[imagesource: YouTube/Broken Window Theory]

Hidden within the depths of a German woodland rests an astonishing car cemetery – apparently as a “metaphor for life”.

The 20,000 square meter compound, located in Neandertal, 12 kilometres east of Düsseldorf in Germany, is stacked with around 50 classic, rare and exotic cars – all left to rot on purpose.

No, it’s not a scrapyard, sales forecourt, or hidden car collection that some ageing car collector forgot about – like Oom Louis Coetzer’s Lost Barn Collection that was found in the Eastern Cape recently. Rather, it is an elaborate art installation about the circle of life.

Once worth millions, these rare and collectable cars are usually kept going at a great cost but in this German forest, they’re encouraged to deteriorate and vanish as a deep thought experiment, even doused in an occasional coat of milk or saltwater to speed the natural process along.

The thought-provoking art project, launched in 2000, was arranged by German car dealer, designer and constructor, Michael Fröhlich, noted Supercar Blondie. He started the installation when, for his 50th birthday, he gifted himself fifty classic cars built in 1950 – the year he was born.

The only thing is, he didn’t buy them to maintain, flip or simply enjoy. Oh no, Fröhlich bought them to watch them rot.

Indeed, the artist spent millions in his quest to show the undeniable supremacy of Mother Nature.

“That is the circle of life,” says YouTuber, Broken Window Theory. “It’s a metaphor for life.”

He hopes to convey the transience of life with the cars and the natural environment that springs up around them, showing that as one thing dies, something else is born.

“Before Mother Nature, all are equal. Decay and growth are just two sides of the same coin.”

A white Jaguar was the first car he dumped in the woods, a car that won the Oldtimer Grand Prix on a German racing track once:

A Porsche and a Russian Moskvich followed until eventually, 48 other automobiles from all around the world were also dumped among the trees to prove the power of time.

Now, the brands and models of the cars are of little importance as rust and decomposition have given them new colourways and textures.

The park – Autoskulpturenpark Neanderthal – is only open on Sundays for a fee, and you have to book in advance if you wish to ponder the natural process of ageing and growth.

Cars aren’t the only thing on display, with an aircraft, horse and cart, an English phone box and even a part of the Berlin Wall featured in this controversial art project. Even the bottles popped during the celebrations when it opened are piled into an old Citroën, becoming part of the story.

It’s worth noting that oil and other contaminants were removed before the cars were staged to ensure that they would not detract from natural decay and cause environmental harm.

If you’d rather enjoy the ride and not let it rot, check out all the rare classics and vintage gems from Oom Louis Coetzer’s Lost Barn Collection that will go under the hammer in a monumental 10-day online-only auction hosted by Creative Rides. The bidding for the awe-inspiring Lost Barn Collection is set to commence on 25 March 2024.

[source:supercarblondie]