1994 Proton Saga Iswara found in United Kingdom barn; nearly new with just 17,259 km on the odometer

The early Proton Saga appears to be catching the attention of enthusiasts in the United Kingdom. A 1989 example collected the top prize for best classic at the Hagerty UK Festival of the Unexceptional, and now it appears that a Proton Iswara – known as a 1994 Proton Saga in the UK – has turned up in storage in the country.

This came to the attention of Matt Richardson, of the Furious Driving YouTube channel who found the Nineties era Proton in what appeared to be in a very well preserved condition, save for the expected layer of dust from being unattended to in over a decade.

Here, Richardson had actually been to the site of the find on behalf of Stephanie Holloway of the I Drive A Classic YouTube channel, who had been contacted by the Saga Iswara’s original owners to sell the vehicle to her.

As classic car enthusiasts will note, storage conditions are key to the longevity of a vehicle’s good condition, and it appears that the Saga Iswara here has been stored in a shed that allowed no light to enter its space at all, as exposure to sunlight is detrimental to bodywork as well as plastic and rubber components.

Its original owner had last updated the car for roadworthiness in 2010, according to Richardson, when the car had been issued a SORN, or statutory off-road notification for storage. In its roadgoing life, it had covered just 10,724 miles or 17,259 km from new.

This particular Saga Iswara, being an export model for the UK market employed an electronic fuel injection system in order to comply with homologation requirements for the country, instead of being carbureted. Interior appointments were slightly different, too, here using the dashboard and steering wheel from the Mitsubishi Lancer Fiore.

All four washer jets functioning on a car stored for 10 years – surely reason for excitement

Closer inspection of the Saga Iswara revealed that despite being left alone for over a decade, its exterior bodywork, paint, lamps and more were in as-new condition, albeit covered in dust and dirt. Because the car had been kept in complete darkness, rubber items such as its windshield wipers were still pliant.

One component which didn’t last the decade was the battery, which couldn’t be resuscitated despite a battery jumper device being used. Richardson chose not to persevere with trying to start the car as it had been promised to its new owner, Holloway.

Battery aside, and with no other parts such as spark plugs changed, the Iswara fired up on first crank. Remarkable for a car on the same components and the same three-quarters of a tank of fuel it had been parked up with over a decade ago. Again, as testament to the ideal conditions of its storage, the windshield washers work, replete with all four washer jets functioning.

How the Iswara came to being laid up in storage for such as long period of time was not stated, though Richardson did say that this car was nearly sent to be scrapped as the owner’s family had wanted to clear out the contents of the garage the car was parked in. It was just as well that a family member suggested it be sold to an interested party, given its condition. For posterity, it’s just as well the car has found a new owner.