Police tracked down former F1 driver Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari F512M Testarossa recently after it was stolen 28 years ago. The ex-Ferrari driver saw his red F512M for the last time in 1995 when he was in Italy for the San Marino Grand Prix. Police, as they cracked the case of the $444,000 worth Ferrari, found it to be in mint condition ready to be sold off to an American buyer.
When Berger saw thieves take out his Ferrari 512M from the garage of his hotel, he tried to stop them. By then, they were already inside his car and did not look apprehensive about running him over. Fearing for his life, Berger moved out of the way. He chased them on his friend’s Volkswagen Polo, but it was a futile attempt.
A Ferrari stolen from former Formula One driver Gerhard Berger 28 years ago has been recovered by the Metropolitan Police.
The red Ferrari F512M was one of two of the Italian sports cars taken while their drivers were at the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy in April 1995. pic.twitter.com/PK89BY5OVU
— London Live (@LondonLive) March 4, 2024
Alongside Berger’s car, the thieves also took his teammate Jean Alesi’s Silver Ferrari F355. Both cars were parked in the same hotel garage on that fateful day. However, the whereabouts of Alesi’s car remain unknown. Police believed that both the cars were destined for the Middle East market.
Berger’s car was shipped to Japan shortly after being stolen. It was brought back to the United Kingdom again in late 2023 to be sold off. vPolice found traces of the missing F512M, and Ferrari played a big part in helping them track the car.
Ferrari and the Police tracked the Ferrari together
With only 501 pieces made, it shouldn’t have been too hard for the Italian automotive giants to track the stolen car down. After finding a car that they believed was stolen, Ferrari called the Metropolitan Police in the UK, who confirmed their suspicions.
Speaking about this, PC Mike Pilbeam, the man who led the investigation, said to The Telegraph UK, “We managed to track it down in just four days. Our inquiries were painstaking. And included contacting authorities from around the world. We worked quickly with partners including the National Crime Agency, as well as Ferrari and international car dealerships.”
OTDI 1988 Gerhard Berger won an emotional #ItalianGP driving for Ferrari the only race not won by McLaren #F1
Via @FormulaOne1980s pic.twitter.com/uiss1Wd8Ha
— Futbol Chronicle (@FutbolChronic1e) September 11, 2017
Berger’s Ferrari created a new record. It was missing for 28 years, and still got recovered. No car in Europe has ever been recovered after such a long gap. No person has been detained or arrested yet, but the search remains ongoing.
