An extensive collection of classic Ferrari cars, found in hundreds of pieces, has been discovered inside the long-sealed warehouse of an eccentric British mechanic.
Reclusive Eddie Walsh spent decades amassing a Ferrari collection within a remote barn in the Essex countryside.
Following his death in 2025, auctioneers were called in by the executors to catalogue his estate.
Experts were “blown away” upon opening the workshop doors to reveal a vast, time-warp collection.
Inside, they found the body shells of five Ferraris, including a super-rare 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT, all partway through a rebuild that had been frozen in time.
Alongside these shells, their original parts – including engines, gearboxes, body panels, interiors, wheels, and other rare components – were meticulously stored in cardboard boxes.
The discovery also included countless spare Ferrari parts, ranging from headlamp units to speedometers and starter motors.
The entire collection is now expected to fetch a combined £600,000 at auction.
Opening the doors to the workshop for the first time was “truly breathtaking”, said Theodore Winstone from Tifosi Auctions of Henfield, East Sussex.
“Eddie was, by nature, a hoarder. He was famously reluctant to part with his spares, preferring instead to squirrel them away for future projects. What he left behind is nothing short of remarkable.
“In a 4,000 square foot warehouse there was a vast accumulation of new and used Ferrari parts including engines, gearboxes, body panels, interiors, wheels, and countless rare components.
“In truth, almost anything one could wish for was there.”
Leading the finds is the blue Ferrari Dino, which Mr Walsh purchased for over £4,000 in 1979 before stripping it back for a restoration project that never materialised.
The right-hand drive Dino was found suspended from the rafters by chains and its original engine discovered in the eaves, carefully wrapped in 1987-dated newspaper.
All removed components had been methodically stored in boxes.
Mr Winstone added: “The car is substantially complete. The majority of surviving Dino 246 GTs have been restored, making this highly original, matching numbers, right hand drive example with 47 years of continuous ownership.”
The Dino is projected to sell for between £100,000 and £150,000, with a potential value of up to £400,000 once restored.
Other notable discoveries include a 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS, currently a jigsaw of parts, expected to sell for £30,000, and an accident-damaged Ferrari 246 Dino, also requiring assembly and restoration, valued at £20,000.
A 1977 Ferrari 308 GT4, previously restored by Mr Walsh, is tipped to fetch £45,000, while a replica shell of a 1967 Ferrari 339 GTC, built in the 1990s, is valued at £60,000 and could be worth £500,000 once restored.
The sale is scheduled for 22 March.
