For some reason, happening upon a hidden gem in the middle of nowhere is much more exciting than one just falling into your hands. So when rare and interesting vehicles are happened upon on private compounds and abandoned buildings, it can sometimes feel as if all your Christmases have come at once.

But why do we have such a fascination with vehicles that have been abandoned or left to wither away on the grounds of a private compound or the middle of an abandoned piece of property? It seems that any old ancient relic from the past can tell stories with regards to how it got there, with objects like abandoned cars as interesting as things that are either buried twenty feet under the ground or hidden away in people's basements or attics.

For instance, when we see a car left to disintegrate into nothing, it can make one curious to know the reason why. However, the sole focus is not always on the older vehicles or the antique automobiles and motorbikes; the latest models can also be things of beauty. Yes, every day new and exciting vehicles enter production, wowing audiences worldwide with cutting-edge technology and up-to-date engineering.

Nevertheless, all over the world today, cars and motorbikes sit unattended, just waiting to be driven one more time or, at the very least, appreciated for their value and history. Let's take a look at 19 pictures of cars discovered in private compounds.

19 Slate Mine

Sometimes the most wonderful things can be found in the strangest of places. Take the slate mine, for example, a mine in which a number of abandoned cars can be found from the 1970s almost 200 feet below the surface. Up to 100 cars were discovered in the inside of a cave in Ceredigion, Wales, UK, with the automobiles all found in a variety of conditions. The mine, which closed in the mid-60s, was thought to be completely empty. However, theories state that the cars accidentally fell into the mines when veering off the road. Whatever the case, it is certainly spooky.

18 Chatillon Car Graveyard

The Chatillon Car Graveyard is located in Belgium and is often thought to be an urban myth, with most people not acknowledging the reality of it. The graveyard holds a number of abandoned cars neglected in an overgrown forest, causing those who stumble upon it a great fright. In fact, the many twisted metal and rusted windows somewhat resemble skeletons. Interestingly, the cars are believed to have once belonged to US soldiers who had to abandon the cars after World War II. However, legend has it that soldiers never meant to leave them behind at all and intended to come back for them. Unfortunately, this never happened, with the cars left to nature instead.

17 Peter Lippman Jungle

It seems there are plenty of cases where cars are overrun by nature, with American-born photographer Peter Lippman seemingly thinking the same. Lippman, who is usually based in Paris, created a series entitled Paradise Parking which captured a number of abandoned cars that had been overcome by roots and leaves. The collection included several classic cars such as a vintage Citroen DS that had become engulfed in the jungle. In order to get the pictures, Lippman had to persuade the owners of the estate where the cars were based for a whopping two years.

16 The Onassis Miura

The Aristotle Onassis Lamborghini Miura was kind of a big deal back in the day and is still kind of a big deal right now. The car was given to legendary pop musician Stamatis Kokotas by shopping magnate and Greek millionaire Aristotle Onassis. However, the car had been deteriorating all alone in a Greek warehouse, where it had seemingly been forgotten about. The Miura, which was created in the 1960s, is now a well-known classic with only 764 believed to have ever been produced. As a result, the vehicle is one of the rarest in the world and one of the most important barn-finds of this century.

15 Dairy Farm

Lawayne Musselwhite could possibly be the luckiest man in the world, especially with regards to great car discoveries. That's right, a lifelong car enthusiast, Musselwhite already had an impressive collection of classic Shelby vehicles. However, things got better when Musselwhite stumbled upon one Canada's greatest ever barn finds. The discovery, which was found at Lethbridge Dairy Farm, included a number of desirable and expensive vehicles such as six Corvettes and a couple of Ford GTs. Musselwhite managed to persuade the owner to sell all but ten of the cars on the lot with the remaining ten never revealed.

14 Abandoned Miura

The Lamborghini Miura is one of the rarest cars in the world and a car that you would never expect to turn up in a garage. However, one did, with a Lamborghini Miura recently discovered in the back of an unopened garage after years of being hidden away. The current owner revealed that the 1967 Lamborghini Miura P400 originally belonged to the cousin of his grandmother who then forgot about the car after a family tragedy. These days, the car is undrivable due to some brake issues and a dodgy clutch. It still looks amazing though, right?

13 Portuguese Warehouse

In 2014, an unnamed man bought an abandoned farmhouse that had been vacant for several years. The man bought the farmhouse for himself and his wife with the intention of refurbishing the abandoned lot. However, for some reason, the man had failed to look inside before buying the building, with the doors said to have been welded shut at the point of sale. The man clearly didn't mind and opened the doors after he had bought the barn, only to find scores of vintage and exotic automobiles inside. The collection was later valued at $7 million dollars and included a few Aston Martins, a Mercedes, and a dusty Lotus.

12 Cuban Mercedes-Benz 300 SL

In 2014, a photographer found a rare yet partially destroyed Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing while traveling in Cuba. The car had long been rumored to exist, however, the exact location was never identified. The photographer hunted for the car for over a month and traveled a whopping two thousand miles in the process. Thankfully, the car was finally discovered hiding under a banana tree, damaged and abandoned. The man later claimed, "When I found it, I spent the whole day taking pictures. Finding the car was an indescribable experience."

11 Swedish Forest

Not only is Sweden one of the best places to live in the world, but it also holds an amazing automobile cemetery. That's right, Bastnäs is an ancient Swedish ore field that is hidden away in the middle of a forest. The field holds at least 1,000 cars, all of which have been left to perish away. The cars are mostly from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s and are covered with leaves, moss, and tree roots. So, how did they get there? The majority of the automobiles belonged to servicemembers of the US who left the cars when returning to their country after World War II. These days, the site is a major tourist attraction, with tourists coming from all over the world to bask in the vicinity of the abandoned cars.

10 Roger Baillon

In 2015, one of the most interesting and valuable car collections ever was discovered in an abandoned shed on the grounds of a French castle. Seriously. A whopping count of over one hundred cars was found, mostly covered in muck and dust and left to rot away in the midst of a rundown building with zero light or air circulation. The cars inside the barn were what dreams were made of and included a 1956 Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sports Berlinetta Frua, a 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi, and a 1988 Mondial Cabriolet. However, the pièce de résistance was the ex-Alain Delon Ferrari 250GT California Spider, which eventually sold for over $15 million dollars.

9 Jamaican Bay

During the mid-20th century, abandoned cars were a common sight in New York City, USA, with cars left to rot away when they were no longer needed. As a result, cars began showing up all over the place: under bridges, in the rivers, or in some cases, even underground. In fact, the problem had gotten so bad that one man wrote, "In 1969, there were about 2,000 cars strewn about the highways and local streets." Furthermore, it seemed Jamaica Bay, on the southern side of Long Island, had become the hot, new favorite place to dump automobiles, with the marshy bay home to thousands of abandoned vehicles.

8 Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most famous national parks in the USA and named for the Joshua trees that are native to the region. The park is full of interesting animals, nature displays, and a number of other exciting and historical sights. However, the park is also home to several old and abandoned vehicles. That's right, instead of removing the cars, the park maintenance team has decided to leave the vehicles over the years in order to keep the history of the park itself alive. The cars give visitors a small story with regards to how they got there and why they were left behind.

7 Arizona Desert Ferrari 

Never mind abandoned barn cars, these days, desert cars are all the rage, with a large number of abandoned cars hidden away each year in the middle of the desert. For instance, a 1950 Ferrari 166MM Barchetta was recently found tucked away in the desert sands of Arizona. The car had been rumored to have existed for a while, with car enthusiasts across the world on the lookout for the rare automobile. In fact, the car is so rare that only 25 examples of the 2-liter V12-powered car were ever built, with most of them thankfully still around.

6 Alabama Barn 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

It seems that barns and farmhouses are the best places to look for abandoned cars and vintage automobiles, especially for ones with plenty of added value. For instance, a man recently discovered a rare 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona which had sat rusting away in a farmhouse in Alabama. The car is a little-known classic and is worth a huge amount of money. In fact, the car was just one of 503 vehicles ever made and had just 20,553 miles on the clock. However, despite the rarity on top of the notoriety, the car sold for just half the asking price of $180,000.

5 Buried Ferrari Dino 246GTS

In 1978, a Ferrari Dino 246 GTS was unearthed by a group of children in the front yard of a Los Angeles home. So, how did it get there? After some digging around (pun intended), the car was traced back to a Los Angeles man who had reported the car as stolen in 1974. It was then revealed that the car had, in fact, been stolen, but later buried in order to hide the evidence. Overall, the car was worth a whopping $67,000 dollars and was in surprisingly good condition despite being underground and surrounded by muck.

4 Los Angeles Junkyard Mercedes

In 2012, writer Michael Mraz stumbled upon one of the most expensive and valuable cars in the world. The vehicle was randomly sitting neglected in a private building located in South Central Los Angeles. So what exactly was it? The car was the special edition 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K which was built especially for racing driver Rudi Caracciola. The junkyard once belonged to car enthusiast Rudi Klein, who also held several other valuable and exotic automobiles. However, when he passed away, the collection was passed on to his sons, who left the cars to rot into obscurity. Sadly, the Klein sons have never been interested in selling and have turned down a number of offers.

3 Ferrari Daytona In Japan

In 2017, a rare special-edition Ferrari Daytona sold for a whopping $2.17 million during one of the biggest Ferrari auctions in the world. The Ferrari Daytona was the highlight of the auction, with much of the attention coming due to the way in which it was found. The car, which was built in 1971, had been sat in a Japanese barn collecting dust for the past forty years and had been left to rot away into obscurity. Thankfully, the car was discovered and immediately sent to auction where it was sold as unrestored and in as-is, barn-fresh condition. And it still made an absolute fortune.

2 Dusty Bugatti Type 57S

The passing of a loved family member can be a traumatic time, however, sometimes it can also reveal a number of interesting facts. For instance, while in London, the relatives of a recently deceased man were surprised to find that he had owned an extremely rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57S, somewhat of a Holy Grail for car collectors. That's right, only 17 of the cars were ever made, making it extremely rare on the vintage car circuit. Furthermore, the car hadn't been touched since 1960 and had been rotting away, caked in dust in his garage.

1 Hines Secret Car Collection

In 2018, a member of the public stumbled upon a secret car collection hidden away in a private parking lot in the middle of a busy neighborhood. The person who found the collection was obviously overjoyed and immediately documented their find with pictures on the internet. It was then revealed that the cars had been purposefully stored in the parking lot and were part of the racing team, Hines Race Team. The collection included a Dodge Neon SRT-4, which was originally built for SEMA, a silver C2 Corvette Stingray, an extremely rare Jaguar F-Type Project 7, and a mint-condition 1958 Chevrolet Impala. Now, that's a collection!

Sources: hankermag, topspeed, and pinterest.