London's Metropolitan Police have solved an automotive cold case. The Organised Vehicle Crime Unit recently recovered a Ferrari 512M that thieves took from Formula One driver Gerhard Berger 28 years ago during the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.
Crooks stole both Berger's 512M and teammate Jean Alesi's 355 from a hotel parking lot during the race in 1995. Berger allegedly arrived as the thief was driving away in his Ferrari, according to a contemporary report from GrandPrix.com.
Gallery: Gerhard Berger's Stolen Ferrari 512M Recovered
The Metropolitan Police recovered Berger's 512M with help from Ferrari. In January, the automaker reported to investigators that it had inspected the vehicle on behalf of an American customer purchasing the car from a broker in the UK.
The police found that the car went to Japan after being stolen. It came into the UK in late 2023, where Metropolitan Police impounded the Ferrari to prevent the vehicle from leaving the country.
"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," said lead investigator Mike Pilbeam in the Metropolitan Police's announcement of recovering the car.
The police are still investigating further; no arrests have been made. And sadly, Alesi's F355 is still missing.
Despite having their cars stolen, Berger and Alesi succeeded at the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix, with Alesi finishing second place and Berger coming third.
The Ferrari 512M was the final evolution of the famous 1980s-era Testarossa. Compared to earlier iterations, it featured fixed headlights rather than pop-up lamps. The upgraded 4.9-liter flat-12 engine made 434 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. The company made just 501 examples.
