Berger's stolen Ferrari from 1995 Grand Prix safely recovered, Metropolitan police taste dramatic success

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Mar 4, 2024, 6:47 PM IST

In a stunning recovery, a stolen Ferrari worth £350,000 ($443,000) vanished for over 28 years, only to be located within a remarkable four-day investigation. Authorities unveil the intriguing tale of the high-value vehicle's unexpected rediscovery.

Gerhard Berger, one of the most successful drivers in the car racing sport in the 90s, had his valuable Ferrari car stolen after the San Marino Grand Prix in 1995. The news at that time spread like fire as fellow F1 star Jean Alesi also lost his private cars on the same day in April to thieves working near the circuit.

Local police as well as police from other countries tried to solve the mystery by trying to trace the car's location with the help of the brand and international distributors but nothing came to light until this year. The UK's Metropolitan Police conducted a remarkable job in solving the mystery of the lost car which was valued at £350,000.

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After 28 years, UK police launched an investigation in January after they had been tipped by a report from Ferrari. The premium car manufacturing company carried out a check of a car that was bought by a US citizen via a UK broker in 2023. The car was listed as stolen in the records of Ferrari.

The Metropolitan Police officers ran a background check on the reported car and unraveled the mystery. The red Ferrari F512M after being stolen from Gerhard Berger was first shipped to Japan and then brought back to the UK.

The stolen Ferrari was quickly taken into possession by the UK police to prevent it from further export. Officer Mike Pilbeam, who led the investigation said, “The stolen Ferrari close to the value of £350,000 ($443,000) was missing for more than 28 years before we managed to track it down in just four days.”

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