A Missouri airport had 25 abandoned cars in its parking lot for four years and when staff tracked down one owner they made a heartbreaking discovery
Published on Mar 24, 2026 at 3:38 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Mar 24, 2026 at 11:43 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Imagine walking up to a Missouri airport and suddenly finding 25 abandoned cars in the parking lot that had been left there for years.
Well, that is what transpired at Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri in 2025, with a plethora of cars just sitting abandoned, and airport workers baffled as to why they were still there.
These cars had not just been parked for months, but some had been in the parking lot for up to four years.
Yet after tracking down one of the owners, a heartbreaking discovery was soon made – and you’re going to want to hear it.
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Why 25 abandoned cars had been sitting at the Missouri airport
Springfield-Branson National Airport is no stranger to cars sitting for long periods of time.
Extended holidays and work trips can see some cars left for weeks, perhaps even a few months.
But 25 cars were excessive, and prompted curiosity from workers.
According to KY3 News, some of the cars had been left there for up to three or four years.
Some cars looked particularly rough, although there appeared to be no rush to remove them.
Tags were run on one of the cars, leading to a shock after tracking down its owner.
They had found an obituary for the owner of the car.
It marked a sad turn of events for the workers at the airport, but one that wasn’t perhaps a total surprise.
This is what happened to the rest of the cars
The estate where the owner used to live was contacted to move the car.
However, at the time of the news report, they still had not done so.
Meanwhile, the identity of the other cars’ owners had remained a mystery.
If nobody ended up claiming the cars, the airport stated it would tow them as they needed to repave the parking lot.
In the news report, it was clear that some of the cars had been standing for a long time.
Tires were flat, while others were covered in a layer of dirt or dust.
“It’s not unusual for an oil field worker to come to an airport, park, fly off to the Middle East, and come back four years later,” said airport worker Kent Boyd.
However, that wouldn’t be the case for all of these cars at the Missouri airport.
Famous abandoned cars
1978 — 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS: Discovered buried in a Los Angeles backyard after an elaborate insurance scam; it was safely dug up and restored
2001 — 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe: One of only six built, this racing legend was hidden away in a California storage unit for decades before its rediscovery
2005 — 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing: Tracked down by enthusiasts in Cuba, this ultra-rare classic was found slowly rusting away under a banana tree
2007 — 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante: Untouched for 50 years, this highly valuable masterpiece was found locked in a damp garage in Newcastle, England
2014 — 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider: Uncovered under a pile of old magazines in a French shed, this dusty treasure was later sold for over $18 million
2016 — 1969 Lamborghini Miura: Simply parked in the late 1980s, this iconic Italian sports car was perfectly preserved under layers of dust in a rural Chicago barn
2023 — The Palmen Collection: A secret 40-year hoard of 230 classic cars—including a rare Lancia Aurelia Spider—was uncovered across warehouses and an abandoned church in the Netherlands
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Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
