German Police Recover $2.2 Million Ferrari Stolen During Test Drive
Thief showed up to high-end dealership in a taxi and left in a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO that has Formula 1 history attached to it.
An enterprising car thief showed up to a high-end automotive dealership in Germany in the back of a taxi, and he left driving a $2.2 million Ferrari! Talk about upgrading your ride!
The good news is that the German police have since recovered the 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO that had been stolen by the scam artist who posed as a prospective buyer. However, while the vehicle (pictured above) is safe, the thief is still at large.
The caper began when the suspect arrived at the showroom and expressed interest in buying the Ferrari, according to DĂĽsseldorf police, and reported by the BBC. And this was no ordinary supercar. It was once owned by an Formula 1 track star. and it seems that the shady “customer” had strategized this theft very carefully.Â
According to the BBC News, he showed up to the dealership in a cab, and later, while on a test drive of the Ferrari 288 GTO, he switched sides with the salesman who was driving. But when the seller stepped out of the car, the “buyer” hit the gas and left the poor car salesman in the dust.
Former F1 driver Eddie Irvine had once owned the 288 GTO, which has covered 28,000 miles and is reportedly worth over $2.2 million. Irvine raced for the Ferrari Formula One team from 1996-1999.Â
The 288 GTO is one of Ferrari’s halo supercars. Other such vehicles include the Ferrari F40, the Ferrari Enzo and the Ferrari LaFerrari. The 288 GTO is the successor to the 250 GTO and the predecessor of the F40. It was launched by Ferrari at the Geneva Motor Show in 1984. “The GTO was the real starting point for the “Supercar Syndrome”, showing that there was a market for a low volume production, extreme performance sports car, at almost any cost,” says Ferrari.Â
The 288 GTO features a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 395 horsepower and 366 pound-feet of torque. The engine is paired to a five-speed manual gearbox, and it can go from 0-60 mph in around five seconds. In the 1980s, the 288 GTO was one of the fastest supercars in the world.
Moving on, Ferrari produced only 272 units of the 288 GTO and this is why it is a very valuable classic car.
Fortunately, the stolen 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO sports a vibrant “Rosso Corsa” red, which made it really stand out. So, it wasn’t long after police appealed to the public to keep an eye out for the prized ride that a witness made contact. A short time later, the car was recovered by the German police who discovered it hidden in a garage not far from the DĂĽsseldorf city center from where it was initially stolen.
Photos: BBC News; Ferrari