UK couple cuts back overgrown hedge and uncovers a rare, world-first sports car
Published on Jan 20, 2026 at 5:22 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Jan 20, 2026 at 5:22 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
This UK couple cut back an overgrown hedge and uncovered an extremely rare sports car.
YouTube channel UK Barn Finds has uncovered a ton of amazing cars over the years – usually in spots you wouldn’t expect to find them.
This time around, the husband and wife team discovered a car inside an overgrown hedge.
It’s certainly not something you expect to find out in the middle of a field.
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This couple found a rare sports car inside an overgrown hedge
Elton and Claire, the hosts of UK Barn Finds, were scouring a field in search of classic cars.
Their mission was to save as many as they could.
This particular car would have otherwise gone unnoticed, thanks to the hedge that had built up around it.
And we’re not talking about your standard garden hedge.
This was a monstrous amalgamation of leaves, branches, and foliage.
There was only one thing for it – a hedge trimmer was needed ASAP.
And what car was lurking beneath all this greenery? A Reliant Scimitar GTE (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 under a year.
The model was in production from 1968 to 1986, and capable of going from 0 to 60mph in 10.7 seconds.
In the case of the Scimitar that Elton and Claire found, it’d been practically consumed by the hedge surrounding it.
A tree had grown up next to it, leaving it in a tight spot – which is still better than having a tree grow up through it, which is what happened at this Swedish car graveyard visited by the Bearded Explorer.
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You wouldn’t know it from seeing it inside a hedge, but the Scimitar was popular with the Royals
That’s right, this car was a big hit with the British Royal Family.
Princess Anne received one for her 20th birthday in 1970, gifted by both of her parents.
That particular car was Air Force blue with a grey leather interior.
She’d go on to own eight more GTEs, and even her brother, King Charles, got one of his own.
Not that the King has any shortage of cars – he’s been linked to a $460,000 Rolls-Royce Cullinan, a cheese and wine guzzling Aston Martin DB6, and even an EV.
To see the moment Elton and Claire uncover this sports car, watch the video over on their YouTube channel.
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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.
