The Crazy True Story: Buried Ferrari Los Angeles!

What secrets are under our LA backyards? Not just sprinklers. Or old patio junk. Sometimes, it’s a super expensive, ’70s Italian sports car. The Buried Ferrari Los Angeles story? Pure crazy. Luxury, crime, and just wanting to get rich fast. This dream car, supposedly stolen, ended up buried. Four feet down! Only to pop up years later, a total legend. Boom.

Poof! A Ferrari Dino Just… Vanishes

Okay, so October 1974. Rosendo Cruz, a plumber from Alhambra. He rolls into Hollywood Sports Car, where showmen like Sinatra and William Holden hung out. Dropped $22,500 – that’s over $140,000 now – for a totally new Ferrari Dino 246 GTS. Daytona seats. Fancy rims. For his wife’s birthday! What a guy!

She drove it. Only for two months, maybe 500 miles. And then, December 7, 1974. Anniversary dinner. Wilshire Boulevard. Cruz, weirdly, parks the car blocks from the Brown Derby. Said he had a “bad vibe” about the usual parking spot. Right.

Dinner was fine. Good night, probably. But then they come out. No Dino. Gone. Just, poof. He calls it in stolen. And because he bought top-tier insurance, he filed a claim. Right away. Insurers paid the full purchase price. No biggie. End of story? Nope. Not even close.

Turns Out: Insurance Scam! Shocker

Fast forward to 2012. Journalists. They started digging. No shovels needed. And boy, did they find stuff. The “theft”? Not random. Nope. It was a massive insurance fraud scheme. Rosendo Cruz planned it all himself.

So, Cruz had buyer’s remorse, probably. That Italian car? Too much trouble. Too high maintenance. Because of that, he reportedly hired two guys to “steal” it. Simple plan: fake the theft, get the insurance cash, make the car disappear. But then, the “thieves.” They had other ideas.

Police, Detectives Joe Saas and Danny Lenn Caroll specifically, first said some children playing in mud on 119th Street in Los Angeles found the car. That was back in February 1978. Funny, right? And another thing: Years later, Caroll reportedly opened his mouth. Real story? Someone called it in. An anonymous tip. The “kids find metal” thing was just a cover. Gotta protect the informant, you know?

“Mummy-Wrapped” Ferrari: What’s the Deal?

Okay, so they find this 1974 dark metallic green Ferrari Dino. And get this: It’s shockingly well-preserved! Meticulously wrapped in plastic sheeting. Even towels in the exhaust pipes. Totally trying to keep it safe from the elements.

Just a temporary burial. Not meant to be forever. The car’s condition screamed: its planters fully intended to retrieve it later. Probably. Looks like Cruz’s hired guys double-crossed him. Buried it instead of crushing it. Thought they’d dig it up and sell it themselves once things cooled down. Genius, right?

The folks living at the 119th Street house? Only three months in. Knew nada. But, weirder still: neighbors who’d been there since ’74 reported seeing nothing. A whole Ferrari. Buried in a yard. And nobody noticed a thing. Unbelievable.

The ‘Zombie Ferrari’ Rises! Dirt to Driver!

So, the insurance company gets the ‘Zombie Ferrari.’ While many experts initially said it was a total loss, Brad Howard, a sharp-eyed real estate agent, saw potential. He bought it.

Howard had a mechanic buddy, Jup Kapla. They figured the mid-70s drought actually saved the car. Less moisture. And they were right. Kapla helped. Howard got the Dino running. He even got a custom license plate made: ‘DGAAP,’ get it? Dig-up.

This thing. This once-buried beast. It became Howard’s daily driver. Seriously. Just another piece of Buried Ferrari Los Angeles history. What a story!

An LA Legend. Years Go By

This whole thing? Not just a bizarre crime. But a totally kooky chapter in Los Angeles history. Classic cars. Some sneaky criminal deception. And total urban legend vibes. Still, people wonder: Who was the tipster? Why didn’t the original “thieves” ever go back for their sweet Italian prize? Like, did they just forget where they planted it? Maybe.

Whatever the real truth, the tale of the buried Ferrari saga? It totally proves that in our freewheeling city, even the most luxurious objects can end up anywhere. And because of that, you might just look at your neighbor’s lawn a little differently now. Just sayin’.

Quick Questions, Quick Blurbs

What Ferrari got buried?
A 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS. Expensive. Italian.

How long was it down there?
Stolen December 1974. Found February 1978. So, like four years.

Who ended up with this “Zombie Ferrari”?
Brad Howard, real estate agent. Bought it from insurance. Restored it with a mechanic buddy. And drove it daily!