One of the greatest supercars in the history of the Ferrari brand has been recovered, but the thief is still at large.
Ferrari made just 272 examples of the 288 GTO between 1984 and 1987, making them among the rarest and most sought-after of the Italian supercars from that era. It is unusual to see one anywhere other than a Concours event, but a vintage car dealership in Dusseldorf, Germany has one available for sale right now.
According to CNBC, that rare 288 GTO was stolen during a test drive and while it was found the next day, German police are still hunting for the brazen thief.
A Daring Heist
Back on May 13, a vintage car dealership in Dusseldorf had a prospective customer show up for a closer look at a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO. The customer had been speaking with the dealership for a few weeks before deciding to come in for a ride in the rare supercar.
That two-hour ride began with a representative of the dealership behind the wheel, but when they stopped to change positions, the customer became a thief. Based on the police report, the thief hopped the low center console, carefully navigating around the tall manual shifter and into the driver’s seat before the dealership rep could get around to the passenger’s side.
The thief sped off into the distance, seemingly stealing the $2.2-million Ferrari GTO in a way that almost seems too unreal to be true.
The Car is Back
The downside to stealing a car that exists in such low numbers is that it isn’t hard to spot it in traffic, and the car was found in a parking garage in nearby Grevenbroich. The thief was not around and he still hasn’t been found, but the rare Ferrari is back in the possession of the dealership. We do not know if the car was damaged at all in the 24 hours in which it was missing, but we are certain that the rightful owners are just happy to have it back.
We don’t know why this car is “only” worth $2.2 million, but a similar 1985 288 GTO sold at auction last year for almost $3.4 million, making it obvious why someone would be crazy enough to try to steal one. However, once you have one, it would be nearly impossible to sell, drive or do anything else with the car without immediately being caught.
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