An old Subaru stashed in the back of a Victorian shed has sold for $500,000 ($360,000 USD) in Bitcoin at an Australian auction.
The classic Subaru WRX was originally thought to be worth $15,000 to $20,000, according to Lloyds Auctions, until an investigation into its provenance revealed the car was particularly significant.
(Lloyds Auctions)
Built by British firm Prodrive for the World Rally Championship, the car was driven by champion drivers Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae on the global stage.
Subaru’s original WRX won world titles and helped establish the brand’s reputation around the globe for rugged dependability and low-cost performance.
The car’s results transformed the image of Subaru, making the brand’s performance cars some of the most desirable machines on the road – particularly for young enthusiasts.
McRae’s car shot to stardom as the core of a smash-hit 1998 PlayStation game, Colin McRae Rally.
Lloyds Auctions said the Victorian “barn find” was an original car preserved in time-warp condition from its days as a state-of-the-art racing machine.
Pre-auction hype suggested the dusty blue car could be worth more than $1 million ($720,000 USD.)
It didn’t fetch quite that sum, instead attracting a maximum bid of $500,000 ($360,000 USD.)
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Intriguingly for such a valuable car, the Subaru was purchased using Bitcoin. At today’s rate of $60,450 ($44,000) or so, that equates to 8.271 Bitcoins.
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