A great mystery engulfed this Ferrari that wasn’t seen in 20 years but had two men claiming to own it

Great cars can occasionally be more trouble than they’re worth – and this 1996 Ferrari F50 certainly had people going in circles.

It all began in 2003 when someone purchased the F50 in Italy.

It mysteriously disappeared and resurfaced 16 years later in 2019, with two people claiming to be the car’s real owners.

The situation was so intense that the U.S. Attorney’s Office had to get involved and sort out who would get to keep it.

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Mysterious journey of this Ferrari F50

Before we get into the details, the most exciting thing about this Ferrari F50 is that it has traveled to several countries — including Italy, Japan, Canada, and finally, the United States.

This detail stands out because, despite the intercontinental travel, the F50’s odometer showed only 10,708 miles (17,232km).

There’s no doubt that it’s an excellent ride — and even rapper 50 Cent owns one.

So, what is the story behind its mysterious travels?

Back in 2003, Paolo Provenzi bought the classic car in Italy, only to have it stolen a month later.

It was parked outside a hotel, and that’s when its strange journey began.

This reminds us of the abandoned Rolls-Royce parked outside a hotel in India, which just sat there for decades.

Anyhow, Provenzi has the official documentation from Ferrari in Italy certifying his ownership, and he even filed a legal complaint, but sadly, it was a dead end.

It had two owners at the same time

Jump to 2019, a car collector who goes by Mohammed Alsaloussi bought the very same Ferrari F50 in an auction in Canada for $1.435 million.

When he was on his way to Miami, United States, to put the car in his garage, he was stopped at the Canadian border.

Further, the authorities there checked the vehicle and found that it was stolen and its VIN number had been scratched.

Alsaloussi claimed that he never knew the car was stolen and, naturally, wanted it to be trouble-free.

The police then seized the car, and it was awaiting a court decision to decide who would get to keep it.

Stolen Ferraris making their way back seems to be a thing now, as this F1 driver’s car stolen in Italy resurfaced in London 28 years later.

Moreover, the United States Attorney’s Office got involved in 2021 trying to determine the F50’s ownership.

There hasn’t been news of who finally got to keep the car, but it was a pretty complex situation for everyone involved.