German Police Searching For Ferrari 288 GTO Stolen During Test Drive

Police in Germany are searching for a Ferrari 288 GTO which was stolen during a test drive.

The Seattle Times reports that police in Dusseldorf are looking for a man who arranged a test drive with the owner of a prized 288 GTO in the German city.

It is reported that the man and Ferrari owner agreed to an appointment on Monday and while out on a test drive, the seller got out of the car to swap places with the would-be buyer. It is reported that the man jumped into the driver’s seat and sped off in the 288 GTO, leaving the owner behind.

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Speaking on Tuesday, authorities said they had been unable to locate the Italian sports car and report that it is valued at up to $2.2 million.

Ferrari built the 288 GTO to enable it to compete in Group B rallying. However, the infamous rally series was outlawed before Ferrari ever had the opportunity to compete. Ferrari decided against killing off the project and instead decided to build 272 examples of the 288 GTO for street-use.

The car is powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine delivering 395 hp and 366 lb-ft (496 Nm) of torque. All examples were outfitted with manual transmissions and each unit to roll out of the factory weighed just 2557 lbs (1160 kg). The 288 GTO has become one of the most prized Ferraris available in recent years and is significantly rarer than the F40, F50, Enzo, and LaFerrari hypercars which followed it.