It's commonplace across rural Australia to see barns and sheds on farms full to the brim with old machinery, forgotten car bodies and other assorted nick-nacks.
Occasionally, rare gems are found in such places. We've all heard the stories of old wrecks buried in the back of farm sheds that turn out to be worth thousands of dollars. But what about hundreds of thousands of dollars?
This was the reality for one such Victorian farmer who had a special vehicle stashed away collecting dust at the back of a barn on his property. Over the weekend the 1994 Subaru Prodrive 555 Group A World Rally Championship Car sold under the hammer at Lloyds Auctions for half a million dollars. That's right folks $500,000.
Chief Operations Officer for Lloyds Auctions Lee Hames said the car was uncovered in a barn in Victoria and was originally thought to have an estimated value of $15,000-$20,000. Part of the process with any valuable vehicle that is headed for auction through Lloyds Auctions is to have it authenticated by ICAARS. Once this process was completed Hames said it was clear the owner had a special piece on his hands.
The world rally championship car was driven by Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz and is unrestored and in untouched condition from when it retired in 1996. Hames described the car as "A golden treasure" and is one of only 63 commissioned by Prodrive.
"The hardest part of the job, in this case, was convincing the owner to wait a few extra months for the word to spread and not sell it immediately for $20K," said Hames
“The new custodians are motorsport enthusiasts and are looking forward to enjoying all the benefits of the car and honouring the vehicle”.
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