The ultimate buried treasure

It has been said you only have to dig to find real wealth.  This could be through gold, oil even water. In 1978, following a tip from an informant, police in Los Angeles discovered something even more rare and valuable. 

LA County Sheriff's detective Dennis Carroll and his partner, Sgt. Joe Sabas, proceeded to an address in South Central LA in an attempt to uncover a secret held in an unassuming back garden. Arriving with a team of men wielding shovels, and the support of a skip loader, the team uncovered a dark, metallic green, Dino 246 GTS.

There were signs the perpetrators of this burial had at least attempted to preserve the vehicle, finding the top half covered in a mixture of heavy rugs.  Initially the team had to check the vehicle for bodies or drugs, as this would move the investigation to another relevant department of the LAPD.  Neither were found.

Despite the car being buried for the best part of 4 years, it was in surprisingly good condition.  The police were even able to verify the car as one reported stolen from its perfectly preserved number plates.

So how did at classic Ferrari get buried in a LA back garden?

In a classic insurance fraud case, the owners decided to hire a couple of guys to make it disappear. They planned to have the car lifted from a car park whilst out for dinner.  The car would then be taken out of the city and broken into pieces for sale.  They could then claim on the insurance and give the break-up crew their cut.  Yet, the Dino would have the last laugh.  Its beauty proved too much for its kidnappers, and in a vain attempt to hold on to this automotive beauty, took it upon themselves to bury the car.  They could then return to it once the heat had died down. They never did.

So where is it now?

The car was sent to auction by the insurers, and purchased for $9000 by Brad Howard, who lovingly restored it back to former glory.  Today you’d have to part with $430,000, making it one of the most valuable garden finds in history.

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