What was once a gleaming, $440,000 masterpiece is now covered in dust – and has been for over a year. It sits in a Canadian parking garage, neglected and unloved. The battery is dead, and the registration has expired. The passenger's window reads "Clean Me," as bemused passersby wonder why on earth this rare supercar is being left to die.

You might assume that the owner of this Porsche Carrera GT had no choice but to leave the car behind: Perhaps he has been away on business for a prolonged period of time? Or maybe he was forced out of the country without warning, abandoning all of his possessions?

As weird as those scenarios may sound, the real story is far weirder. The owner is in fact still living in his high-rise building in Alberta, Canada. He has not forgotten about his Carrera GT, and as you can see by the line of dust on the passenger window, he has in fact been to see his car quite recently.

According to Jeff Chin, the man who shot the YouTube video below, "the owner has many other cars at his disposal," and a hectic life dictates that he "hasn't been able to get around to the car."

Chin would not disclose the name of the owner to Yahoo Autos, but says that he knows of the guy through a friend living in the same building. Back in Aug. 2013, Chin posted a photo to his Facebook page of the Carrera GT in what appears to be the same parking garage. It was in pristine condition back then, and Chin says it has now been sat in the same spot – undriven – for more than a year.

It's not clear why the owner hasn't employed someone to fix the car's dead battery, or give it a brief clean and renew its registration. The exclusive supercar also appears out of place in such a large communal parking garage.

Needless to say, this is one odd – and sad – tale. We are actively attempting to track down the owner, and if we get a response, we will update our story.

As any true car enthusiast will tell you, neglecting a rare machine like a Carrera GT is far worse than, say, neglecting your typical family hauler. Not only is it worth about 20 times more, only 1,270 Carrera GTs were produced between 2004 and 2007, and it's known as one of the most enthralling supercars ever built (one that demands a driver's respect). Even today, a decade after it first debuted, it still appears both modern and beautiful – albeit here, desperately in need of some TLC.

Photo: Jeff Chin, Instagram