CARMEL, Calif. — A car can only be original once, and collectors are valuing unrestored cars as never before. The 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Touring Barchetta owned by Manny Arroz of Diablo, Calif., is an extremely rare example of how intriguing just such a car can be.

Twenty-five Barchettas were built with the 2.0-liter, V-12 engine found in this car. Barchettas were successful racing cars, winning the Mille Miglia and LeMans in 1949.

This car sat untouched in the Arizona desert for the last 40 years, and it is the only unrestored Barchetta known to exist. Arroz disassembled it, cleaned it and returned it to running condition. It was rebuilt exactly as it was found.

The Barchetta was displayed at the recent Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Carmel where it won first place in the Postwar Preservation class.