How to take part in the Louis Coetzer "Barn Find" auction

In the second auction instalment of the late Louis Coetzer’s collection, Creative Rides brings to market a huge barn find that has classic car enthusiasts rubbing their hands in anticipation.

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Images: Supplied

The late Louis Coetzer, lovingly known as oom Louis, was without a doubt one of the most prolific car collectors in South Africa, having amassed a staggering number of vehicles over his lifetime.

Several years ago, a friend and I drove up early on a Saturday morning from Somerset West to Bloemfontein to visit him for a few hours that afternoon, and drove back Sunday morning. I just had to see his collection.

Seeing the collection for the first time

Oom Louis kindly took us through his collection and shared with us why he collected these cars, what he liked about which models, what he was working on and how he used his cars. The collection was truly massive... Cars were parked in neat rows in the barn as well as along the side. The collection was mainly made up of a variety of German, American and some European cars. Some of them had very interesting stories, others still had their full luggage sets (like a Mercedes-Benz Ponton and a W123 station wagon).

Along the barn’s walls were long rows of mounted hub caps - he admitted (jokingly) that he loved cars, but that he actually collected wheel caps!

When Oom Louis and his wife, Hermien, sadly passed away, a large number of the cars (286 in total) were auctioned off by Creative Rides at the end of 2020. However, there were still some cars left in a number of barns in Barkley East, which will now be auctioned, again by Creative Rides, as the final auction of this massive collection.

History in the making

According to Creative Rides, the auction of these cars forms part of the “largest ever automotive ‘barn find’ treasure trove going under the hammer”. This is possibly quite true as we can’t think of another find or auction like this in the  recent past. 

The auction will feature no fewer than 334 lots, which includes around 150 cars from manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Chevrolet, Holden, Ford, Cadillac, Alfa-Romeo, De Soto, Porsche and BMW.

Creative Rides Classic & Collectibles Auctions CEO Kevin Derrick says: “The remaining lots comprise hundreds of items of automobilia, scores of engines across makes and models from four and six cylinders to monster V8s, enough classic car spares, car books and original manuals to stock a retail store, and a wide variety of original body parts from bumpers to tail lights. The Louis Coetzer Lost Barn Find Collection sale will also mark the inauguration of Creative Rides’ new online-only auction series that will become a regular feature on car collectors’ calendars.”

Creative Rides’ staff were obviously quite excited when they first laid their eyes on this truly once-in-lifetime discovery. It is clear that the cars have not only been there for years, but quite possibly a couple of decades or more. Exterior paint colours were barely visible owing to the thick layer of dust on all the cars.

Joff van Reenen, lead auctioneer of Creative Rides Classic & Collectibles Auctions, says it’s been an eight-month labour of wonder and love to document and catalogue this collection. “In the auction preparations, we have intentionally left the vehicles in as close to discovery condition as possible so that collectors across the country and the world can appreciate for themselves the historic magnitude of this incredible find. It’s taken months of sorting, documenting and research to catalogue the collection for the online sale, which has been as much a privilege as it has a challenge.”

Interesting cars at the auction

According to Derrick, some of the highlights at the auction will be the following cars:

1. Rare 1950s, '60s and '70s Mercedes-Benz models
2. Rare Chevrolet Novas, hard top and convertible
3. Impalas
4. Mercedes-Benz bakkies
5. Volvo coupés
6. Cadillac DeVilles
7. Ford Fairlanes, among many US muscle car models

The Creative Rides app will be the place where interested parties can view the catalogue, receive auction updates and register to bid. Van Reenen says successful buyers – those with the highest bids at the end of the sale – will be notified the following day.

This will unquestionably be an exciting auction to watch. It seems, because of where and how the cars were stored, that the cars are in a much better condition than one would expect, especially in terms of rust and the interiors. However, make no mistake that if a car stood still for two or more decades it is likely that a full restoration will be needed, especially in terms of the drivetrain.

Details of the auction

Where: Creative Rides App (on both iOS and Android)

Duration of auction: 10 days

Start date: Monday, March 25th.

Start time: 8:00 AM, Central African Time (CAT)

End time: 20:00, CAT on Wednesday, April 3rd
Highest bids at the end of the sale will be notified the following day.