These barn find Minis had to be rescued from overgrown garage
- Two Minis were left abandoned in a garage for 14 years
- One of the Minis was made in 1991, and the other more than a decade later in 2002
- The cars were in surprisingly good condition
Published on Jul 03, 2024 at 4:39 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 03, 2024 at 6:39 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A couple of Minis were left abandoned in a garage for so long that trees and plants grew across the doors – burying the cars inside.
The most satisfying of barn finds are the ones that require some effort, right?
And that was certainly the case in an episode of The Late Brake Show where host Jonny Smith had to literally hack and chop away to get to the two Minis.
The cars had been tucked away out of sight in the garage for 14 years.
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There were two models of Minis tucked inside
One of the Minis was the classic design – having been made back in 1991 – while the other was produced more than a decade later in 2002 and is therefore one of the first BMW-owned models.
The cars, both of which had had just one owner, were last used in 2010 before being stored away in the garage for more than a decade.
Long enough for nature to do its thing and reclaim the space.
In the clip, which was uploaded to YouTube, owner Margerate enlisted the help of both Smith and her friend Alan to cut through the branches, vines, and rubbish that had collected over the intervening years.
It looked it could have been bad news for the cars – after the team got inside and saw the roof to the garage had partially collapsed.
What condition were the cars in?
However, thankfully, neither car was damaged by the debris from the collapse.
In fact, despite being somewhat exposed to the elements, the Minis were both in fairly good condition – underneath the years of dust, dirt, and grime and some vines that had sprung up inside the engine bay of the newer car.
Smith was even able to get the 1991 car to start. With a bit of much-needed TLC we reckon these two motors could have plenty of life left in them yet.
Meanwhile, an explorer out in France came across an outstanding collection of abandoned cars in a fascinating barn find.
YouTuber The Bearded Explorer found the vehicles in the middle of nowhere in rural France.
Amongst the large collection there was a Renault 15, a Citroën DS and several Mercedes vehicles.
There’s also a French fire truck and a BMW 2000, which is arguably the best car here along with the DS.
Not bad, right? And he didn’t have to hack through any trees to get to them.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
