Ferrari vanished in 1995 then remained that way for 28 years, until the case was solved in four days

In 1995, a Ferrari was stolen after the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy – but not just any Ferrari, a F512 M belonging to F1 driver Gerhard Berger.

The Ferrari vanished in the night alongside a F355 belonging to Berger’s F1 teammate Jean Alesi. 

As you might imagine, the high-profile thefts garnered a lot of attention. 

Despite the attention, the Ferrari F512 M was missing without a trace for almost 30 years. 

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Unfortunately, cars being stolen is an all too common occurrence, and it’s not just daily drivers at risk.

Last year, cops in the UK recovered $1.3 million worth of supercars from a secret ‘chop shop’, meanwhile, in Australia, a woman was left heartbroken after discovering her $100,000 muscle car collection had been taken by thieves.

Back in 1995, following the San Marino Grand Prix in Italy, F1 teammates Gerhard Berger and Jean Alesi had their Ferraris stolen from outside their hotel rooms while they slept. 

The cars had seemingly vanished into the night, leaving no trace behind – and that was how it remained for 28 years. 

However, one day in 2024, a car was flagged during a pre-purchase inspection by Ferrari. 

A US buyer hoping to export the F512 M from the UK had reached out to Ferrari to request a pre-purchase inspection. 

Of course, it didn’t take long for Ferrari to realize that the car was the same bright red F512 M that belonged to – and was stolen from – Berger decades earlier. 

Ferrari contacted the Metropolitan Police’s Organized Vehicle Crime Unit, which began a major investigation.

Incredibly, after just four days, the cops proudly announced they had cracked the case and were able to shed some light on the 28-year-old mystery.

After it was initially stolen, Gerhard Berger’s F512 M was swiftly shipped to Japan, where it was sold with some fake documents.

From there, the record details got a little murky, but what is clear is that the F512 M resurfaced in Europe and was placed up for sale, which was when it came to the attention of Ferrari and was later recovered by the Met Police.

“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 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.”

A satisfying end to a decades-long mystery, but the case isn’t quite closed just yet, as the other stolen Ferrari, the F355 belonging to Alesi has never been seen and could still be out there somewhere.

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