Why this busted-up old Subaru found in a barn after gathering dust for 10 years sold for as much as a Ferrari at auction
- A battered old car gathering dust in a barn has sold for $490,000 at auction
- Highly-prized Prodrive Subaru Impreza spent 10 years in a barn in Victoria
- Car’s true identity and value only revealed when he tried to sell vehicle on
- Subaru was untouched from the moment it was retired from racing in 1996
An old car gathering dust has sold for $490,000 after experts discovered it was one of legendary rally driver Colin McRae’s World Rally Championship Subarus.
The Prodrive Subaru Impreza spent 10 years sitting in a barn in Victoria with its owner completely unaware he had a lost piece of rallying history.
The car’s true identity and value was only revealed when he tried to sell the vehicle and had it assessed by experts.
They found the car was driven by both the late McRae and fellow rallying legend Carlos Sainz during the 1994 World Rally Championship season.
An old Subaru that was found gathering dust in a barn in Victoria (left) has sold for $490,000 at auction
Experts found the car was driven by both the late Colin McRae and fellow rallying legend Carlos Sainz during the 1994 World Rally Championship season
The Subaru was untouched from the moment it was retired from racing in 1996 despite going through three different private owners in the years since
The Subaru was untouched from the moment it was retired from racing in 1996, despite going through three different owners in the years since.
The most recent owner stored the car in a barn and hoped to get between $10,000 and $14,500 for the off-roader when he sold it.
But experts at the International Classic Automobile Authentication and Rating System discovered the true identity and value of the car after six months of investigations and provenance checks to verify its authenticity.
‘This is a truly rare and breathtaking barn find – you won t see another one quite like it,’ an ICAARS spokesman said.
The Impreza is one of only 63 commissioned from Subaru by the British Prodrive team for the WRC during the mid-90s.
The car is also the first to wear the famous L555REP number plates.
The most recent owner stored the car in a barn and hoped to get between $10,000 and $14,500 for the off-roader when he sold it on
The Impreza is one of only 63 commissioned from Subaru by the UK-based Prodrive team for the WRC during the mid-90s
Experts discovered the true identity and value of the car after six months of investigations and provenance checks to verify its authenticity
It is still fitted with its original 2L turbocharged boxer engine and six speed manual gearboxes and is completely unrestored.
The car also has its original blue racing livery and bears all the wear and tear of competing in the WRC.
The car was sold to an unnamed collector when it went under the hammer at Lloyds Auctions.
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