The concept of going through the rural countryside in search of forgotten classic cars seems like something out of a dream. Honestly, though, who in their right mind would even leave such amazing vehicles in a dusty garage; neglected for decades? Crazily enough, these individuals exist, and their "trash" is certainly a treasure to everyone else.
Nevertheless, it's exceedingly uncommon to find Ferraris or Bugattis in some small French cottage. However, when that one lucky explorer makes the discovery of a lifetime, the entire car community jumps onto the story. Over the years, there's been a lot of neat discoveries, but listing all of them would take forever! To give a quick rundown of some of the coolest recoveries, here are fifteen vintage cars that people found in barns...
15 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante
We're starting off with a bang! One of the most valuable collector cars ever found in an abandoned homestead: a Bugatti Type 57C Atalante. Though it may look like a standard '40s/'50s cruiser, this Type 57C is one of the rarest Bugatti's out there. In fact, many deem it to be "the world's first supercar." Maybe that's why they cost over $10 million at times.
14 Citroën TPV
For many American readers, the Citroën brand is pretty much unknown. In short, they are a French carmaker with its roots stretching back further than the World Wars. A seminal vehicle in their early history was the 2CV; a small, underpowered, civilian car. Before the 2CV was sold, however, it was called the "TPV" in the prototype stages.
A total of three Citroën TPV's were found in one garage. This is the mother-load for Citroën lovers and collectors alike, as they were only a few made. Sure, it looks a lot like the normal 2CV, but the tiny differences and legacy surrounding them is what the one-percent are interested in.
13 Chevrolet Corvette C3 Stingray
Because the Chevrolet Corvette is such an affordable and accessible sports car, at least to Americans, a lot of consumers have a chance to get one. As a result, not everybody who gets one will take care of them, like this C3 Stingray pictured above. It's not surprising, just disappointing.
12 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Strange as it may seem, there are a fair few Mercedes-Benz 300SLs/SL Gullwings that have been discovered in barns around the globe. They're not bad cars by any means, yet, so many were lost.
It doesn't really matter why, though. All that matters now is a chance for restoration and potential future use.
11 Shelby Cobra 427
Hidden in the suburbs of North Carolina laid more than just a sleepy neighborhood and a golf club. The real treasure was actually a one-of-a-kind Shelby 427 Cobra; locked up in a three-car garage for decades.
Hagerty helped find and sell the antique racer, and without them, that 427 would likely still be in that house to this day.
10 Lamborghini Miura S
Back in the 1970's to '80s, a Lamborghini Miura S cost around $25,000 to $30,000. Not too shabby, so one European probably didn't feel too bad about leaving one of them at his farm to rot.
Little did he know, that Lamborghini would be worth hundreds-of-thousands, if not millions, later on. Unfortunate for the original owner, but great for whoever found it!
9 BMW M1
In 1982, a northern Italian individual left their BMW M1 in the garage, never to be touched again. That is until someone took it off his hand, though. With an odometer of just over 4,000-miles (7,329 kilometers), this M1 was the find of a lifetime! It's just a shame that we weren't the ones to find it...
8 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
Nestled comfortably in the Japanese countryside, an old man, Makoto Takai, hid a classic, one-off Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona for 40-years.
All but forgotten, this Daytona was probably never going to drive again. Somehow, though, by the grace of God, the 365 GTB/4 was rediscovered and quickly auctioned thereafter.
7 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
Speaking of "Daytona," there was another miraculous find of a car with a similar title, only it's American rather than Italian. Obviously, it is the NASCAR-winning Dodge Charger Daytona from 1969.
If you look past the rust and trash covering the Charger, you'll find a once-mighty muscle car that can still be returned to its former glory... it will take some hard work though.
6 Ferrari 250 GT California
If you're looking through barns/garages for old cars, you'd hope to find something good, but never think it'd be an $18 million Ferrari 250 GT California.
Well, for a couple of lucky explorers, that's exactly what happened. Eventually, the Ferrari California was restored and auctioned off; yielding almost $20 million when it was all said and done!
5 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 KR
Since the Bullitt Mustang has been in the news recently with the Mecum Auctions, we figured it's high time to discuss another barn-find Mustang. Specifically, the classic '68 Shelby GT500 'King of the Road.'
A handful of KR's have been found abandoned before, yet, that doesn't make it any less upsetting to see such a beautiful car abused in that way.
4 Ferrari 275 GTB
Another Ferrari to be discovered is a metallic silver Ferrari 275 GTB. Remember that red Shelby 427 Cobra from earlier? Well, this Ferrari 275 was parked right next to it!
What are the odds of finding not one, but two priceless vintage sports cars?! That's just pure "luck" if we've ever seen it before.
3 Porsche 912
Don't be mistaken. The Porsche 912 may look like a 911, but purists will quickly strike down that notion. Nevertheless, the Porsche 912 is a beloved and rare model in Porsche's old lineup, as few are still around today. Perhaps many of them are like this 912; sitting in someone's yard waiting to die.
2 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS
Similar to the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, there has been an oddly high amount of Ferrari Dinos found abandoned - particularly the 246 GTS model. If that's not weird enough, they even found a Dino buried in Los Angeles, years after it had been stolen.
The Dino has a tendency to disappear at times. However, more and more of them are being recovered as time goes on.
1 Aston Martin DB4
Last, but by no means least, is the DB5's older brother: the Aston Martin DB4. Compared to this car, the others on this list had it pretty good. At least they had a roof over most of them, unlike this DB4, which spent about 45-years in the wilderness.
That Aston can still be saved though, but it will take a lot of TLC (and we really do mean a lot!).