We found a pair of iconic British cars rusting away outside a creepy abandoned cottage – they could be worth thousands
AN urban explorer has discovered a pair of iconic British cars rusting away outside a creepy abandoned cottage – and they could be worth thousands.
The intrepid YouTuber posted clips from inside the eerie property, but it’s what they found in the garage which will set petrolheads’ pulses racing.
In the social media video, the explorer moved through the derelict home, believed to be in Northern Ireland, before finding a covered car storage area out the back.
Stepping inside, they uncovered a trio of classic cars that had seemingly been left to rot.
DVLA registration checks reveal the first to be a 1988 VW Golf, which has been registered SORN.
According to the DVSA, it has never been MOT’d, meaning it has been off the road for just under 35 years.
This alone is worth in the region of £12,000 today.
However, the real prize for collectors lay further back in the disused barn.
There, the explorer uncovered a pair of what appeared to be original Minis, seemingly from the first run in the 1960s.
Their history is a lot less certain, with the DVLA holding no registration data for either of them, but one looks to be one of the brand’s van models, made under the Austin marque in the late ’60s and early ’70s.
The other looks remarkably similar to the original Mini, also produced by Austin, which achieved cultural icon status after its starring turn in The Italian Job.
However, both of these were in far worse condition than the ones seen on the silver screen.
Rust had taken hold in both, while a peek inside showed decades of dust, dirt and grime had built up.
The hatchback had been left with its rear panel hanging open revealing a gnarled mess of metal where the engine once sat.
Likewise, the van had been cannibalised with the front seats and much of the mechanical infrastructure ripped out.
Bizarrely, though, it still housed a suite of wooden furniture in its rear compartment, which appears to have been there just as long as the car.
Only the VW remained intact, with the vinyl seat covers surprisingly clean and the bodywork larger rust-free.
Perhaps the saddest aspect of the neglect of the Minis is that, given their legendary status, the set of two could be worth in excess of £26,000 today if in decent nick.
It comes after hundreds of retro motors were found abandoned in a barn just like these ones – thankfully, though, they are all going to be saved.
Meanwhile, drivers discovered a stunning £20 trick to make their cars look thousands of pounds more expensive.