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No Longer Abandoned
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/2 and 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 uncovered for auction

Some car collectors drive their beloved machines almost every day, while most collectors tend to preserve the cars’ condition and store them nicely as if they are being displayed in a museum. Not too many however would be like the owner of these two super valuable cars, who had left them in the garage of a disused house, neglected for over 27 years.

American insurance agency Hagerty recently uploaded a video under the Barn Find Hunter series, which follows classic car expert Tom Cotter as he visits the garage located in the heart of North Carolina. A 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/2 and a 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 were discovered among others, both covered in a thick layer of dust and dirt. Even though he did treasure these cars, the owner moved the two cars into the garage of his newly built home in 1991 and just left them untouched sitting there. The local council is planning to demolish the house, which is why they finally surfaced.

The 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/2 was designed by Pininfarina with coachwork by Scaglietti. Only 205 examples were built with the long-nose body style and among them just 80 were the lightweight aluminum variants. This is chassis 08125, finished in a silver and blue colour scheme and paired with the 3.3-litre V-12. It was sold new in Italy and exported to the United States in the early 1970s. The current owner purchased it in 1985, thinking it was the most beautiful car he’d even seen.

The 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 was one of the 260 street roadster examples produced, with only 19,000 miles on the odometer. Purchased by the current owner in 1980, chassis CSX3278 features a wooden steering wheel and correct Peter Brock-designed “Sunburst” wheels with period Goodyear Wingfoot tyres. There is no rollbar, no side pipes, no scoops or stripes on board.

The two cars, despite all the dust and spider webs, are in working condition and will be up for auction in Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island event, taking place on 9 March. Watch the video to follow Cotter’s adventure in this treasure hunt.