Former F1 driver's stolen Ferrari found after 28 years

A Ferrari road car once owned by Gerhard Berger has finally been located by police - 28 years after it was stolen.

At the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, two drivers had their vehicles stolen with Berger's F512M being reported to police, but no luck was coming in finding the machines.

However, in 2023, the Organised Vehicle Crime Unit of London's Metropolitan Police were made aware by Ferrari of a potential stolen car that a buyer was trying to import into the United States from the United Kingdom.

The unit quickly investigated and found that the car had been shipped to Japan shortly after being stolen, before ending in the UK in preparation for exportation to the US via a broker.

Just four days after launching an investigation, the unit was in possession with the vehicle, estimated to be valued at around £350,000 GBP.

"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," explained PC Mike Pilbeam, who led the investigation.

“Our enquiries 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, and this collaboration was instrumental in understanding the vehicle’s background and stopping it from leaving the country."

The second car remains missing with no arrests having been made as enquiries remain ongoing.