An impressive example of a 1982 Renault 5 with just 12 kilometres on the clock was recently found after spending 43 years abandoned in a garage in France.
The vehicle was purchased by a French woman at the Sodirac showroom in Chalon-sur-Saône in 1982 for 40,000 French francs (about $10,000), a considerable sum at the time.
The driver, who did not yet have a driver's license, was delivered a car directly to her home address. The vehicle left the showroom with a temporary self-adhesive license plate, while the real license plates were found in the trunk of the car.
After being parked in a garage in 1982, the vehicle was never used again. It seems that the woman eventually got a driver's license, but she never felt comfortable behind the wheel. For this reason, but also for other unspecified personal reasons, the car was never put into circulation.
This rare example of a Renault 5 will be restored before being offered at an auction organized by French auction house Aguttes on March 15.