A Ferrari road car which was stolen from Gerhard Berger in 1995 has been recovered by the British Metropolitan Police.
The Ferrari F512M was one of two cars stolen during that year’s San Marino Grand Prix, held at the Imola circuit in Italy.
The two-seater car, a revised version of the original 512, was launched in late 1994. It has a five-litre, 12-cylinder engine which produces 440bhp, powering the car to a top speed of 315kph. Berger’s F512M is valued at £350,000.
Berger’s car was discovered after it arrived in the UK late last year. The Met was alerted to its appearance by Ferrari as a US buyer attempted to purchase it through a British sales broker.
The car was taken to Japan shortly after its theft, according to the Met’s Organised Vehicle Crime Unit.
The police are continuing their enquiries and attempting to locate the second missing car. No arrests have been made.
Investigation leader police constable Mike Pilbeam said his team tracked the car down “in just four days” after learning of it.
“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 1995 season was Berger’s last as a Ferrari driver. He scored five of his 10 grand prix victories for the team, the last at the Hockenheimring in 1994. He and team mate Jean Alesi finished on the podium at the round where the Ferraris were stolen.
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