Woman pays $3,200 for a storage container left unopened for 20 years — not knowing there's a car inside that's worth 10x the price she paid
Published on May 01, 2026 at 12:11 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on May 01, 2026 at 12:13 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
When this woman splashed out $3,200 on a storage container, she had no idea she’d find a car inside that would be worth 10 times the amount she paid out.
This incredible find occurred on the show Storage Hunters and left everyone stunned.
Buying a storage container really is about playing the odds, as you never know what you’ll get when you open it up.
But in this woman’s case, she hit the almighty jackpot with a car that defined the 1980s.
What car did she find inside the storage container?
A shipping container auction is not too dissimilar to a game of Russian Roulette in some ways.
You could either be landed with a total dud filled with worthless junk, or you could have a treasure trove on your hands.
In this 2015 episode of Storage Hunters UK, bidders were given a sneak peek inside a container where a mysterious car lay underneath a blanket.
There was no way of knowing what state this car would be in once the sheet was lifted.
But one woman was willing to take a chance and dished out $3,200.
When the sheets were pulled back, a DMC DeLorean stood before them.
Of course, we all know this car best from its role in the Back to the Future series.
But fortunately for this buyer, the car could serve as more than a memento as its engine could still fire up.
This was exceptionally good fortune, as the car hadn’t been touched in at least 20 years.
And the best part of all was that this car was worth ten times what she paid for it – at least $32,000 according to the show.
In whatever form they come to us, DeLoreans are iconic
Thanks in large part to its role in film, the DeLorean has come to embody the 1980s in a way other cars would struggle to.
The car’s legacy has lasted into the present, whether that’s as a LEGO replica or a snow model.
Yes, you read that right.
Even at the higher end of the scale, life-size replicas of the car are available at the eye-watering price of $100,000.
Great Scott, indeed.
History of the DMC DeLorean
1975: The DeLorean Motor Company is officially incorporated.
1976: First prototype completed.
1977: Designer Giorgetto Giugiaro finalized the stainless steel gull-wing look.
1978: John DeLorean, the company’s founder, finalized a deal with the British government to set up the factory in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland.
January 21, 1981: The first production DeLorean rolled off the assembly line.
Mid-1981: The car hits the US market wit ha MSRP of $25,000.
Late-1981: Sales stall due to high interest rates and a recession in the U.S.
May 1982: Production at the Dunmurry factory shuts down.
October 1982: DMC files for bankruptcy.
July 1985: Back to the Future is released in theaters, making the car an icon around the world.
2022 – 2024: Texas-based DMC announced the Alpha5, an electric reimagining o f the brand. During the same period, Kat DeLorean began the DNG (DeLorean Next Gen) to honor her late father’s vision.
Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
