Renault found in French barn with just 12 km on clock sells for record €64,000

A 1982 Renault 5 TL has sold for a record price at auction in France.

The vehicle was estimated to sell for between €5,000 and €10,000 but was sold for €64,453 on Sunday, March 15 by Aguttes auction house. 

The metallic blue car was discovered under a thick layer of dust in a barn in Saône-et-Loire in January. 

“This car truly redefines the concept of frozen in time,” read the listing on Aguttes on wheels, the classic car department of the auction house. 

Amazingly, it had just 12km on the clock, and still sported its original temporary licence plates, which would have been valid for just 15 days after it was purchased.

Its original owner, Mrs M, bought the car before she had her licence from the Renault Sodirac dealership in Chalon-sur-Saône in October 1982, according to the listing. 

“Madame M, according to our research, eventually obtained her driving license, but was never very comfortable behind the wheel. The R5 sat there for 43 years, battery disconnected,” the auction house said. 

The 5-door car, which came with a four-speed gearbox and a 1108cc engine, cost Mrs M 40,000 francs or around €15,400 today, allowing for inflation.