Abandoned A9 car which was immortalised on Google Street View is finally towed away – sparking comic reaction from Highland motorists
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A LONG-abandoned car left buried in bushes at a busy A9 roundabout for so long that it wound up in online maps and folk began joking that it might be 'modern art' is finally – FINALLY – on the move again.
The white Mazda saloon had been left stuck amongst bushes off the Ardullie roundabout at the northern end of the Cromarty Bridge for months.
So long, in fact, that it recently found its plight 'immortalised' online after tech giant Google's Street View camera car passed by and uploaded images of the abandoned vehicle to its online maps .
Fed-up locals, who had been waiting for an age for someone in authority to remove the eyesore from the scene, finally cried foul after that latest indignity – with councillor Maxine Smith among those to argue enough was enough.
And, after the Inverness Courier's story about the embarrassing sight of the car on Google Maps went viral online, police confirmed they would be removing it from the scene.
Finally, on Friday, the Mazda was towed away, bringing an end to this somewhat comical tale.
But not before Highland residents were able to crack a few more jokes at the sorry car's expense one last time.
Taking to social media to comment on an image of the car being taken away, one poster, Luthien Lark, joked: "I was starting to think it was a 'Modern Art' piece, bit like Mermaid of the North...only 'Trashed Car of Ardullie'..."
We're not quite sure what the folk of Balintore will make of the car being compared to their beloved coastal landmark, but we get the general idea.
Another, Dan Thomas, wryly remarked of the car: "Thought that would have listed status by now."
Indeed.
And Linda Smith, riffing on the fact that the car had been used briefly as an unofficial 'billboard' to advertise a travelling funfair, added: "OMG, I thought they were going to advertise the opening of Inverness Castle for 2025 on it."
Larisa Jansen, meanwhile, said: "Finally! Was wondering if it the car was gonna turn into a wildlife scene."
Final word goes however to Michael Ewan Thomson, who said: "Funny how it is removed after it was in the papers."
We couldn't possibly comment.
