Luxury cars have disappeared from a garage in the Principality of Monaco. Nine specimens, some rare, overall difficult to access by “normal” people. The owner is the former German Formula 1 driver, Adrian Sutil, 43, arrested at the end of last year for fraud in the world of luxury cars. He has always rejected the accusations, claiming to be the victim of a fraudulent affair linked to the Wagner group, Vladimir Putin’s mercenaries. And among the stolen cars there is also a gem of Swedish engineering: one of the seven examples in the world of the “Koenigsegg One:1”, whose value is also difficult to quantify but which is certainly not less than around 10 million euros.
Who is Adrian Sutil
Sutil raced in Formula 1 between 2007 and 2014 with Spyker, Force India and Sauber, making a total of 128 starts without ever reaching the podium, a record later surpassed by Nico Hulkenberg. In 2012, the German driver was sentenced to an 18-month suspended sentence and a 200,000 euro fine after attacking Eric Lux, the majority shareholder of the Renault team, in a nightclub in Shanghai. Lux suffered a deep wound to his neck, stitched with 24 stitches.
Mr. “Vladimir”, the Wagner Group and the luxury cars stolen from Sutil
According to the German specialized site Auto Motor und Sportnine vehicles with a total value estimated at around 17 million euros disappeared from Sutil’s garage, after physical threats to his family in case of failure to cooperate. His lawyers speak of a man who introduced himself as “Vladimir” and of alleged links with the Wagner group, the mercenary group used by the Kremlin for military operations abroad.
The private collection, now stolen, would include luxury cars such as a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Mercedes 600, which is said to have belonged to Elvis Presley as well as several Porsches and Ferraris. The total value of the missing car fleet exceeds 17 million euros. But the most sought-after vehicle is a Koenigsegg One:1, chassis no. 7112, in exposed black carbon with pink details. Koenigsegg indicates seven examples for the model built between 2014 and 2015, with the characteristic of a perfect correspondence between the weight of 1,360 kg and 1,360 horsepower. This too has been lost.
Originally purchased for around 3.3 million euros, the car has seen its value soar in recent years. Depending on condition and provenance, current estimates range from over $10 million up to $22 million. Interpol reportedly launched an international search after the vehicle’s tracks appeared to have headed towards Eastern Europe and Russia.