Get ready to be both amazed and heartbroken. The amazing part is the retrieval of these rides, given the peculiar areas they were found in, for the most part. However, you’ll also be quite heartbroken at the condition of some of these classics. We’ll give a little foreshadowing at some of the bizarre locations to expect: buried underground in the front of a home in LA, deep in the North Carolina woods, inside a cave, and perhaps the best of all, drowning underwater in Texas with the engine still on.
These are bizarre locations, to say the least; however, what makes this article truly unique are the unreal cars that were found. We’re not talking Civics and Accords, which are the most frequently stolen rides; we’re talking numerous Ferrari types, Lambos, McLarens, and a couple of Bentley rides.
So, why ditch these rides? The reasons vary throughout the article. Some were completely abandoned due to the passing of the owners. Others were abandoned due to a fake payment on the ride, and in some embarrassing cases, the owners wanted to get a little insurance money, but they weren’t as witty, as you’ll see in the article — especially in the case of a Bugatti.
Enjoy the article, folks, and like always, be sure to share it with a friend. Without further ado, here are 23 bizarre locations these incredible abandoned cars were found at. Let’s get started!
21 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/2 (Abandoned North Carolina Home)
Man, did the Barn-Find Hunter ever score big with this find... Entering a North Carolina home, Ben Cotter found an abandoned Ferrari in the garage area. According to Simon Green of the Daily Star, the ride hadn’t been touched for 27 years. The owner of the vehicle passed away 27 years before the car was found, and the treasure was just collecting dust.
Adding to the prestige of the ride, it has close to no mileage whatsoever.
The Daily Star details the abandoned Ferrari:
“The Ferrari, a silver 3.3-litre V-12 GTB/2, has the original alloy body and is one of a small amount ever built by the iconic carmaker.”
20 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 (Abandoned North Carolina Home)
That’s right — not only a Ferrari but also a Shelby Cobra 427 was retrieved in the abandoned garage area of the North Carolina home. Combined, both rides have a worth of over $3 million. Talk about hitting the jackpot with these outrageous finds...
Aside from lots of dust, the cars were in mint condition. Simon Green claims the Cobra was just as good as the Ferrari:
“The Cobra is equally impressive, boasting a staggering 390 bhp, thanks to the 428 Police Interceptor motor.”
Both these stunning rides were auctioned off shortly after.
19 DeLorean DMC-12 (North Carolina Forest)
We’re not entirely sure what’s going on in North Carolina, but if you’re around the area, make sure to be on the lookout for abandoned rides.
Another rare car with a polarizing legacy was found completely abandoned out in a random forest.
DeLorean lovers, take a deep breath — the car was in rough shape. It had rust and was covered in leaves and dust. It's unknown who the owner of the vehicle was and why he abandoned the ride. Perhaps, a max speed of 88 mph might've had something to do with it...
18 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta (Tucson, Arizona Desert)
Remember that time you were driving along the desert in Tucson, Arizona, and you spotted an abandoned Ferrari 166 that had been untouched for years? You probably don’t; however, this was the reality in yet another stunning find. Michael Lynch of SFGate explains the rarity of this Ferrari as a one of only 25 ever built:
"'It was the car that really gave a face to Ferrari. It was absolutely timeless from the day it was made.' When the car was produced, Ferrari had only been in business three years, and yet, this car, Lynch said, 'has a lot of styling cues that are still there today, such as the egg crate grill.'"
Sadly, the ride, uncovered and un-retrieved in a random Tucson backyard, just stood there for years.
17 Ferrari Enzo (Dubai Impound Lot)
Ferrari lovers, this one is a kick to the stones. With only 400 Enzo models ever built, the ride is one of the most sought after and prestigious in Ferrari's history. But what if we told you that it was just collecting dust at a Dubai impound lot? Sadly, this is the reality nowadays, as it's completely forgotten about next to several other rides in the lot.
The previous owner of the ride abandoned the car due to either a fraud payment or the theft of the vehicle.
This is the norm in Dubai; in lots of cases, drivers completely abandon a prestigious ride in order to avoid the payment hassle.
Sadly, the Ferrari was never reclaimed; nor is it going back up for sale. What a tragedy.
16 Jaguar XJ220 (Qatari Desert)
Jaguars aren’t necessarily known for their speed capabilities; however, the Jaguar XJ220 is one of the exceptions. That ride has tremendous capabilities with a top speed record of 341.7 km/h. That’ll get your hair blowing. Back in the early '90s, it hit a remarkable lap speed so fast that it was deemed the fastest production car at the time. With only 275 ever made, the ride is that much more prestigious. And hey, it has a value of over half a million.
All of this to say that some lunatic completely abandoned this incredible ride out in the Qatari desert. The photo above hurts your soul, doesn’t it? Making matters that much more cringeworthy, the ride has only 560 miles.
15 Bugatti Veyron (Parts Unknown, Russia)
Someone give Floyd Mayweather a tissue. His favorite ride, the Bugatti Veyron was completely abandoned in Russia. Abandoning supercars is actually surprisingly common in the country. However, a ride like the Veyron getting abandoned might've crossed the line.
According to Auto Evolution, the driver completely abandoned the ride after getting rear-ended by an Aston Martin.
Due to the costs to repair the vehicle, he was better off just ditching the vehicle. The repairs would've been quite costly, given the rough shape it appeared to be in. For what it's worth, the Veyron was discontinued as of 2014.
14 Bugatti Veyron (Texas Lake)
Texas man Andy House purchased his Bugatti Veyron back in October of 2009. Just a month later, he was caught on tape driving it into a lagoon. He kept the engine running, which totaled the ride. House made the claim that he was distracted by a pelican... you can’t make this stuff up.
He basically left the car in the lake. Unlucky for him, an onlooker was filming the entire situation. The video went viral on YouTube, and that crash was later deemed as an illegal offense. House had insured the vehicle just days ago and planned on receiving a $600,000 settlement. Instead, he walked away with a one-year prison sentence.
13 Aston Martin DB4 (Massachusetts Forest)
The Aston Martin DB4 is a rare model. It was later replaced by the DB5, but still, this ride is considered an absolute classic.
Production for the ride began way back in the late 1950s up until 1963, and only 1,185 were ever produced.
The ride has a worth of $500,000. What if we told you that a car worth that much was just sitting in a Massachusetts forest completely untouched for the last five decades? Sadly, the abandoned ride was in rough shape, surrounded by forestry, and completely covered in dirt and leaves. Thankfully, the car was restored and sold for its proper value of $500,000.
12 Bentley Continental GT (Chengdu, China)
This is actually a trash park dedicated to the cars left behind by the previous owners. As Design You Trust mentions, these were no normal rides found in the abandoned forest:
“Inside this small lot in Chengdu, China, there are at least two Bentleys, two Land Rovers, three Mercedes-Benzes, and even the odd motorbike. They all have one thing in common – they’ve been abandoned by their owners.”
In total, the forested lot features over 200 cars. Some are more prestigious than the others. Among one of the top rides found in the forest is a Bentley Continental GT. So, how did the ride get there? Either the owner is currently sitting in prison or he possesses false paperwork.
11 Bentley Flying Spur (Chengdu, China)
“The two Bentleys, one a Bentley Continental GT and another a Bentley Flying Spur, are worth at least 3 million Yuan (£300,000) each in China.”
It's beyond us how such cars remain completely abandoned, covered in grass, and surrounded by bushes and trees. Seriously speaking, how are these rides not locked up away in some garage?
With so many rides, it's said that the local authorities are struggling to sell most of the cars.
Instead, the forest just continues to add abandoned rides regularly. Because they're maintaining them under such conditions, it's no wonder they can’t resell them!
10 Lamborghini Miura S (New Jersey Barn)
Talk about a barn find... This ride has quite the legacy and was used by the rich and famous back in its heyday. Its value has skyrocketed over the years to over a million. Can you believe that a car with that much value was just sitting in a New Jersey barn untouched for years?
The new owner of the ride couldn’t believe the place he traveled to in order to buy the ride. He explained the purchase to Jalopnik:
“He was driving through cornfields to Blairstown, New Jersey, to a brick house and an attached white barn. 'No way at one point whatever million car is in this barn.' But there it was under an inch of dust.”
It turns out the Lambo was rarer than initially anticipated. The second production of the Miura S was one out of just 17! Talk about hitting the jackpot...
9 Lotus Esprit (Hong Kong Junkyard)
“An NSX, a Nissan Skyline, an Evo, a Silvia, a Lotus, a Porsche—these cars should be cherished and meticulously maintained. But in Hong Kong, where a parking spot can cost as much as an apartment’s rent elsewhere in the world, they’re left abandoned on roadsides and shipping containers and stacked up high in junkyards.”
David Tracy of Jalopnik explains the tragedy that he visited himself. It was an unreal experience to find all these legendary rides just rotting away in some junkyard forest. Along with a slew of Skylines, a Lotus Esprit was also identified. The rare sports car was a huge hit back in its day over in the UK.
8 BMW M6 (Dubai Airport)
Dream car after dream car can be found in a Dubai airport parking lot. Sadly, these rides are completely abandoned and in poor condition these days due to the lack of maintenance. In truth, we could've done a list alone on cars that were completely abandoned in Dubai alone. The list would be a compilation of pricey vehicles including multiple Ferraris, Lambos, Bentleys, and BMWs.
In Dubai, the usual reason for the abandonment is unemployment.
The previous car owners just can’t afford the ride, so they flee from the scene and leave their prestigious rides behind. With oil prices plummeting in Dubai, a huge financial crisis hit the area hard. The result: lots of rides just left in the dust, and that includes this stunning BMW M6.
7 100 Abandoned 70s Cars (Welsh Cave/Abandoned Mine)
This one seems like a scene out of a movie. Labeled as the “Mystery Graveyard,” over 100 cars were found in a Welsh Cave. Most of the rides were from the '70s, and they just sat 200 ft underground in an abandoned mine. You can’t make this stuff up.
The rides were random, with some in better condition than others. However most were just reduced to assorted rusted parts. Gregory Rivolet explains the experience to the Daily Mail:
“There was something so surreal about this exploration, it was totally dark, wet, slippery and very dangerous. And then, you see the most unexpected thing, a mountain of old cars. 'My theory about the cars is that they may have accidentally been off the road and crashed down there.'”
6 1964 Ford GT40 (Abandoned Hoarder Garage)
For Ford enthusiasts, just picture this. You walk into a garage filled with garbage left and right. Basically, the garage looks like a hoarder garage. Buried underneath all that useless junk is a stunning 1964 Ford GT40. Now, when we say buried, we mean completely buried and covered in dust for years.
The 1964 Ford GT40 not only looks great but was meant to be a high-performance race car.
The ride is also a rare one issued back in 1964 until 1969. During that timeline, only 105 were produced. One of them was untouched, buried for years in a garage and just wasting away.
5 Golden Ferrari 308 (Dallas, Texas Car Garage)
The YouTube channel Unspeakable visited a Dallas garage. Now, from the outside and the inside, this didn’t look like a prestigious setting — far from it, in fact. However, Nathan quickly learned that the cars inside the garage were quite the opposite and were of prestigious value.
The real kicker was a golden Ferrari 308 just sitting there completely abandoned in a corner covered up. The car had been wasting away for years and was covered in a pile of dust. The gold look was truly something to behold along with the unorthodox lights you just don’t see anymore. Ferrari produced the ride from 1975 to 1985.
4 1967 Austin Healey (eBay)
As the famous quote goes, “Never give up.” Robert Russell definitely knows a thing or two about the saying. After losing his ride 42 years ago, he never gave up. Robert was focused on finding his stolen Austin Healey no matter how much time had passed.
Most figured the car might've been completely abandoned somewhere, but this wasn't the case.
Russell ended up finding his former stolen ride on eBay!
His car records from 42 years ago matched the identity of the ride. The car was seized in Philadelphia only to end up in Los Angeles. It's now in Texas with the rightful owner. What a story...
3 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS (Buried Underground In Los Angeles)
Way back in the late 1970s, a Ferrari Dino was found buried in the front yard of a Los Angeles home... Yeah, move quality stuff, right? So, why was the car buried? After the passing of the owner, the car was dug underground, and workers poured cement on it. This was done in order to ensure that the car wouldn’t get stolen.
Children that were digging (as all children do in the front yard...) noticed the structure similar to a car roof in the front yard. It was later recognized as a metallic green Ferrari Dino 246 GTS. Surprisingly, after cleaning up the ride, it was said to have been in remarkable condition.
2 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona (Japanese Barn)
This is what rare dream barn finds are all about! In fact, this ride is so rare that most weren’t even aware that it still existed.
The result of this one-off Ferrari find? It sold for $2 million, according to CNN.
Again, what drove the bids up was the rarity of the ride and the fact that many weren’t even aware that it existed.
After finding this ride hiding away in a barn over in Japan, it was completely restored with just 22,000 miles on the dash. Makoto Takai was the previous owner of the ride back in 1980.