The Ferrari that got lost

This is the barn find that beats all other barn finds. A one-of-a-kind Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona that most people didn't even know existed has been found in a Japanese barn. The Ferrari in question is so rare that most people didn't even know it existed.

While Ferrari originally commissioned and made over 1200 365 GTB/4 cars between 1969 and 1973, it only made five using lightweight alloy parts. Four of those were destined for endurance racing (think LeMans and 24 Hours of Daytona), the fifth one was made street legal.

The aluminium bodied Ferrari chassis number 12653 was designed by Sergio Scaglietti and rolled off the belt in 1969. It featured state of the art Plexiglass headlamps, power windows and it was finished off in Rossa Chiaro with a nero leather interior.

This rare gem first belonged to a local, the founder of Italian car magazine Autosprint. After changing ownership a few times, it was exported to Japan where it changed hands again after finally coming under the not so careful ownership of a gentleman by the name of Makoto Takai around 1980.

The car was discovered earlier this year and swiftly put through a proper evaluation by a Ferrari expert, who confirmed its authenticity. The odometer displays just over 22,000 miles and apart from a very few cosmetic changes remains unaltered while the original spare wheel has never touched the tarmac.

The car is being auctioned off as part of one of the largest Ferrari auctions ever, taking place at the company's own factory in Maranello, Italy on September 9.