Image: Aston Martin Media.
Just how crazy is it that some of the most iconic and notable cars in motoring history cannot be witnessed by the public eye? Cars that gave us numerous memories and even memorabilia based off them don't seem to be around in their original form.
Is it a curse that when a car becomes a cult icon or dream inspirer, it has to die after the process? It's insane how easily some of these cars vanish from the public eye - and seemingly in most cases - never to be seen again.
Coming up now is a compiled list of the most mental missing car stories. Some have been uncovered, others are (hopefully) still out there... somewhere.
Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic - hidden by the Nazis?
Image: Bugatti Media.
This curvaceous beast was only made in four examples between 1936-38 by perhaps the most artistic and beautiful car manufacturer in the business. It's supercharged 3.3 litre straight eight made it shift and the bodywork penned by Jean Bugatti (Ettore's son) was sexier than even the most gorgeous of Hollywood actresses.
But it is chassis No.57454 that remains the most intriguing. It was painted black before being gifted to a couple of Bugatti racing drivers after their 1937 Le Mans victory. The car was given back to the factory in Molsheim in 1939 where it was reported a few engineers drove it from time to time.
With the dawn of the second world war, it was rumoured that the car was taken on a train to Bordeaux for safekeeping from the SS. No trace of the elusive Bugatti was found since and some believe it's still hiding out somewhere in a French barn. Others suggest it was lost at sea while being transported - which would be a likely outcome given the nature of submarine warfare at the time.
Whatever happened to the lost Atlantic, it would be worth around £100 million if found in one piece.
2. Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5 - stolen from Florida in 1997.
Image: Aston Martin Media
Regarded as one of the world's most famous motorcars, the two DB5s used in the 1964 Bond film, Goldfinger had very separate outcomes. One was kept by private owners before last being sold for over £2 million in 2009. The other - known as the stunt effects car, DP/216/1. - has been missing for 24 years.
The car was kept by an American collector who stored it in Boca Raton Airport in Florida, and in 1997, thieves broke in completely undetected and took the iconic Aston from its storage unit. Allegedly, tyre marks were still at the scene and the car was thought to have been loaded onto an aeroplane where it disappeared without trace.
Art Recovery International (ARI) state they are 'very serious' about recovering it and have been given a possible lead to a car matching its description out in the Middle East in 2018, although no further progress has been reported.
3. Ford Mustang Fastback from Bullitt - revealed in 2018 after being missing for 50 years
Image: Ford Media
Steve McQueen popularised the Mustang by throwing one through the streets of San Francisco in the iconic film, Bullitt in 1968.
The cars used were eventually uncovered: one was found in the Baja desert in a breakers yard whereas the other was kept privately in completely untouched condition before being taken to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018.
It's fascinating seeing this screen icon out in the open again; and even more amazingly, the Dodge Charger was also found in a desert and restored to its on-screen condition.
4. El Chapo's McLaren F1 - missing in Mexico?
Image: McLaren Media
Chassis No.39 of the McLaren F1's 106-strong production run remains the most fascinating as far as mysteries go. It was previously owned by Ron Dennis who got rid of it because his wife thought it was in an awfully ugly specification before being moved onto Mexico in the hands of Umberto Ojeda, the number one lieutenant of Joaquin Guzman El Chapo.
Ojeda was gunned down and to avoid the car being confiscated or crushed, the F1 was rumoured to be hidden by his family somewhere out in Mexico with very little giving away its exact whereabouts.
According to Ed Bolian from VINWiki, there is a chance the car was kept by Ojeda's son who occasionally shows it off to friends on special occasions. But the exact status of the car is still hidden to the public eye. Bolian is continuously working to track down the car, so progress will all be down to him.
5. Lotus Carlton '40 RA' - used by criminals and never found
Image: Vauxhall
Back in the early 1990s, General Motors wanted a piece of the sports saloon action which was dominated by the BMW M5 and Mercedes 500E. The result was a mundane Vauxhall Carlton that went to Lotus and came back out as an undisputed beast.
It was so fast, that the British government considered banning it as it was consistently capable of out-running the police in criminal getaways. A particular car resided in Birmingham: registered '40 RA', it was stolen and used in a plethora of ram raids before disappearing without trace and never found again.
It probably wouldn't be too surprising to discover that the car was dumped in a lake or crushed to hide its evidence. But as this is the most famous of the Lotus Carltons, wouldn't it be cool to uncover the car again.
Hilariously however, if you type 40 RA into the DVLA registration check, the plate appears to belong on a 2018 electric Hyundai... hmm.
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