Ferrari, Cobra worth $4M found in condemned NC garage

IMAGE Woodworth Ferrari 02

A North Carolina garage was opened for the first in decades, unveiling some of the rarest sports cars in the world with a preliminary estimated value of $4 million.

Among the finds was an1967 Ferrari 275 GTB, one of only a handful built with an alloy body. Amazingly, the svelte silver coupe only has 13,000 miles on the clock. Under the hood is a two-cam V-12 designed byGioacchino Colombo, sporting three twin-throat Weber carburetors.

Similar cars in have sold in the $5-8 million range, though those examples were in pristine condition, had six twin-barrel downdraft carbs and historic pedigrees.

Sitting next to the Ferrari was another once in a lifetime find: a completely unmolested 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 with only 19,001 miles showing on the odometer. The chassis number identifies the roadster as one of approximately 100 built equipped with a 428-cubic-inch engine rather than a 427.

IMAGE Woodworth Cobra emblem

According to legend, the substitution was either a cost-saving measure by the car’s builder, Carrol Shelby, or due to Ford’s inability to supply enough of the more powerful, race-proven 427s.

The owner of the cars drove them into the garage following the motorcycle death of his trusted mechanic and personal friend. Another suitable mechanic was not found, and the years rolled by.

Though in an upscale neighborhood, the garage in which the vehicles were stored was recently condemned by the city, giving the cars’ owner mere weeks to find a new home after 26 years of storage.

IMAGE Woodworth garage find

Also inside the building is a 1976 Triumph TR-6 with only 9,000 miles, a propane-powered 1978 Morgan Plus 8 with only 3,000 miles, and a mid-1980s BMW 325ix.

This article was oringally published by Motoring Research and is reprinted with permission