They steal a €400,000 Ferrari, use it as a battering ram... and destroy it

On the night of January 19-20, a scene worthy of an action movie unfolded in Cahors, France. But here, there were no elaborate stunts or charismatic heroes: just a stolen 720 hp supercar, used as a tool of destruction... before ending up as a charred carcass on the side of the road. A story revealed by La Dépêche, and which quickly made the rounds of the media.

A targeted, lengthy and methodical break-in

It was around 2.15 a.m. when two gloved and masked individuals broke into the ILM Auto garage on avenue Anatole-de-Monzie in Cahors. According to La Dépêche, the thieves gained access to the premises via the roof terrace. For almost 45 minutes, they methodically searched the offices, breaking a window and knocking over files and furniture, in search of a specific target. Eventually, the alarm goes off. The intruders pause, wait, observe. Nothing happens. So they resume their operation, convinced that they still have free rein.

"They were clearly aiming for the Ferrari"

In the showroom, several valuable vehicles are on display. Yet only one car catches their attention. "It's clearly the Ferrari they were aiming for", explained ILM Auto boss Nathan Azaïs later. Keys to other models were found, but left behind. Their choice was unequivocal: a Ferrari 488 Pistaestimated at nearly €400,000. The initial plan seems simple: to get the car out of the showroom discreetly. But nothing goes according to plan. Unable to open the movable partition, the thieves take a decision as radical as it is destructive.

The Ferrari transformed into a battering ram

Unable to make a clean exit, the criminals used the supercar as a battering ram. The Ferrari is thrown against the garage's bay window, pulverizing the façade. The scene is violent. It was around 3 a.m. when the two men fled southwards. By this time, the surveillance center had already alerted the garage owner and the police.

720 horses in the wrong hands

But stealing a Ferrari of this caliber doesn't mean knowing how to drive it. "You can't drive a car like that just like anything else. You have to know what you're doing," says a bitter Nathan Azaïs. With its 720 horsepower and performance capable of reaching 300 km/h, the Ferrari 488 Pista is a demanding machine, designed for experienced drivers. That night, rain made the road slippery on the RD820, a winding road approaching Caussade. A few kilometers further on, near Montpezat-de-Quercy, in the Tarn-et-Garonne region of France, the escape was short-lived. Initial indications are that the Ferrari hit a guardrail, leading to a sudden loss of control. The impact was violent. The vehicle quickly burst into flames. When the police arrived on the scene, all that remained was a burnt-out wreck. The occupants had disappeared. The fire had destroyed everything, wiping out much of the physical evidence.

An open investigation, a shock for the garage

The investigation has been handed over to the Cahors police station. Surveillance cameras, road images, possible traces of the theft: the investigators are now trying to reconstruct the thieves' route and identify those responsible. For ILM Auto, the shock is immense. In fifteen years of business, nine of them at this location, the garage had never been burgled. Over and above the financial loss, it also means a reappraisal of the company's security systems.