STOLEN: 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO in Germany

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 17.05.2019

Brazen daylight theft of a multimillion dollar car. Thief still at large.

A multimillion dollar 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO (D-06073) was stolen and recovered earlier this week in Germany after a pre-purchase test drive went frighteningly wrong.

The owner met with an interested buyer, who leapt into the car and sped off as they both went to switch places during the test drive.

The rare Ferrari was recovered just 30 minutes away in a garage the following day, though the thief remains at large. Local authorities have not revealed either the suspected thief or the owner’s identity; and while the car has been recovered, no word has been spoken on its condition.

Just 272 Ferrari 288 GTOs were ever built, as performance homologation of the 308 GTB. They were intended for Group B circuit racing, though the racing series folded before it ever made its debut. Amongst all of Ferrari’s motorsport homologations, the 288 GTO remains the rarest.

RM Sotheby’s sold another example earlier this year for a whopping AU$4.8 million dollars.

It’s always a shock when high-profile vehicles are stolen, and many are speculating that the GTO might have been destined for a lucrative black-market sale to an overseas collector.

We hope the car remains unharmed and is returned to its owner.

Last year we reported that a unique ‘outlaw’-style Mercedes 300SL Gullwing was stolen outside of a Nurburgring hotel. That car has seemingly yet to be found, with the owner fearing it was broken down for parts.

In March this year, on local soil; a brazen ram-raid saw a 1988 VL Walkinshaw, 1989 VN Group A SS Replica and a 1984 VK Commodore stolen out of a NSW dealership.

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