he Holy-Grail Junkyard: Rudi Klein's LA Scrapyard Is Packed With Million-Dollar Classics

1 month, 1 week ago - 21 October 2024, autoevolution

Explore any junkyard in the US, and you're likely to find a historically important vehicle or even an expensive classic. However, chances are you won't stumble onto a million-dollar gem. Well, there's one junkyard that's packed with rare classics worth a ton of money. And they're all coming up for auction.

Located somewhere in Southern Los Angeles, this junkyard belonged to Rudi Klein, a German emigrant who arrived in the US in the late 1950s. Rudi set up a company called Auto House Klein in 1967 and began buying crashed vehicles from insurance companies.

But he didn't purchase run-of-the-mill rigs. He initially focused on Porsche and Mercedes-Benz sports cars. Over the years, his junkyard grew to include several hundred vehicles. Rudi also purchased Bentleys, Aston Martins, Ferraris, and quite a few Lamborghinis.

Mr. Klein passed away in 2001 and left behind what has been described as a holy-grail junkyard. It may not be the largest in the US, but it's arguably the most valuable. As in the cars and engines are worth tens of millions of dollars combined.

Rudi was mainly a Porsche fan. It's unclear how many he bought over the years, but several 356s are stacked inside the junkyard. The auction will see about 20 go under the hammer, including a few valuable examples worth six figures. At least seven 911s will also cross the block.

I also spotted a couple of Ferrari 330 GTCs, a Ferrari 365 GTC4, a BMW 502 "Marburg," and a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman. The junkyard is also home to three Lamborghini Miuras, which have gotten a lot of coverage on YouTube these days, a Jarama, and an "alloy" Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing.

Some of these vehicles are so rare and sought after that they're expected to go under the gavel for more than $1 million despite needing rotisserie restorations. Here's a list of the most expensive, based on the highest estimate.

1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL "Alloy" Gullwing - $6 million
1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Special Coupe - $6 million
1939 Horch 855 Roadster - $4 million
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster - $1 million
1964 Iso Grifo A3/L Spider Prototype - $1 million

Then we're looking at a dozen classics that are worth six figures. Here's the list:

1969 Lamborghini Miura P400 S - $700,000
1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 - $700,000
1962 Porsche 356B 1600 Roadster - $550,000
1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 - $450,000
1937 Horch 853 Cabriolet - $300,000
1938 Maybach SW38 Sport Cabriolet - $200,000
1966 Iso Grifo Series I - $175,000
1939 Maybach SW38 Cabriolet - $150,000
1963 Porsche 356B Carrera 2 2000 GS - $150,000
1931 Mercedes-Benz 370S Mannheim - $150,000
1933 Horch 780 Sport Cabriolet - $120,000
1957 BMW 503 Series I - $100,000

All the vehicles above are estimated to sell for a total of up to $21 million, an unprecedented figure for a junkyard. But they could go under the hammer for less because all 208 are offered at no reserve.

The Rudi Klein Collection will be auctioned off on October 26, 2024. You can preview the lots on October 25, but you can do that only if you register as an in-person bidder. Some lots will be auctioned online. You can learn more about the cars in the videos below.