A beat-up Subaru found in a barn in Australia just sold for $360,000 worth of bitcoin after it turned out to be a long-lost rally racing legend.
The Prodrive Subaru Impreza was initially thought to be worth $15,000 to $20,000 when it was discovered in the Aussie state of Victoria, but a subsequent investigation by the automobile authenticator ICAARS discovered that it was actually a World Rally Championship vehicle.
The car was driven by champion racers Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae, but was retired in 1996 and spent the last 10 years “collecting dust” in the barn. Only 63 Subaru Imprezas were ever commissioned by Prodrive.
“This is a truly rare and breathtaking barn find,” the ICAARS inspector told Lloyds Auctions. “You won’t see another quite like it.”
The blue rally car still had its original 2.0 liter turbocharged engine and six speed manual gearboxes, according to Lloyds, which auctioned the car off on Sept. 26.
Lee Hames, chief operations officer for Lloyds Auctions said in a statement that the vehicle’s new owners “are motorsport enthusiasts and are looking forward to enjoying all the benefits of the car and honoring the vehicle.”
Lloyds announced earlier this summer that it would begin accepting cryptocurrency as payment in its auctions.
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