Russia has been the source of many colorful motoring phenomena. There was the transformation of a Bentley Continental GT into an actual tank, the driver that had tires made of thousands of nails, and a fake Tesla Cybertruck. Now, the nation has made headlines once more, this time for the shocking sighting of a boy - who appeared to be around 10-years-old - nonchalantly driving on the highway in a Subaru WRX S4 sedan with no license plates.

With its quad exhaust outlets and huge rear wing, it's probably not the first choice of car if you were somehow forced to place a pre-teen behind the wheel.

According to Ren TV, the video was posted on the Instagram account of someone known only as @nn_vladivostok. Vladivostok, incidentally, is a port city in Russia close to China and North Korea. Apparently, the youngster made a gesture to the other driver and was said to be sitting extremely close to the steering wheel. He then zoomed off (in the fast lane, naturally), although it must be said the boy did appear to be fully in control of the WRX.

The video quickly made the rounds in Russian media outlets, naturally leading to panic about what on earth such a young child was doing behind the wheel and causing authorities to investigate the matter. It was eventually determined that the "10-year-old" was actually 18, a local resident, and legally licensed to drive the vehicle. Phew.

On a follow-up story via the Telegram channel Life Shot, the driver was pictured and quoted as saying: "Of course, strangers say yes, what are you 18-years-old, you are about 15-years-old. I show my rights and passport, everyone is always very surprised." Looking at the pictures, we're not surprised that he was mistaken for much younger than his years.

The 18-year-old is said to have obtained his license in October. Crisis averted, although we wouldn't be too pleased about the frenzy that erupted because people thought we looked young enough to be in middle school.