This legendary 12-cylinder Ferrari has reportedly been forgotten under tarps on the French Riviera… for 26 years

A Ferrari Testarossa abandoned for 26 years in Cannes, on the French Riviera? For the past few days, photos posted on Instagram have been sparking curiosity. Under worn tarps, a FerrariThe red flower seems to have been waiting for decades for someone to come and wake it from its slumber. A discovery as fascinating as it is mysterious.

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A mysterious Ferrari hidden under tarps

It all begins on October 15, 2026, when an Instagram account, the_rustyle_oxyde, published a photograph showing a car completely covered in tarps, parked under a wooden structure against the wall of a house. At first glance, it’s hard to tell what model is hidden underneath. Only its proportions suggest that it’s a sports car.

In the comments, one user put forward a theory: what if it were a Ferrari Testarossa? The author of the post then confirmed this identification and stated that the car hadn’t moved in 26 years. In other words, this Ferrari has been sitting there since the year 2000!

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Intrigued by this story, we analyzed the photograph. Our research did not turn up any other instances of this image on the Internet. Furthermore, There is no reason to believe that it was generated by artificial intelligence. This certainly adds to the interest in this discovery, even though these details are obviously not enough to verify the story.

The second photo confirms the presence of a Testarossa

The mystery took on a new dimension on October 30, when the same Instagram account posted a second photo. This time, the blue tarp had been partially lifted, revealing the front end of a red Ferrari.

The retractable headlights, the shape of the hood, and the design of the bumper make it easy to recognize a Ferrari Testarossa. The author notes that this appears to be an authentic copy, which has been abandoned for more than twenty years in Cannes, on the French Riviera.

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But why would a car like this have been left sitting idle for so long? Who owns it? And most importantly, what is its current mechanical condition? To find out more, we contacted the Instagram account that posted the photos. To date, we have not received a response. It is therefore impossible to confirm the exact circumstances of this apparent abandonment.

A legendary Ferrari that's worth a fortune today

Unveiled in October 1984 at the Paris Motor Show, the Ferrari Testarossa became one of the iconic cars of the 1980s. With its famous ribbed side air intakes, its particularly wide rear end, and its 4.9-liter flat-12 engine producing 390 HP, it left its mark on an entire generation.

Ferrari Testarossa
Ferrari Testarossa

Today, his popularity remains high. A Ferrari Testarossa typically sells for between €150,000 and €400,000., depending on its condition, mileage, configuration, and maintenance history. A few recent examples illustrate this market: a 1988 Testarossa sold for $176,000 on November 4, 2026, while another model from the same year sold for $202,000 on November 12. In Belgium, models are currently listed for between €169,950 and €350,000.

If this Ferrari from Cannes has indeed been sitting idle for 26 years, getting it back on the road could require a particularly costly restoration… It remains to be seen whether this mysterious Testarossa will ever hit the road again or if it will continue to slumber under its tarps, just a few kilometers from the luxurious avenues of the French Riviera.

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