The discovery, made in 2018, recently resurfaced online after the student shared photos and details on Reddit. The image of two Italian supercars hidden in plain sight quickly gained attention, with car enthusiasts and collectors marveling at the find and wondering how such vehicles could go unnoticed for so long.
The significance of this find lies not just in the rarity of the cars, but in the strange passage of time that allowed them to sit idle for years. Covered in mold, surrounded by boxes, and almost blending into the garage’s background, these two machines went from symbols of performance and luxury to forgotten relics of a family’s past.
Exotic Fleet Reduced to Memories
The backstory begins in 1989, when the student’s grandfather purchased the Lamborghini Countach LP500 S and Ferrari 308 as part of his exotic car rental business. According to autoevolution, rising insurance costs eventually forced him to shut down the operation. Most of the fleet was sold, but these two cars were spared, parked in the garage, and left there as life moved on around them.
Years later, with the grandfather gone and the family unaware of their condition, the garage slowly turned into a storage space. The grandmother stacked old cloth, boxes, and unused household items on top of the vehicles, forgetting what lay beneath. The cars remained untouched until the grandson, identified as Eriegin on Reddit, uncovered them during a visit.
A Closer Look at the Buried Treasures
The Lamborghini Countach LP500 S is one of only 321 units ever built. As described by Supercar Blondie, this model is powered by a 4.9-liter V12 engine, producing 385 horsepower, and features a five-speed manual gearbox. The car could reach a top speed of 182 mph, but after 20 years of disuse, its engine is likely seized and in need of complete restoration.
The Ferrari 308, though less rare, remains a sought-after model from the same era. It houses a 2.9-liter V8 and a manual transmission. The specific variant found in the garage wasn’t disclosed, but the car’s condition was described as dusty, with mold present in the cabin. Despite the neglect, both vehicles were reportedly in decent structural shape thanks to being stored indoors.
The combined value of the cars in their current condition is estimated to be over $500,000, based on similar models, although neither vehicle has been appraised or listed for sale officially.
Family Unsure of What Comes Next
As the student explained, he didn’t have the resources to restore the cars. “Broke college student,” he wrote in a Reddit post, acknowledging the financial and logistical challenge. According to autoevolution, the grandmother was open to offers but hadn’t taken formal steps to sell either vehicle.
The situation stirred public interest not just because of the cars themselves, but because of the unanswered questions surrounding their preservation. Why these two were kept, while the rest were sold, remains a mystery. Even Eriegin admitted he had no idea what made his grandfather hold on to the Lamborghini and Ferrari.
Additional photos revealed another vehicle in the garage — an MG T-Series — and mention was made of a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing once owned by the grandparents, though it was not seen in the recent images.
