A Ferrari stolen from Austrian former racing driver Gerhard Berger after the San Marino Grand Prix in 1995 has been recovered, Britain’s Metropolitan Police mentioned on Monday.
Berger and fellow F1 star Jean Alesi misplaced their non-public vehicles on the identical day in April 1995 to automobile thieves working close to the circuit at Imola.
The Austrian defined that his crimson F512M Testarossa had disappeared from exterior his lodge.
London’s Metropolitan Police mentioned they launched an investigation in January after receiving a report from Ferrari, which had carried out checks on a automobile being purchased by a US purchaser by way of a UK dealer in 2023, that exposed it was stolen.
Officers traced the automobile’s background inside 4 days, discovering out that it had been shipped to Japan shortly after being stolen from Berger after which delivered to the UK in late 2023.
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Police then took possession of the car to stop it being exported from the UK.
“The stolen Ferrari – close to the value of £350 000 – was missing for more than 28 years before we managed to track it down in just four days,” mentioned officer 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,” he added.
Berger was one of the vital well-liked drivers throughout his 14-season Formula One profession, which started in 1984 and ended in 1997, profitable 10 Grand Prix and twice ending third in the championship whereas driving for Ferrari.
He earned a popularity as a prankster whereas driving at McLaren with Brazilian team-mate Ayrton Senna, as soon as filling his legendary colleague’s mattress with frogs.
By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
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