Formula One Ferrari Swiped in 1995 Turns Up in 2024

British cops recover a sports car stolen long ago from F1 driver Gerhard Berger
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 4, 2024 1:44 PM CST
Fast Car Slowly Returns 28 Years After Theft
A Ferrari stolen from former Formula One driver Gerhard Berger 28 years ago has been recovered. British police said Monday, March 4, 2024, that they have recovered the Ferrari F512M stolen in Italy. It was one of two cars taken while their drivers were at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1995.   (Metropolitan Police via AP)

A very fast car has made a very slow return. As the AP reports, British police said Monday they have recovered a Ferrari stolen from Austrian Formula One driver Gerhard Berger in Italy almost three decades ago. The red Ferrari F512M was one of two sports cars taken while their drivers were in Imola for the San Marino Grand Prix in April 1995. Neither was ever found, until London's Metropolitan Police force was tipped off by the manufacturer in January that a Ferrari in the process of being sold to a US buyer by a UK broker had been flagged as a stolen vehicle.

The force's Organized Vehicle Crime Unit investigated and found the car had been brought to Britain from Japan in late 2023. Officers seized the car, which the force said is valued at close to $444,000. "Our inquiries were painstaking and included contacting authorities from around the world," says Constable Mike Pilbeam, who led the investigation. "We worked quickly with partners including the National Crime Agency, as well as Ferrari and international car dealerships, and this collaboration was instrumental in understanding the vehicle's background and stopping it from leaving the country." No one has been arrested, and the second stolen Ferrari remains missing. Ferrari manufactured 501 of the F512M models between 1994 and 1996. The car has a top speed of 196mph.

(More Formula One stories.)

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