Barn finds are some of the most remarkable cars you can ever come across. Sometimes, they are long-lost gems, hidden in plain sight for decades, just waiting to be uncovered. And other times, they take us entirely by surprise as we simply had no idea that they existed. 

This list contains ten barn finds that, when unearthed, would have made their owners rich in an instant. These are some of the most valuable and rarest cars on earth, each potentially worth millions of dollars. 

Bugatti Type 57S Atalante

 Bugatti barn finds are easily some of the most remarkable. One is the classic Type 57S Atlanante, which was found in a garage in the UK, gathering dust, in 2007. As one of just 17 ever made, this meant its value was incredibly high. 

After another two years, the car was sold at auction for a remarkable $4.53 million. It had initially belonged to Dr. Harold Carr, who parked it in his garage in the 1950s and left it there for nearly 60 years. 

Belgian Bugatti Trio

Finding one rare Bugatti is already incredible. But seeing three together is once in a lifetime, and it is something that Matthieu Lamoure and Pierre Novikoff would find just that a few years ago. The pair entered a garage in Belgium to find three Bugattis, along with a 1920s Citroen, just sitting there in front of them. 

These cars were supposedly owned by Dutch sculptor and Bugatti fan August Thomassen but had sat dormant since the 1960s. The standout in the collection was a Type 57 Bugatti Cabriolet with Graber coachwork for its body. The collection was sold off in 2019, with the Type 57 selling for over $500,000. The remaining two, a 1919 Bugatti Type 40 and a Type 49 limousine, each sold for over $200,000. 

Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe

Shelby’s Cobra Daytona Coupe is a super rare sports car, with the American and his team only building six examples in total. The first one, SCX2287, would disappear in the 1970s, its whereabouts remaining a mystery until 2001. 

The remarkable sports car was found in private storage that year and became involved in a messy dispute over its ownership. Fortunately, this was resolved, and it was sold for $4 million to the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia. 

1972 Lamborghini Espada

The Lamborghini Espada is one of the more unknown Lamborghini created. Designed as a family car, it was produced in just 1,224 units before production ceased. But it still packed in a 4.7-liter V12 engine, making 325 horsepower and 276 lb-ft of torque. 

Collectors are now seeing their value, and a 1972 example was recently unearthed dusty but all-original, with just 17,410 miles on the odometer. It sold for a remarkable $120,000, highlighting the increasing value of these unusual Italian Grand Tourers. 

Cuban Garden Mercedes-Benz 300SL

This particular barn find is scarcely believable, given that the Mercedes-Benz 300SL was never officially sold in Cuba. Although there had been rumors for decades about its existence, it wasn’t until Michael Ware traveled to Cuba in 2005 that he was finally able to confirm that the car was indeed in Cuba. 

After that, the car disappeared but was eventually rediscovered again, albeit still a rusting hulk. As of the time of writing, this remarkable barn find is still sadly rusting away on the island, sitting under a banana tree. 

Ferrari 250 GT California Spider

Although a Ferrari 250 GT California Spider is already a sought-after classic car, finding one in your barn might seem impossible for some. However, one was found in a French barn in 2014, making it a truly remarkable find. 

This was chassis #2935, which had been sitting in its barn for some time. The Ferrari was covered in dust and grime, yet despite this, it sold at auction for $18.5 million, showcasing just how much value there is in the 250 GT California Spider. 

Japanese Ferrari Daytona

One other scarcely believable barn find is the Ferrari Daytona 365GTB/4 found in Japan. Ferrari built only five in total, and only one was for road-legal use; the others were destined for racing. This particular Daytona was first owned by Luciano Conti, founder and publisher of Autosprint magazine and a close friend of Enzo Ferrari. 

The car eventually found its way to Japan, falling into the hands of collector Makoto Takai in 1980. He kept it in his garage for 40 years. Considered lost by the outside world, it was found back in 2017, catapulting it to one of the rarest barn finds in the world. The all-original numbers-matching Ferrari sold at RM Sotheby’s for €1.8 million. 

Bullit Mustang Hero Car

Both Ford Mustangs used in the Bullit film, the hero car and stunt car, went missing after filming concluded. However, the hero car fared much better than its sibling. Mustang fan Robert Kiernan bought the car in 1974, and Steve McQueen himself tried to buy it twice but was rebuffed. 

The hero Mustang then sat in a garage from the 1980s onwards after a breakdown, until Kiernan’s son inherited it and set about restoring it. Upon hearing of its existence, Ford offered to help with the restoration, and in 2018, the car went on display at that year’s Detroit Auto Show. 

Speed-Record BMW M1

Incredibly, even record breakers aren’t immune from being lost to time. In 1981, Austrian racing driver Harald Ertl took a BMW M1 to a land-speed record for a Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)-powered car. Following this, however, the car vanished off the face of the earth. 

Happily, however, it was found again in 2019 before selling at auction at Coy’s in 2019. The M1’s straight-six engine was retrofitted to run on LPG, and the addition of twin KKK turbochargers increased power from 276 to 410 horsepower. 

New York Lamborghini Miura

One of the most remarkable barn finds of recent years is the Lamborghini Miura, which sat undercover in a New York barn. A barn that for years had been used to store snow blowers, a dirt bike, and plenty of cardboard boxes. The car sat hidden for 30 years before an advert for a “one-off 1967 Lamborghini SS” emerged online. 

An enthusiast went hunting, and there it was, sitting with its all-original paintwork and complete with a Rolling Stones cassette in the player. The car went for auction in 2018 with Hollywood Wheels.

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