One-Off Alloy Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Barn Find Uncovered In Japan To Be Restored To Former Glory

Nov. 19, 2022 3:03 PM ET by Nikesh Kooverjee Classic Cars / 4 Comments

The unique model will be exhibited at the brand's museum before heading for restoration.

The age of barn finds appears to have no end to it as Ferrari's official museum has finally acquired the dusty Ferrari 365 GTB/4, confirmed to be chassis number 12,653, initially found in 2017.

After 40 years of sitting in a Japanese barn, the Italian brand has managed to get a hold of the salvaged model and put it on display at the Museo Enzo Ferrari Modena.

Patina purists may be sad to learn that Ferrari has already committed to a complete nut and bolt restoration because this particular model is the only road-legal aluminum alloy model in existence. Traditionally, only the racing cars of this era employed lighter aluminum body panels. Some might recall that chassis 14,273 was reassembled just three years ago.

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The unique model has been certified by Ferrari Classiche, which will be conducting the restoration.

Those in the concourse industry know how valuable this certification is for a classic Ferrari. The question we have to ask is how a car this scarce could have landed up abandoned in a barn for four decades. Unfortunately, Ferrari does not provide any information that answers this question, but let's be glad that the model was found and salvaged rather than thrown away for scrap.

Being all aluminum, the body does not suffer from any rust, but we are sure that the chassis and components will probably have to be replaced with new parts. A quick look at the exhaust tailpipe gives us an idea of just how severe the underbody rust may be, while the interior will need more than just a thorough vacuum to get it back to showroom condition.

The use of aluminum is commonplace on current models such as the Ferrari 812 Superfast, but to see it on a car dating back to the early 1970s is extremely rare. While the material was not commonly used for body panels, aluminum was the metal of choice used to construct the Colombo 4.4-liter V12 engine's block and head.

This engine produced an impressive 347 horsepower and 318 lb-ft of torque when it was new. This was enough juice for a 0-60 mph time of 5.4 seconds. Not fast by modern supercar standards, but enough to give modern entry-level performance cars a run for their money.

When a Ferrari gets restored, the finished product is always a sensational piece of moving art. We'll be waiting in anticipation to see how the team does this one-of-a-kind classic grand tourer justice.