In a perfect world, every remarkable vehicle would be taken care of and stored in a climate-controlled facility with all its working parts serviced regularly. Unfortunately, that's not the case a lot of times. In the real world, owners don't always take care of their classic cars, regardless of how special they are. In fact, some people forget about their cars altogether, leaving them rotting away in barns for years or even decades.

RELATED: These Classic Cars Are Surprisingly Cheap To Maintain

Thankfully, there's a large group of motoring enthusiasts that dedicate themselves to finding these old forgotten rides and breathing new life into them. Barn finds, as they're called, can range from old classic cars worth almost nothing in today's market to vehicles so valuable it's unbelievable that they were forgotten. This list focuses on the latter - barn finds so rare that they made the headlines when they were discovered.

10 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS

Ferrari-Dino-246GT
via roadandtrack

In the mid '70s, a California businessman reported his new Ferrari Dino 246 GTS stolen. Police couldn't understand how one of the best sports cars of the '70s could disappear into thin air, and the case soon went cold.

Ferrari-Dino-246GT
via roadandtrack

Four years later, two boys playing discovered something metallic buried in their backyard - it turned out to be the missing Ferrari. Upon investigation, police discovered that the owner had buried it himself as an insurance scam. Unbelievably, the Ferrari was still in good condition and was eventually restored to its former glory.

9 1968 Ford Mustang GT “Bullitt”

1968 Ford Mustang GT “Bullitt”
Via The News Wheel

Ask anyone to name the greatest car movies of the 20th century, and Steve McQueen's Bullitt will likely be in the top ten. One of the most exhilarating scenes in the movie was the car chase around San Francisco with Steve McQueen behind the wheel of his 1968 Ford Mustang GT.

The Unforgettable ‘Stang: 1968 Ford Mustang GT 390 Bullitt
via Pinterest

Two Mustangs were used for the movie, with one acting as a stunt car. After filming, the stunt car was sold off and ultimately resurfaced years later in a Mexican scrap yard wearing a faded coat of paint. Barely recognizable, the Mustang was in terrible shape and even lacked an engine and transmission. However, a Ford specialist did confirm that its chassis number was indeed the long-lost Bullitt car.

8 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400

1968 Lamborghini Miura P400
via ESMotor1.com

What's better than a barn find? Well, 81 of them! In 2018, auctioneer Henri Adam was shocked when he stumbled upon 81 classic cars housed in a large barn and surrounding fields on a French farm. The cars belonged to a compulsive buyer called Henry Ruggieri and were barely used.

RELATED: 15 Incredible Facts About The World's First Supercar - The Lamborghini Miura

1968 Lamborghini Miura P400
Via mecum.com

One of the best cars discovered in the barn was a 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400. The car was rusty, muck-covered, and had close to 49,000 miles on its odometer. After the restoration, the Miura sold for €560,000 at a 2019 auction.

7 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

1969 Dodge Daytona Charger
Via mecum.com

The Dodge Charger Daytona was a wonderful car. Developed in 1969 to win NASCAR races, the Daytona is one of the most iconic Dodge cars and also one of the rarest, with only 503 made. This is exactly why car restorer Charlie Lyons was shocked to find one forgotten in an Alabama barn.

1969-Dodge-Charger-Daytona
via mecum

The car was purchased in 1974 and had spent decades in a barn, hidden away from the elements but not rats, as its front seats were chewed up. Lyons convinced the owner to part with the car, and it later sold for $90,000 at a Mecum auction.

6 Porsche 901

Porsche 901
Via Motoring Research

When Porsche introduced the iconic 911 in 1964, it was originally called the 901. However, Peugeot filed a copyright claim against Porsche, saying that only they had the right to use three-digit model names with a '0' as the middle number. To avoid an unnecessary argument, Porsche simply changed the '0' to '1' — but they'd already produced 82,901 units.

Porsche 901
Via Airows

None of the 901s were officially sold to the public, and many were even destroyed. However, one was discovered in a barn in Brandenburg, Germany, prompting Porsche to swing into action. Although the car was in terrible condition, Porsche still paid more than €100,000 to add the 901 to its classic fleet.

5 1950 Ferrari 166MM Barchetta

1950 Ferrari 166MM Barchetta
via motoringbox.com

The 1950 166MM Barchetta will always hold a special place in Ferrari's rich history. This iconic sports car was the first Ferrari produced after Enzo Ferrari split off to produce cars under his own marque. Just 25 were made, making it super rare.

1950 Ferrari 166MM
via youtube.com

One of the 25 made its way to a Swiss showroom, where an American purchased it and shipped it to the States. It was driven for a while until it broke down - at which point it was left under the scorching Arizona sun for decades. Despite its condition, the Barchetta sold for $1 million immediately after it was discovered.

4 Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona

Ferrari-Daytona
via thesun.co.uk

In the '60s, Ferrari built five aluminum-bodied 365GTB/4 Daytonas to meet the requirements of the 24 Hours of Daytona race. Of the five, only one was street legal, and it was eventually purchased by a Japanese collector who hid it away for almost 40 years.

RELATED: 10 Rarest Ferraris Currently Owned By Collectors

Ferrari-Daytona
via thesun.co.uk

The car resurfaced in Japan in 2017, and to everyone's surprise, it was in great condition. It had matching numbers and paperwork, an unused spare tire, and 22,611 on the odometer. After its discovery, the Daytona made its way to an RM Sotheby's auction, where it sold for a staggering $2.2 million.

3 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Ellena

Black 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Ellana in garage
Via Hagerty

The 250 GT is one of the highest-sought-after Ferrari models ever. So imagine how lucky one would be to find one sitting dormant in a garage for more than four decades. That's exactly what happened to Tom Cotter — host of Hagerty's series Barn Find Hunter.

1957 Ferrari 250 GT Ellena
Via Twitter

Cotter uncovered an original 1957 250 GTO that had been originally imported from Switzerland in the '70s and stored in an American garage. It had been driven scarcely and still had all its original components intact. At the time of discovery, the owner claimed they wanted to have the car up and running in less than a year but didn't have plans to restore the rusty exterior.

2 Ferrari 250 GTO

Ferrari-250GTO
via pinterest

This legendary Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis number 3589, started its life on the track, competing at Goodwood in 1962. It was raced extensively until 1964, when the owner donated it to a Texas high school. It didn't stay in Texas for long, and by the '70s, it had already made its way to Ohio. In 1972, the 250 GTO found the spot where it would remain parked for a long time — in a trailer parked on a field.

Ferrari-250GTO
via sportscardigest

It remained in the trailer for more than a decade, sleeping on flat tires with the windows open. Thankfully, it was eventually saved and treated to a Concours restoration.

1 Shelby Cobra

Shelby Cobra
Via Hagerty

The 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Ellena is not the only jaw-dropping car Tom Cotter has found for Barn Find Hunter. In 2016, Cotter stumbled upon a fantastic 1967 Shelby 427 Cobra that had been stashed in a barn since 1991. The Cobra was finally uncovered and brought to the Gooding & Company auction, where it sold for $1,045,000 in 2018, despite its unrestored state.

Shelby Cobra Barn Find
Via Carthrottle

Unbelievably, Cotter also found a 1966 Ferrari 275GTB in the same barn, which sold for $2.5 million at the same auction.

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