Imagine being the owner of a Ferrari F40 that’s got stolen and getting it back 24 years later. This is not a movie script but a real-life case that happened recently with the help of a firm called Art Recovery International.
Christopher A. Marinello, CEO and founder of Art Recovery International, shared the news on his LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter) profiles. According to the paperwork, the Ferrari F40 in the classic Rosso Corsa was stolen on April 16, 2000. The gorgeous Italian supercar was parked outside a hotel in the municipality of Villasanta in Monza, Italy when thieves got their hands on it.
Fast forward to 2024, with the owner probably having lost all hope, the stolen Ferrari was discovered at an undisclosed location. Negotiations led to a highly confidential settlement agreement, and the precious model was reunited with its owner. As described by Marinello, the process included “Three sets of lawyers, two signed documents, and one very happy insurance company”.
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RECOVERED TODAY, a $2.5M Ferrari F40, stolen 24 YEARS AGO outside a hotel in Monza, Italy. Negotiations were handled by ARI’s Chris Marinello resulting in a confidential settlement agreement. “Three sets of lawyers, two signed documents, and one very happy insurance company”. pic.twitter.com/EeBAN82QXT
— Art Recovery International (@artrecovery) March 7, 2024
The owner of the Ferrari has plenty of reasons to feel excited, as the value of the sought-after supercar is now estimated at over $2.5 million. A pristine example of a 1992 Ferrari F40 fetched $3.1 million at the Mecum Kissimmee 2024 auction in January.
As a way of expressing his gratitude to the lawyer who helped him with the case, the owner offered a special “inspection” of the Ferrari, including a test drive on the road and the racetrack. Marinello happily shared the news with his LinkedIn followers, confirming that he accepted the test drive offer.
According to the official website of Art Recovery International, the company “retains a number of highly skilled lawyers, investigators, and provenance researchers in the UK, USA, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria”. The firm is known for recovering over $500 million of stolen artworks, but this is likely the first time they get involved with a Ferrari flagship.
Interestingly, the news came only a few days after a similar story made headlines in the UK – a Ferrari F512M owned by F1 driver Gerhard Berger was recovered nearly 30 years after being stolen during the 1995 San Marino Grand Prix.
