If your mind stretches back that far, you may recall that in 1995, former Ferrari F1 driver Gerhard Berger had his F512 M stolen after the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy.
Berger wasn’t the only one to have his supercar taken that day, as the thieves stole Jean Alesi’s F355 from the hotel they were staying at.
The pair of Prancing Horses disappeared into thin air, never to been seen again – until now that is.
If it’s not F1 driver’s getting their supercars stolen, they’re having their $500,000 watches snatched by thieves.
It transpires London’s Metropolitan Police have just recovered Berger’s 1995 Ferrari F512 M and miraculously, it’s still in one piece.
The Met Police were alerted to the Ferrari’s stolen identity back in January when the Italian supercar maker flagged it during a pre-purchase inspection.
The story goes, a buyer in the US requested the PPI from Ferrari while looking to export the F512 M from the UK.
Ferrari quickly realized it was Berger’s stolen supercar from 1995, and notified the Met Police, who stopped the export.
Apparently, the Ferrari lived in Japan for most of its post-theft life, before being shipped to the UK at the back end of last year.
At some point in its life, the F512 M has been treated to some aftermarket modifications, including front parking sensors and a questionable steering wheel.
“The stolen Ferrari – close to the value of £350,000 [$446,615] – was missing for more than 28 years before we managed to track it down in just four days,” said Police Constable, Mike Pilbeam of the Metropolitan 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.”
As for what will happen to the Ferrari now – who knows.
Technically speaking, it was Berger’s car that was stolen, so he should get back.
You can’t rule out the possibility of the supercar being handed over to Ferrari, though.
Irrespective of where it ends up, it’s great news that it’s been recovered and just goes to show that stolen cars don’t necessarily stay stolen forever.
In other F1-related news, Charles Leclerc revealed what job he would do if he wasn’t an F1 driver.
