Buried Ferrari Dino 246 GTS is the most bizarre car story ever
- A Ferrari Dino 246 GTS was found buried in LA
- Police believed they’d solved a cold case of car theft
- But it would take almost 35 years for the truth to come out
Published on Aug 01, 2024 at 4:16 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Aug 02, 2024 at 6:33 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
In February 1978, two boys playing outside their Los Angeles, US, home, started digging and discovered something unexpected: a buried Ferrari Dino 246 GTS.
They immediately alerted two sheriff’s deputies who happened to be passing
What followed was years of mystery, intrigue, and eventually, an unbelievable plot to commit insurance fraud that wasn’t discovered for years.
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How the buried Ferrari Dino 246 GTS got there
After leaving their anniversary dinner in December 1974, the original owner of the Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, Rosendo Cruz, and his wife discovered the vehicle had been stolen.
Cruz bought the car as a present for his wife and it had only been driven 800km (500 miles).
In the police report, Cruz stated that after ‘…noticing a suspicious gleam in the valet’s eye…’ he decided to park the car himself.
Despite the windows being left open, the car had been covered in plastic tarps and carpets with towels packed into the exhaust and was in remarkably good condition.
However, it transpired 34 years later in 2012 that, rather than being an innocent victim, Cruz had conspired to commit insurance fraud with the supposed thieves.
They were supposed to have the Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, but hid it to dig it up later.
Sadly – they forgot where they’d put it.
The aftermath
Real estate businessman, Brad Howard, later the car from the insurance firm who’d taken ownership of the car when it was discovered.
He had it restored by Ferrari expert, Giuseppe Cappalonga, who discovered a surprisingly small amount of rust.
This was down to drought conditions when it was hidden in 1974.
Considered one of the Prancing Horse’s greats, the 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS is a true classic.
And it’s not the only car found abandoned with this Audi R8 left rotting for 5 years that got a heroic restoration and this F1 car graveyard.
Some of the images used in this article were created using AI
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
