These criminals now have had a target painted on their backs by Ferrari fans and well-connected buyers alike.
Ferrari’s current CEO Sergio Marchionne may have thought it blasphemy to even consider the prospect of a Ferrari SUV, and even tuners like John Hennessey likely get a stiff upward-angled nose from the Prancing Horse after daring to tune the pristine engine of a 458 Italia, but nothing tops the level of disrespect for Enzo Ferrari than the theft of his body himself. As previous reports indicated, a gang of thieves that specializes in selling arms and drugs was captured plotting the theft.
Ferrari’s current CEO Sergio Marchionne may have thought it blasphemy to even consider the prospect of a Ferrari SUV, and even tuners like John Hennessey likely get a stiff upward-angled nose from the Prancing Horse after daring to tune the pristine engine of a 458 Italia, but nothing tops the level of disrespect for Enzo Ferrari than the theft of his body himself. As previous reports indicated, a gang of thieves that specializes in selling arms and drugs was captured plotting the theft.
Italian police had caught onto the gang’s plot to dig up Enzo Ferrari’s grave plot and remove the body earlier in the week, but now the remaining perps have gone through with the plan, removing Ferrari's body from the gravesite despite being under the eye of the Italian authorities. Making matters worse is the fact that these are not some overly enthusiastic fans that want a chance to get closer to the great, who died in 1988 at the age of 90. Instead, the gang took the body in order to ask the Ferrari family for $10 million in ransom money. The gang struck the above-ground tomb, located just near the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy, in the early morning hours of April 1st and made away with the corpse.
Initially the gang was planning to hide the body in the Apennine Mountains until the random was paid, but have likely decided on another location after authorities caught onto the scheme. Considering that Piero Ferrari, Enzo’s second and only living son, became an overnight billionaire after holding a 10% stake in the company during Ferrari’s October 2015 IPO, $10 million isn’t exactly an impossible sum of money for the family to drum up. Still, the grotesque nature of the crime is a shock to us all. Speaking with reporters after the crime had been announced, Marchionne voiced his anger and grief. “It’s hard to imagine a crime lower than the one perpetrated against Ferrari family and the Ferrari brand," said Marchionne.
Initially the gang was planning to hide the body in the Apennine Mountains until the random was paid, but have likely decided on another location after authorities caught onto the scheme. Considering that Piero Ferrari, Enzo’s second and only living son, became an overnight billionaire after holding a 10% stake in the company during Ferrari’s October 2015 IPO, $10 million isn’t exactly an impossible sum of money for the family to drum up. Still, the grotesque nature of the crime is a shock to us all. Speaking with reporters after the crime had been announced, Marchionne voiced his anger and grief. “It’s hard to imagine a crime lower than the one perpetrated against Ferrari family and the Ferrari brand," said Marchionne.
He added, "We are deeply saddened and will see to it that justice is served. We are working with authorities to recover Enzo Ferrari’s remains and we encourage anyone with information on the crime to contact Ferrari." Whether or not the Ferrari family will pony up the ransom money remains to be seen, but we’d wager that Ferrari’s name carries enough weight with enough highly connected individuals that recovery will be swift.
tags: breed of speed , nathan finneman , ferrari , enzo ferrari body , factory , italy , ransom , drifto , car , history ,
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