ps) with 427 lb-ft (579 Nm) of torque. Or at least it did back in its heyday. It might have lost a few ponies along the way.

The elegant 1959 Jaguar XK150 is another parked gem that's gathering dust inside the barn. This E-Type predecessor is a fixed-head coupe, and only 4,450 units are shown on the odometer. It has been restored by Hammond's team, and the end result is simply stunning. Even though they made it look more race-worthy than the original form.

According to him, the XK150 wasn’t an S model, to begin with, but after the restoration, it got the S badge. This would mean that it features a straight-six 3.4-liter engine that produces 250 horsepower (253 ps) with 240 pound-feet (325 Nm) of torque. Next to it, there’s the body of an open two-seat roadster, the XK120. There are some plans in store for it, but they won’t be coming to fruition anytime soon.

An empty spot resides between the two classic Jaguars now, but it used to be occupied by a 1969 Porsche 911T. It wasn’t fast by any stretch of the imagination, having only a 2.2-liter engine that put out 125 hp (127 ps). After that, there's an unremarkable Mini that’s there just for safekeeping.

However, next to it, there’s a rather remarkable disassembled Land Rover Series I. What’s remarkable about it is the restoration project that started more than 12 years ago, which somehow led to it being disassembled in a corner. Maybe one day, though, it will see the light of day, along with another car from the “broken dreams” collection, a Peugeot pickup.

The superb 1972 Buick Riviera is up next, featuring a supercharged 455-cubic-inch (7.5-liter) V8 engine. Unfortunately, it's not yet been put on a dyno, so we don’t have any exact details on this upgraded Riviera as to what concerns its total horsepower, torque, and so on.

A few bikes follow after that, in their special little tent as well, like the Ducati 916, a BMW R90S, and a Honda CB750. But the real star of that two-wheel show is a Harley 883 that Hammond bought for his wife over two years ago. What makes it extremely special is that even though she appreciated his gift so much, the bike only has 200 miles (322 km) on its odometer. He even joked about it.

Now for the last item on the list, the 1972 MGB GT. It’s the last car he drove on the Top Gear show, before... well you know before what. It's not in any condition to race at the moment, but in the future, that's what's in store for it. To serve as sort of a competitive advertisement for his classic cars restoration project.

It looks like every vehicle inside has a story behind it. And after all is said and done, the true value of the entire collection for an enthusiast lies in the eye of the beholder.