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Fill her up - to £1m! Collection of motoring memorabilia



A collection of motoring memorabilia saved from the skip and restored to its former glory is set to make its owner a millionaire.

Robin Barnard has spent the past 40 years amassing hundreds of classic petrol pumps, enamel signs, rare petrol globes and motorbikes.


Many of the 800 items have been salvaged from skips and rubbish dumps for free before being painstakingly restored by the devoted 72-year-old.




Golden age: Auctioneer Richard Edmonds with a lovingly preserved BSA M20 AA motorbike, one of the centrepieces of Robin Barnard's £1million motoring memorabilia collection



Bygone era: The collection includes more than 30 petrol pumps, some up to nine foot tall and worth £5,000

Mr Barnard used to run a Grade II-listed 1920s filling station at Colyford in Devon, and displayed many of the items inside it.


But his collection grew so big he opened up a small museum in an adjoining building in 2004 to house his memorial to motoring.


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Mr Barnard has now decided to part with the collection which could fetch up to £1million when it goes under the hammer. He ran the traditional filling station, which is not included in the auction, from 1982 until 2001.







Built to last: Classic motoring signs are valued between £50-£200



Histroy: The artefacts are housed in Mr Barnard's Motoring Memories museum



Light traffic: Classic illuminated motoring signs are much sought-after and can attract prices of £500-£1000



Rescued: Much of the collection was destined for the scrap heap before Mr Barnard rescued it




The entire collection, which includes some classic and rare vehicles, is worth £1million

The garage was used by Lawrence of Arabia in the late 1920s and has featured in episodes of Top Gear and Miss Marple.

Mr Barnard said: 'In the early 70s I bought a run-down old Ferguson tractor for five pounds and that's what really got me into collecting anything to do with motoring.

'A lot of the items were collected just because people were throwing them out, so I'd take them off their hands.



Labour of love: The collection was amassed over 40 years

'When I bought the filling station in 1982 I got rid of the tractors but I kept adding to my collection of motoring memorabilia.'

He added: 'Word got round that I was collecting motoring things and people would phone me up to see if I wanted what they were getting rid of.

'I didn't always want the stuff but I thought it was a shame to throw it away. I've built it up into quite a special collection.'


Included in the collection are more than 30 petrol pumps, some up to 9ft tall and worth £5,000, 300 enamel signs of varying sizes and values and small lapel badges worth around £20.


Three motorbikes are up for auction including a genuine 1951 BSA M20 bike used by the AA, which is expected to fetch upwards of £10,000.


The majority of the artefacts were collected from within a few miles of the Colyford Filling Station.


Mr Barnard, who prior to running the filling station owned a nightclub, added: 'There are a lot of nostalgic items and some beautiful artwork in the collection.


'They're not like the things you see at filling stations today - these things were built to last.


'I love every last bit of the collection and it will be a wrench to see it go but it's become too much for me to deal with.


'Now is the time to pass it on to someone else to enjoy.


'I haven't thought about what I will do with the money - it's more about clearing the decks.'


Auctioneer Richard Edmonds said: 'Mr Barnard preserved the historic filling station and filled his museum with beautifully restored memorabilia.


'He was always collecting and restoring things - he saved them for the nation.'

The collection will be auctioned by Richard Edmonds Auctions in Chippenham, Wiltshire, on July 13.




The Colyford Filling Station in 1955. A Buick driver enjoys the fast disappearing luxury of a filling station attendant





Changes: The Colyford Filling Station in 1989, virtually unchanged





Classic: The filling station today. It is grade II-listed and was built in the 1920s




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