In what seems to be a heist story for celluloid, a Ferrari stolen 28 years ago was recently recovered in the UK. While exotic cars being stolen isn’t exactly unprecedented, this particular example belonged to former Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger and was stolen 28 years ago during the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, Italy.
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Thieves stole two Ferraris that day including Berger’s Ferrari F512 M and teammate Jean Alesi’s 355 from a hotel parking lot during the race in 1995. Both cars were never seen again, until now. The cars had been reported missing for nearly three decades now until the London Metropolitan Police in the UK received a report from Ferrari, who had carried out checks on a car being bought by a US buyer via a UK broker last year.
PC Mike Pilbeam, who led the investigation, said, “The stolen Ferrari – close to the value of £350,000 (around Rs. 3.68 crore) – was missing for more than 28 years before we managed to track it down in just four days.
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Ferrari flagged the F512 M as stolen, which prompted the authorities to take action to stop the vehicle from being exported out of the UK. Reports state that officers from the Organised Vehicle Crime Unit carried out extensive enquiries across the globe including the National Crime Agency, Ferrari and other international dealerships to verify the car’s background. The Ferrari F512 M had spent much of its life in Japan after being stolen before being brought to the UK in late 2023. The officers managed to trace the vehicle’s history in just four days and move it into the police’s possession.
What’s most surprising is that the vehicle is pretty much intact and in its original shape, since it was stolen all those years ago. According to the Metropolitan Police, Berger’s F512 M got a few aftermarket modifications including front parking sensors and a horrid steering wheel.
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It’s unclear at the moment if Berger will finally reunite with his Ferrari or if the car will go back to Ferrari. No arrests have been made so far, while Alesi’s Ferrari 355 remains missing. Nevertheless, here’s an automotive heist story that had a fairly happy ending.
