Stunning barn-find Ferrari 275 GTB heads to auction

Prestigious Prancing Horse is yours for just $2.5m (£1.8m)

For most people, the rarest thing lurking in the garage is an oil-drenched Haynes first edition.

If you’re particularly forgetful, though, there’s a small chance you might find a pair of ultra-rare classic cars stabled beside your tool set.

Such is the case with this 275 GTB, which was discovered after a 27-year slumber beneath the dust sheets in a North Carolina garage beside – what else? – a 1967 427 Cobra.

Now up for sale at Gooding & Company's Amelia Island auction next month, it's a true barn-find classic.

Here is its story – and 20 photos of how it looks in the run-up to the auction.

First edition

Ferrari’s 275 moniker was lent to several V12-equipped models between 1964 and 1968, but the original was the 275 GTB – of which just 453 were made.

Rare alloy

Not rare enough for you? Try the aluminium-bodied longnose version: just 80 were made with the alloy shell (rather than the standard steel build).

Going by Colombo

The 275 GTB carried a 3.3-litre Colombo V12 engine, which produced close to 300bhp – good for speeds in excess of 160mph.

Long in the nose

Renowned Italian coachbuilder Scaglietti was responsible for the stunning lines and shapely curves of the 275 GTB’s longnose iteration.

Italian born

Built in 1966, the barn-find GTB was originally sold to a Milan resident, before being shipped to the USA around 1970.

Several careful owners

Once in the US, the 275’s keys passed through several owners’ hands, before eventually being bought by the present owner in the 1980s.

Into the barn

Rarely used, the Prancing Horse was committed to storage in the early ‘90s after the owner’s trusted mechanic passed away.

Going, going, almost gone

Initially, the owner toyed with the idea of selling both the 275 GTB and its Cobra stablemate, listing an ad which read, in part, “a beautiful driving car. Early paint and interior very clean. $665,000.”

Not for sale

Soon, though, the owner decided he couldn’t part with the Ferrari, and instead kept it stored in the garage – where it remained for 27 years.

Dusty discovery

Almost 30 years later, a friend of the owner rediscovered the machines he’d heard stories about but never seen – and was appropriately astounded.

Silver treasure

Left to gather dust for three decades, the alloy GTB was entirely original, including the beautiful Metallic Silver paint job.

All adds up

Predictably, it’s also a matching-numbers example, with chassis and engine number 08125.

Low on the clock

More impressively, still, the Ferrari has covered just 13,000 miles in its 50 years of life – making it probably one of the lowest-mileage GTBs on the planet.

Once in a lifetime

The discovery was documented by Hagerty’s The Barn Find Hunter, where presenter Tom Cotter referred to it as “the best barn find on earth”.

No imitation

The chassis number is also found throughout the car, including on the door trim, the seat webbing and the bumpers – further pointing towards its originality.

Pure Prancing Horse

There’s some evidence of paintwork and interior restoration but, for the most part, this GTB is as original as they come.

Badged up

It also carries a treasured NART badge, as issued by famed importer Luigi Chinetti.

Still a runner

Naturally, the V12 engine will need maintenance following 27 years of being stood in a garage – but the motor does still start and run.

Back in public

The newly rediscovered GTB appeared at the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic in January, where it received eager attention from legions of Ferrari fans.

Pricey classic

Want to own this slice of Ferrari history? The Goodings & Company auction estimate starts at $2.5m (£1.8m) – but there’s every chance the sale price could go much, much higher.

Either way, we'll let you know once the auction's taken place on 9 March.