Ordinary digging in a Los Angeles backyard in 1978 led to the discovery of a Ferrari that had been missing for more than three years. According to the Los Angeles Times, two boys playing in the backyard of a house on West 119th Street in Los Angeles were digging in the mud in February 1978 when they found something unusual just below the surface. They told sheriff’s deputies that it felt like the roof of a car. Investigators returned with a skid-steer loader and shovels and uncovered a green 1974 Ferrari, which had been reported stolen in December 1974. The car was found in good condition despite having been buried underground for more than three years.
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The Ferrari disappeared in 1974
Rosendo Cruz of Alhambra bought the Dino in October 1974. Just two months later, on December 7, Cruz reported the Ferrari stolen, and Farmers Insurance reimbursed him for the loss. The theft report remained on file with the Los Angeles Police Department, but the car was missing from the record for more than three years.
When the car was excavated, the discovery suggested that the vehicle had been deliberately buried, not abandoned. The Ferrari was thought to have been covered with rugs and other materials, even though some portions of the car remained uncovered in the moist soil. Although Southern California's relatively dry climate may have helped preserve some of the car, it still required restoration after spending years underground.
The car was particularly significant because it was not just any Ferrari, but a Dino 246, a model known for its distinctive design and engineering. According to Motor Sport Magazine, the Ferrari Dino 246 GT was styled by Pininfarina and powered by a 2.4-litre, 65-degree V6 mounted transversely ahead of the rear wheels. The fixed-roof GT was followed in 1972 by the 246 GTS, a targa-style version with a detachable roof panel. The GTS retained the GT's basic mechanical layout while adding an open-air design.
From buried car to insurance auction
After the Ferrari was recovered, Farmers Insurance faced an unusual question: what should it do with a car that had already been paid out as a theft claim? Since the company had reimbursed the original owner, the recovered vehicle became its property. Rather than simply sell it through an ordinary used-car transaction, Farmers arranged a special sealed-bid auction. By then, the case was already well known, and potential buyers were eager to see the Ferrari. The auction process produced another twist. The car was shown to prospective buyers, but some parts appeared to go missing during the exhibition period. Farmers realised that many of the initial bids were not genuine. The eventual sale turned the buried Dino from an insurance recovery into a collector’s car with an extraordinary history. Its unusual past was now part of its appeal, alongside the Ferrari name and the rarity of the 246 GTS.
The Dino returns to the road
It was not long until the car had gone through numerous owners and fell into the possession of Ferrari fanatic Brad Howard. After some time, the vehicle was restored. The work included mechanical repairs and cosmetic restoration. Giuseppe Cappalonga, who was an expert on Ferraris, worked on restoring the vehicle. The restoration appears to have preserved the Ferrari’s unusual history. It went from being reported stolen in 1974 to being recovered in 1978, auctioned by the insurer, and eventually restored by collectors. The restoration did not wipe away the Dino’s past. Instead, it put the car back on the road while leaving its unusual history intact. From being stolen and buried to being found years later and restored, the Dino had already lived through more than most classic cars ever do. Its survival became part of what made the Ferrari so memorable.
