Mrs. M spent all her financial savings in October 1982 to purchase a brand new Renault 5 from the Sodirac dealership in Chalon‑sur‑Saône.
She selected the 5‑door TL model with the 1108cc engine and a 4‑velocity gearbox, and she or he even chosen the unusual Shale Blue Metallic paint, reference 602.
The whole value was almost 40,000 francs, a major quantity for her modest means. The automobile first obtained a brief registration, 9105 WWA 71, legitimate for simply fifteen days earlier than the everlasting plates could be fitted.
As a result of she had just lately failed her driving check and didn’t but have her license, the dealership delivered the automobile on to her dwelling. She parked it rigorously in her barn on the finish of October 1982, and from that day ahead it by no means left.
Though she ultimately obtained her license, she by no means felt assured sufficient to drive the Renault, and for private causes she left it untouched. Over the following forty‑three years, the automobile remained frozen in time, gathering mud whereas the odometer stayed fastened at its supply studying of 12 kilometers.
Throughout the probate course of it almost confronted a grim destiny, nevertheless it was in the end saved. It’s now scheduled to be auctioned by Aguttes in Paris on March 15, 2026, with an estimated worth between 5,000 and 10,000 euros, although such exceptionally preserved barn finds usually promote for much extra.
