The tale of the “Zombie Ferrari” is one of intrigue and mystery. It all began when a group of children playing in a yard in Los Angeles stumbled upon something buried in the dirt in 1978. Upon closer inspection, they realized that it was a car – a Ferrari Dino 246 GTS to be exact. The discovery quickly made headlines across the country as people tried to piece together how such an expensive and rare car could have ended up buried in someone’s backyard.
Initially, it was believed that the car had been stolen and buried by thieves who were trying to hide their crime. However, as more information came to light, it became clear that there was much more to this story than anyone had initially thought. It turned out that the owner of the car, Rosendo Cruz, had conspired with some supposed thieves to commit insurance fraud. The plan was for them to take the Dino to a chop shop where it would be broken up for parts. However, instead of doing that, they decided to hide it and dig it up later. Unfortunately for them, they forgot where they had buried it.
The car remained hidden for several years until those curious children stumbled upon it while playing outside. When authorities were alerted to the discovery, they quickly realized that this was no ordinary case of auto theft. The investigation into what had happened led them down a rabbit hole of deceit and intrigue as they tried to piece together what had really happened.
Eventually, it was discovered that Cruz had been involved in an elaborate scheme to defraud his insurance company. He had conspired with some supposed thieves to steal his own car and then bury it so that he could collect on his policy. However, things didn’t go according to plan when everyone involved forgot where they had hidden the car.
The car was wrapped in carpets and blankets but left with its windows open, which led to it filling with soil, however, due to the drought conditions during the car’s burial, there was relatively little rust. After being discovered by those curious children, the car went through several owners before being purchased by Brad Howard from Farmers Insurance. Howard recognized the value of the car and decided to have it restored by Ferrari expert Giuseppe Cappalonga.
Today, the Buried Dino 246 GTS incident remains one of the most fascinating stories in automotive history. It is a tale of greed, deceit, and ultimately redemption as this rare and valuable car was brought back from obscurity and restored to its former glory. As of 2019, it was in perfect running condition in Howard’s possession.
The incident gathered extensive national media attention and has been covered by various news outlets over the years.
