Supercar Thefts in London
It’s 3:30am on a sleepy residential street nestled in the heart of the capital. Opposite leafy Hyde Park, Georgian townhouses line the Mayfair streets, host to some of the most prominent homes in the country. It is usually whisper quiet at this time of night, but in the distance the faint hum of a motorcycle approaches.
It’s single headlight pierces the darkness, with no number plate the bike carries two riders clad in all black. They know their target, a Ferrari 812 GTS. Parked parallel a Tesla Model Y and Mercedes GLA which the thief's show no interest in, their gaze firmly fixed to the sleek prancing horse.
Seconds after arriving the passenger is attacking the door lock, using a tool to punch out the mechanism, releasing the latch. Once inside they use a device plugged directly into the car via the OBD port to bypass the security system, killing the alarm and pacifying the immobiliser.
The last defence the car has is its tracker, a system that will telegraph the vehicles location anywhere in the world. But as the thief slides into the drivers seat, they place a small black box besides them. Unassuming in appearance but critical to this modern day heist, the little box blocks the GPS signal the tracker uses to communicate. Now defenceless and in less than 2 minutes, the car is gone.
There have been many attacks like this in recent months, mostly targeting modern Ferrari models, including one case involving the incredibly collectable 488 Pista. Robert P a member of the Ferrari Chat forum started a thread in May 2023 after being contacted by his insurance company regarding the thefts. It is believed the cars are being shipped to Russia, either whole or as parts in an effort to supply the market after several luxury manufactures suspended sales in the country over a year ago.
Robert goes on to explain that insurance providers are now encouraging owners to have aftermarket trackers and immobilisers fitted as the standard Ferrari systems are being breached too easily.
Further down the thread, user burmang posts that his GTC4 Lusso was stolen from Q-Park in Kensington.
“The CCTV shows the thieves walking to the car park with a computer and driving out 3 minutes later. They simply raised the barrier manually.”
Forebodingly enough, a cursory glance at Q-Park’s google review page reveals a host of images showing cars that have been broken into while parked at the facility. Jaguars, BMW’s & Land Rovers among the victims. Returning to your car to find the window smashed is one thing, but to not find it there at all is another. This recent escalation, thieves using sophisticated technology alongside rudimentary methods to target some of the worlds most expensive machines, in the worlds most expensive location no less, somehow feels different.
I wrote a piece a while ago about how owners can unknowingly put a target on their back when it comes to expensive cars, handbags, watches etc and how the context of the backdrop matters. Rolling through the rough part of town in a bright green Lamborghini for example is very different to taking it to the country club for a round of golf.
The striking thing about the Mayfair and Kensington thefts is when you walk around those streets, when you wander through Hyde Park, past Royal horse riding thoroughfares and gaze at the incredible architecture of Claridge's hotel, it feels different. Luxury cars almost litter the parking spaces down these streets, the homes are immaculate. It truly is a wonderful and unique experience, and being just a stones throw from Buckingham Palace, you’d expect it to be among some of the safest square miles anywhere on earth. And to find out that it isn’t, is simply saddening.
Stay safe out there!
/Si
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