The Rudi Klein “junkyard collection”, one of the largest collections of unrestored classic cars to ever be uncovered, has been making quite the splash lately. Klein ran Porche Foreign Auto, a junkyard in California, where he amassed all manners of exotic cars including several Porsche 911s, Mercedes SLs and even three Lamborghini Miuras, amongst many others.
One being this 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Alloy’ Gullwing, 1-of-29 examples ever made. The car just sold for $9.3 million as part of the RM Sotheby’s Junkyard: The Rudi Klein collection auction. The best part is that the car, which has 45,600 original miles on the odometer from the previous owner, hadn’t even moved in nearly 50 years.
Like some of the other gems in the junkyard, the priceless 300 SL too had thought to be hidden away somewhere, even though Klein had registered it with the Gullwing Registry back when he bought it. As the story goes, the illustrious Mr. Klein had purchased this particular SL from Ferrari importer and Le Mans champion, Luigi Chinetti for just $30,000 in 1976.
Once acquired, Klein had it parked in a building on his sprawling junkyard for nearly 50 years. Other than some damage it took on when Klein himself backed a forklift into it, the car is in near perfect preservation. Originally painted in black with red leather interiors, the only one of its kind, the car was repainted silver at some point. Everything else remains original, with a few parts having been sold off over the years.
Rudi Klein’s journey from a German immigrant to an American entrepreneur is as unconventional as it is captivating. After arriving in the U.S. in the 1950s, he began as a butcher, a trade he grew tired of by the mid-1960s. Ready for change, Klein decided to take a bold leap. He turned to his lifelong passion for cars. Despite having no budget, experience, or real network, he did the unexpected: he opened a scrapyard. From southern Los Angeles, Klein built a thriving business, salvaging parts from wrecked cars and creating a legendary collection over the years.
The real intrigue, however, lies in the mystery that followed his passing in 2001. With his family remaining silent about the estate’s contents, the internet is now captivated, uncovering one intriguing junkyard find after another.
