Having a car stolen is a bad experience for anyone, which can be made worse if it is a cherished, high value classic. After the first few weeks you have probably given up hope of ever seeing your pride and joy again. However, as this example shows there is always an outside chance of recovery even after decades.    

The car in question was a red F512M Ferrari Testarossa, which happened to belong to ex Ferrari F1 driver Gerhard Berger. It went missing at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1995 and amazingly it has just been recovered by the Metropolitan Police in London 28 years later. 

Apparently the £350,000 machine has spent many years in Japan and was in London ahead of a sale to an American buyer. The astute buyer ordered manufacturer checks on the vehicle and these discovered that it was in fact registered as stolen. Ferrari then alerted the Police who later seized it. 

Only about 500 examples of this model were made, so it can command a high resale value. Gerhard Berger will no doubt face a very interesting conversation with his insurance when he reclaims the car.