Iconic Ferrari found sitting in US garage since 1985 is all the more surprising given it never used to be sold in North America

A 1981 Ferrari 512 BB barn find was discovered in the USA after sitting untouched for almost 40 years.

Luckily for those who found it, it had minimal wear and only surface rust, an entirely intact interior, and original engine components.

With a mere 1,500 miles amassed during its four years on the road – it still had all its paperwork and federalization parts.

Getting their hands on it required some serious negotiations – as there was one factor making the car more coveted than most models.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

The Ferrari barn find

Peter of the Legendary Motorcar YouTube channel, discovered the super-low mileage that has been sitting untouched for decades.

As barn finds go – this car was in near-pristine condition.

Despite not being maintained or serviced while in situ, the barn find showed minimal wear, with an intact interior, original engine components, sound suspension, and only minor surface rust despite decades of inactivity.

While once a death sentence for cars, even significant rust damage as this abandoned 1961 Chevy Impala experienced can now be remedied.

Back to the Ferrari, and the 1981 car had not been run or driven for almost 40 years – unlike this Chevy Bel Air that is claimed to have been garaged for 40 years but left experts with suspicions.

Also taking its lack of modifications into account – with the original spare and undercoating intact – the last-generation carbureted Ferrari holds significant collectible value.

What makes it even more collectible is the fact that its iconic Ferrari was originally not sold in North America before being federalized – making a car from this era in the US extremely rare.

The deal

With all these positives, Pete had to negotiate a ‘fair shake’ with the car’s owner to seal the deal.

The seller initially sought over $400,000, to which the buyer countered with a hassle-free and immediate payment of $350,000 including arranging shipping and handling himself.

His reason? Despite its excellent condition, it would still need a $15,000 service after sitting idle for the best part of four decades.

They managed to shake on it.

Turns out it was a good deal after all, with smooth performance via its flat-12 engine plus it was previously said to be ‘

Turns out it was a good deal after all, with smooth performance via its flat-12 engine plus it was previously said to be the ‘most expensive barn find’ detailers had ever found.