Ferrari stolen from F1 driver Gerhard Berger three decades ago found by police

The £350,000 Ferrari sports car had been shipped to Japan after being stolen

The stolen Ferrari was recovered 28 years after it was stolen ((Metropolitan Police/PA))

A luxury Ferrari stolen from Formula One veteran driver Gerhard Berger nearly 30 years ago has been recovered by police.

The red Ferrari F512M was one of two of the Italian sports cars snatched while their drivers were at the San Marino Grand Prix held at Imola in Italy in April 1995.

The Metropolitan Police said officers received a report from the car maker in January this year after the firm had carried out checks on a car being bought by a US buyer through a UK broker last year.

Gerhard Berger’s vehicle was found after a four day investigation by the Met (Met Police)

The Organised Vehicle Crime Unit discovered the car had been shipped to Japan shortly after being stolen until it was brought to the UK in late 2023, and they swooped to take possession and prevent it from being exported.

The second car remains missing and no arrests have yet been made, the force added.

Gerhard Berger congratulates his young Italian Grand Prix-winning driver, Sebastian Vettel (ap)

Pc Mike Pilbeam, who led the investigation, said: “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.

Gerhard Berger’s Ferrari was stolen 28 years ago (Met Police)

“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 vintage car is said to be worth £350,000 (Met Police)

Scotland Yard’s Organised Vehicle Crime Unit recovered 418 vehicles worth around £31m last year alone.