If you have never heard of the Ascari FGT prototype, you aren’t alone. This nearly forgotten hypercar prototype was built in 1992 by the legendary Lee Noble of Noble fame. Years later, after Ascari had bought the rights to the design, it would go on to serve as the base for the  Ascari Ecosse supercar released in 1998. So how did this hypercar prototype become a dusty old barn find? 

The Ascari FGT prototype is barn find royalty 

Silodrome reports that the Ascari FGT prototype debuted in 1995 at the British International Auto Show. Imagine telling anyone there that this radical hypercar would wind up in a barn years later, nearly forgotten about. Well, that’s exactly what happened. 

This miraculous barn find was made by the great Lee Noble, who would become one of the most renowned British sports car designers in history. But, at the time, he was a small-time builder with humble beginnings. Before Noble could figure out what to do with his radical design, Ascari approached him and bought the design and prototype. 

With new ownership, this sleek hypercar traveled from auto show to auto show, flexing on all the other normal cars. According to Silodrome, Dutch racing driver Klaas Zwart saw the would-be barn find and decided to buy Ascari Cars Ltd and put the Ascari FGT into production. 

Based on the FGT, the Ascari Ecosse would only be made for two years in ‘98 and ‘99. Ascari kept making cars until 2010. During this time, the Noble prototype was lost in the shuffle,  and some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. 

How was this one barn find to rule them all found? 

The present owner of the car found it in dusty, undignified accommodations and immediately bought it. After three years of working alongside Lee Noble himself, he brought the Noble Prototype back to its former glory. And now the car is back on the market and ready to be the rare and shining crown for any car collection.

How much is the Lee Noble FGT prototype worth? 

The restoration process included rebuilding the 6.0 liter fuel-injected Chevrolet V8 engine and gearbox and some other smaller mechanical components. He also updated the original fuel injection system to a new MSD ECU. This one-of-one hypercar prototype will be hard to beat in the circles of rich old-boys clubs. The Noble prototype has it all, exclusivity, a connection to Noble, and the romanticism of the barn find. It really doesn’t get much better than this for a collector. 

Now, after a long and unfair time spent toiling in the dirt, dust, and mice nests, this incredible barn find is back, baby, and ready to take its time in the spotlight once more. Along with the car, estimated to sell between $85,000 – $110,000, tons of original paperwork and various forms of period documentation are said to be included. The car auction goes live on Nov. 6th through RM Sotheby’s.