Young man disappears after buying million-dollar Ferrari, leaving owner in awe

German police are searching for information about one of the rarest Ferrari ever produced – the 1985 288 GTO, after a “buyer” took it for a test drive with the owner and quickly outmaneuvered the owner, and disappeared.

The owner contacted Dusseldorf police on Monday morning revealing that he had just advertised the priceless vintage car for sale when he received a test drive offer from a man interested in buying the rare Ferrari. During the test drive, the owner and the buyer were switching places so they could both experience driving the Ferrari when suddenly the buyer swiftly jumped into the driver’s seat and sped off, leaving the owner standing there in shock.

The police have yet to determine the identity of this “fun-loving” buyer and are offering a reward for anyone who can provide information leading to his capture.

The 288 GTO was originally built by Ferrari with the intention of participating in Group B racing, but when the race series failed to attract enough attention, the Italian company converted all 272 cars into street-legal vehicles. The Ferrari 288 GTO is powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.9L V8 engine producing 395 horsepower and 497 Nm of torque, allowing the car to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5 seconds.

Thanks to its rarity and the prestigious GTO name, the 288 GTO quickly became one of the most sought-after models of all time under the Maranello brand, surpassed only by the 250 GTO (also the most expensive classic car in the world). A 288 GTO was recently auctioned off in January, fetching the owner a whopping $3.36 million, and that number is likely to increase in the future.

Reference: The Drive