Couple cut back overgrown hedge to find rare sports car
- This sports car was buried beneath an overgrown hedge
- It was uncovered by a YouTube couple
- The car was both a world first and had ties to British royalty
Published on Sep 18, 2024 at 9:48 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Oct 04, 2024 at 7:40 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
This couple trimmed away some overgrown hedge to find a rare sports car which was a world first.
Elton and Claire, the hosts of UK Barn Finds, were searching through a field for classic cars.
They were aiming to save as many as they could from the scrap heap.
The first car they came across was truly exemplary.
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What rare sports car was hidden behind the hedge?
Initially, Elton and Claire missed this car, thanks to the hedge that had essentially consumed it.
After surveying the hedges for nesting birds, they got to work on dismantling the foliage.
Foliage might be downplaying the extent of the hedge that had encased this car – a hedge trimmer had to be brought out and footage of the clearing was sped up.
But eventually, the car was uncovered – a Reliant Scimitar GTE.
The GTE in its name stands for ‘Grand Touring Estate’.
This was the world’s first sport hatch estate four-seater, designed by Tom Karen from Ogle Design.
It was conceived and put together for the 1968 Motor Show in less than 12 months.
The bodywork was made out of fibre glass and there was a huge window on the rear.
To open the boot, you would need to move the wiper out of the way.
This model was in production from 1968 to 1986 and could go from 0 to 60mph in a mere 10.7 seconds.
The car that Claire and Elton found is very squished up against a tree that has grown alongside it.
We suppose that’s better than having a tree growing through the car, which is what happened at this Swedish car graveyard visited by the Bearded Explorer.
A sports car that was a hit with royalty
In years gone by, the Scimitar proved to quite a hit with members of the British Royal Family.
Princess Anne received one for her 20th birthday in 1970 as a joint present from her parents, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh.
The car was Air Force blue and had a grey leather interior.
Evidently, she was taken with the gift as she would go on to own eight more GTEs.
The car also caught on with her big brother, Charles – now better known as the King of the United Kingdom, of course.
Unsurprisingly, being associated with royalty did wonders for the sales figures of the GTE.
To see the moment Elton and Claire uncover this car, watch the video over on their YouTube channel.
