The bunch of “rustbucket” vintage motors were kept in a barn for over 50 years but proved to be a tantalising prospect for restoration enthusiasts.
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When they were found, the cars were stacked three high on top of each other in the garden of a semi-detached house somewhere in southern England.
The set includes three 1970 Jaguar E-Types and three AC Ace Bristol’s dating to the ’50s.
A 1951 Land Rover was discovered next to the piled-up roadsters, having sunk into the mud and become stuck fast.
All in all, it took two days to extract them from the barn, with the help of a forklift and a digger.
Covered in rust and, no doubt, mechanically worn out from half a century of standing on soft, muddy ground, all seven vehicles are in need of serious restoration work.
They were put up for auction in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, at a guide price of £200,000, but ended up smashing through that barrier, going under the hammer for a whopping £358,908.
This was helped by two of the ACs selling for over £100,000.
One, which belong to racing driver Betty Haig in the ’60s, was snapped up for £156,600, while a 1959 model went for £113,400.
Meanwhile, the other Ace and one of the Jags each went for over £30,000.
The other two Jags came at bargain prices of £11,232 and £6,696 respectively and the Land Rover fetched just £1860.
However, it’s clear to see why they attracted such interest as experts estimate that, in mint condition, the full set would retail for up to £800,000 today.
Guy Snelling, of Anglia Car Auctions, said: “It is amazing what you do find in this job but to get there and see these classic cars stacked three high was quite extraordinary.
“The cars have been there since the 1970s and it took us two days to carefully extract them using a forklift truck and digger.
“It is very special to find three Jaguar E-Types and three ACs.”
It comes after incredible photos showed a graveyard of 2,700 cars melted during a cargo ship fire, which was reportedly caused by an electric vehicle’s battery catching light.
Meanwhile, Bentley has resurrected one of its most iconic racecars as a road-legal EV – but it’ll break the bank.
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