Today in History - December 7: Thieves bury stolen Ferrari, and then forget where they put it

Los Angeles plumber Rosendo Cruz and his wife parked their new Ferrari Dino 246 GTS on a street and headed to an anniversary dinner on December 7, 1974.

When they came back out, the car was gone.

Cruz reported the Dino stolen, telling police he saw a "suspicious gleam in the valet's eye".

But the car would not be seen again for four years.

In January 1978, two boys were mucking around in the backyard of their home.

Just below the ground, they came across a flat metal surface.

It was the Ferrari, which had been buried in the backyard.

The case was a mystery. The new tenants of the home had only moved in three months earlier and had no idea how the car got there.

And whoever had buried it had taken great care to preserve it, by putting towels between the doors to stop moisture getting in.

But they had undermined all their hard work by forgetting to close the windows the entire way.

As a result, the Ferrari was ruined by rust and the weight of the dirt had smashed the windscreen and dented the bonnet.

The case became a national sensation, and Farmers Insurance was flooded with offers to buy it.

The insurance firm put the Ferrari on display in a private warehouse to up interest in a future auction.

But the display was a disaster, with light-fingered viewers stealing "almost everything not bolted down, including her oil dip stick".

But there was another twist to the case.

Cruz had been in on the theft, organising it with the thieves to claim the insurance money, police said.

The thieves buried the car with plans to dig it up later.

But they forgot where it was buried.

The car would end up getting sold and restored to being roadworthy.

The Dino 246 GT was one of Ferrari's biggest sellers, intended as a cheaper mass-produced sports car.

Though more affordable than a typical Ferrari, it was well-regarded.

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