15 May 2019; DW: Police in Düsseldorf are searching for a man who took off with a rare 1985 Ferrari that once belonged to British racing driver Eddie Irvine. The man, who posed as a classic car buyer, sped off during a test drive.
Düsseldorf police are looking for a rare Ferrari worth around €2 million ($2.2 million) after it was stolen by a would-be buyer.
The man, posing as a classic car buyer, had responded to an advertisement for the 1985 racing car and arranged to meet the owner for a test drive.
During the drive, they decided to swap seats so the would-be buyer could take charge of the red GTO. Once in the driver's seat — and with the seller standing on the sidewalk — the man sped off leaving the startled owner behind.
Vanished without a trace
Neither the car nor the thief has been seen since. A police search has so far been without success, despite the seller taking a photo of the man when they first met.
Officers in the west German city have appealed for more information to help reunite the car with its owner and apprehend the test-drive thief.
The lookalike Ferrari 308 GTS was the car of choice for 1980s private investigator Thomas Magnum in the TV series Magnum, P.I. The Italian racing car was also featured in other classic TV shows and movies, such as Miami Vice, James Bond's Golden Eye and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
