F1 legend Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari that was stolen 28 years ago has been recovered
Whilst Gerhard Berger was preparing to compete in the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix held at Imola in Italy his Ferrari Testarossa F512M was one of two of the Italian sports cars that was stolen, but after 28 years it has been recovered by the Metropolitan Police and Scotland yard.
This red Ferrari Testarossa F512M is a very rare car, where there were only around 500 cars produced, of which 75 were made for the North America market. The car is worth an estimated £350,000
Berger who had reportedly come across the theft when in progress ran into the path of the bright red Ferrari as it was being driven away, but the thief showed no mercy in his quest and Berger managed to jump clear just in time before hitting him.
Berger then went on to make a valiant attempt to stop the crime by commandeering a friend’s VW Golf to give chase, but unfortunately the Golf was unable to keep up with the supercar and ultimately being a failed attempt to stop the theft.
Berger’s Ferrari was not the only exotic car to get stolen that weekend. A Ferrari 355 belonging to fellow Formula One driver Jean Alesi was also stolen in Imola. Alesi, who was Berger’s teammate with Ferrari at the time, never did see his car again, it has never been found.
But, in January this year a report was passed to the Metropolitan Police from Ferrari itself regarding checks on a Ferrari 512M being bought by a US buyer via a UK broker.
The Organised Vehicle Crime Unit discovered that Berger’s old Ferrari 512M had been shipped to Japan shortly after being stolen until it was brought to the UK in late 2023 and as soon as the car landed on UK shores they swooped in to take possession and prevent it from being exported again.
Pc Mike Pilbeam, who led the investigation, said:
“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.”
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
Our inquiries were painstaking and included contacting authorities from around the world, but it has all been worth it”