Ferrari F-50 stolen during test drive
09-26-2003, 12:51 PM
#1
on bin laden
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Ferrari F-50 stolen during test drive
Man Steals $729,000 Ferrari During Test Drive
Police Theorize Car Was Quickly Put In Trailer
Posted: 1:33 p.m. EDT September 26, 2003
ARDMORE, Pa. -- Where do you hide a $729,000 Ferrari during rush hour?
That's what police in the Philadelphia suburbs want to know, after a con man drove off with a red Ferrari F-50 during a test drive.
The F-50 can hit 60 mph in less than four seconds and tops out at 203 mph.
The car hasn't been seen since the thief, a nattily dressed man who claimed he had flown up from Atlanta and had a limo waiting nearby, took the test drive Sept. 16 without producing a license. The ID, he said, was in the wallet he had left at the airport.
The salesman from Algar Ferrari in Rosemont first took the prospective buyer for a spin, then let him get behind the wheel. During the test drive, the man pulled to the side of the road and asked the salesman to drive back to the dealership. When the salesman got out, the thief sped off.
Police theorize the car was hustled into a trailer and quickly shipped overseas for sale on the black market.
The company made just 349 of the eye-popping Italian roadsters in 1995 to commemorate its 50th anniversary. It's described by one car-enthusiast Web site as "part Batmobile, part ballistic missile."
Police Theorize Car Was Quickly Put In Trailer
Posted: 1:33 p.m. EDT September 26, 2003
ARDMORE, Pa. -- Where do you hide a $729,000 Ferrari during rush hour?
That's what police in the Philadelphia suburbs want to know, after a con man drove off with a red Ferrari F-50 during a test drive.
The F-50 can hit 60 mph in less than four seconds and tops out at 203 mph.
The car hasn't been seen since the thief, a nattily dressed man who claimed he had flown up from Atlanta and had a limo waiting nearby, took the test drive Sept. 16 without producing a license. The ID, he said, was in the wallet he had left at the airport.
The salesman from Algar Ferrari in Rosemont first took the prospective buyer for a spin, then let him get behind the wheel. During the test drive, the man pulled to the side of the road and asked the salesman to drive back to the dealership. When the salesman got out, the thief sped off.
Police theorize the car was hustled into a trailer and quickly shipped overseas for sale on the black market.
The company made just 349 of the eye-popping Italian roadsters in 1995 to commemorate its 50th anniversary. It's described by one car-enthusiast Web site as "part Batmobile, part ballistic missile."
09-26-2003, 01:07 PM
#7
SHIFT_over.so.I.can.see
salesman really isn't an idiot. when you cater to that kind of clientele it's very hard to be demanding. someone COULD HAVE lost their wallet at the airport and whatnot. Generally thouh most Ferrari dealers don't let you test drive a damn thing. Lots of the ones I know don't even have anything driveable on the lot. Most of the stuff in the showroom is usually sold. If you want something you make an order and they go get it or build it. This guy just happened to get ...
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09-26-2003, 04:08 PM
#27
Cost Drivers!!!!
OMG..............THAT IS RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM MY WORK! I visit Algar atleast once a week to drool i'll take pics. No no no no not an inside job at all, know that place, not an inside.
09-26-2003, 04:14 PM
#29
Cost Drivers!!!!
Originally posted by soopa
because you know the place you know the people?
riiite.
youd be surprised what peeps do for money.
but id agree... doesnt sound like inside job to me.
because you know the place you know the people?
riiite.
youd be surprised what peeps do for money.
but id agree... doesnt sound like inside job to me.
turn over rate at that place isn't high i know the salesman. gotta take a spin over there and see what i can find out. People will do anything but i highly doubt any of these dudes would risk everything....
09-26-2003, 06:42 PM
#31
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Rueters (AP) *breaking story*
F-50 recovered at a junkyard right next to a grey bmw 330 with a mysterious occupant caught napping in the passenger seat. Junkyard owners suspect the 330 owner to be the culprit..
more news at 11....
F-50 recovered at a junkyard right next to a grey bmw 330 with a mysterious occupant caught napping in the passenger seat. Junkyard owners suspect the 330 owner to be the culprit..
more news at 11....
09-27-2003, 06:05 AM
#33
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Damn, I wonder which saleman it was. I just can't imagine them letting someone take out an F-50 just like that. The guy had to have arranged a test drive earlier. I mean, I've seen them turn away a guy looking at a 355 GTS because he didn't have an appointment. The guy was pissed, but the salesman didn't budge. No appointment, no test drive. And the guy did pull up in a brand new SL500 too.
Zapata, is Francis still selling there? If so, I wonder if it was him?
But seriously, I remember when I sold cars for Devon Nissan for about a month. No one, and I mean no one, got to test drive a car without a valid drivers licence. For a salesman and general manager to let someone take out a car like that without ID is just plain stupid. I know that Ferrari buyers can be demanding, but I don't think that anyone would put up a stink about producing a drivers licence to test drive a car.
Zapata, is Francis still selling there? If so, I wonder if it was him?
But seriously, I remember when I sold cars for Devon Nissan for about a month. No one, and I mean no one, got to test drive a car without a valid drivers licence. For a salesman and general manager to let someone take out a car like that without ID is just plain stupid. I know that Ferrari buyers can be demanding, but I don't think that anyone would put up a stink about producing a drivers licence to test drive a car.
09-28-2003, 03:51 PM
#36
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Hahahahahahaha - I pass that dealership regularly and I will now have to bust on one of the mechanics I know who works there...Come to think of it, he is a shady guy...Hmmmm
09-28-2003, 05:11 PM
#38
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why do some of u boneheads insist its an inside job? there ARE con men out there who are good at what they do. they're con men cuz they're convincing. they do this for a living. yes, it COULD be an inside job, but if it was, it'd be immediately thought of as an inside job by investigators and then eventually uncovered as so. i'm sure what was the origin of the investigation in the first place. that car is already in a container going back to europe for some big time crime boss.
dealers do let people drive cars w/o ID. i've test driven several mercedes at the Ray Catena in Edison, NJ without any sort of ID. granted, they realized i'd left my car in the lot as i left with the keys, but when u cater to certain type of clientel, asking them for ID may seem a bit offensive.
dealers do let people drive cars w/o ID. i've test driven several mercedes at the Ray Catena in Edison, NJ without any sort of ID. granted, they realized i'd left my car in the lot as i left with the keys, but when u cater to certain type of clientel, asking them for ID may seem a bit offensive.
09-28-2003, 11:55 PM
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con men.... yeah i was named to become a conman in the future in our 8th grade yearbook... it was made by the nerds in that yearbook class who i didnt hang with... (that yearbook class was nerds... now in High School there are real people in that class here... my girlfriend for one - ha)