Two barn find Jaguars on offer at the Restoration Show

Two 1958 Jaguar XK150 barn finds, both estimated at between £35,000 to £45,000, will be offered at the first Restoration Show Sale, hosted by Silverstone Auctions on 12 April at the NEC, Birmingham. Both cars have interesting histories that should appeal to collectors lured by the promise of the barn find project.

The Drophead coupe, VLP929 (above), is the 74th example of the 622 right hand drive cars built. During the 1980s, the car was bought by an Italian collector and exported to Sicily where it was discovered a short while ago alongside a cache of other British sports cars. It returned to the UK, where the seller abandoned plans to restore, leaving it pretty much as found.

It's the first time this car has been offered at auction, as is the case with the Fixedhead Coupe. It's been in hiding since 1969, when the car was 're-discovered' in 2009, after its 40-year stay in a barn. Its first owner was a West Bromwich garage owner and racing driver of the period, Alan Eccles. The car was specially ordered with a close-ratio gearbox. After taking a job abroad in 1969, Eccles stored the car in the barn at his Shropshire home. What originally looked like a short-term storage option ended up turning into 40-years on life support.

They both require full restoration, although being Jaguars, there's a vast array of new spare parts out there in which to make this happen. Cost, of course, will be the big factor. Perfect, therefore, for sale at the Restoration Show.

For more information on the sale please visit Silverstone's website.