In terms of sport, the Grand Prix weekend in Imola in 1995 was quite successful for Gerhard Berger. The then Ferrari driver achieved second place in qualifying and in the race he came third behind Michael Schumacher and teammate Jean Alesi. But away from the racing action, the Austrian had to cope with a loss: On this April weekend, two private Ferraris belonging to Formula 1 drivers were stolen in Imola, Italy, including Gerhard Berger’s F512 M. The red sports car had been missing since then until the British police were able to locate it again.
The car manufacturer itself gave the impetus for renewed investigations. Last year, a US buyer wanted to purchase the F512 M through a British agent. The customer previously had the car checked at Ferrari. It turned out that the V12 coupé had once been stolen. The Italians reported in January 2024 to the organized vehicle crime department of the British “Metropolitan Police”, which then initiated an investigation and reconstructed the odyssey of the F512 M. Accordingly, it was shipped to Japan immediately after the theft and only brought to the United Kingdom shortly before the end of 2023.
Tracked down after four days of investigation
There the “Met” tracked down the car within four days and secured it so that it would not be quickly taken out of the country again. “Our investigation was meticulous and involved contacting authorities around the world,” said Police Constable Mike Pilbeam, who led the operation. The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made yet. The British authorities estimate the value of Berger’s F512 M at 350,000 pounds (currently the equivalent of a good 408,000 euros). The ex-F1 driver and current entrepreneur has not yet commented on the reappearance of his Ferrari. The other Ferrari that was stolen at the time remains missing.
The Ferrari F512 M (for “Modificata”) was the final stage of the legendary Testarossa. During its last major model revision in 1994, the mid-engine coupe wasn’t exactly any nicer. The pop-up headlights gave way to clear glass counterparts, round lights moved to the rear next to a narrow grille and opinions still differ today on the wheels with a warped star and screws on the rim flange. After all, the 180-degree V12 engine has increased in power and delivers 440 hp and a maximum of 500 Newton meters in the F512 M. After only two years of construction, Testarossa production was finally stopped; Until then, only 501 copies of the F512 M were built.
CoupeSpider
Ex-Formula 1 driver Gerhard Berger’s once stolen Ferrari F512 M was tracked down by British police. After a global search, the vehicle, which was shipped to Japan shortly after it was stolen and only brought to the UK in 2023, was found within four days.