German police have recovered a valuable 1980s Ferrari stolen during a test drive and are now searching for the man who is believed to have sped off with the car while posing as a would be buyer.

  • Police in Düsseldorf are looking for a man they say sped off with a rare Ferrari 288 GTO worth around R30 million while posing as a would-be buyer.
  • Police said the man responded to an online advertisement for the car on Monday, and drove off with the vehicle when the seller got out of the car to swap seats during a test drive.
  • Police found the vehicle hidden in a garage in the town of Grevenbroich, about 30 kilometres south west of Düsseldorf, on Tuesday.
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    German police are searching for man they say took a rare vintage Ferrari worth R30 million on a test drive and never returned.

    Police in Düsseldorf found the Ferrari 288 GTO, but are still looking for the man who sped off with the car while posing as a would-be buyer, USA Today reported.

    Police said in a statement seen by CNN that the man responded to an online advertisement for the car on Monday, and drove off with the vehicle when the seller got out of the car to swap seats during a test drive.

    The car was found on Tuesday hidden in a garage in the town of Grevenbroich, about 30 kilometres southwest of Düsseldorf.

    Officials have not revealed what condition the car was in when it was recovered.

    Police did release a photo of the suspected thief, showing what appears to be a middle aged man with glasses, RP Online reported.

    The Ferrari 288 GTO is a limited-edition variant, and just 272 were produced between 1984 and 1987.

    Peter Haynes, a spokesman for specialist auctioneer RM Sotheby's, told CNN that the cars are valued between $2.5 million and $3.5 million, or R36 million to R50 million.

    But he said it's not an ideal car to steal.

    "It is not a very sensible car to steal because it is a very difficult car to sell," he told CNN. "It is like a famous painting - most people would find it quite easy to identify, and it would be very difficult to sell."

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