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Former Romanian Tennis Player and Billionaire Ion Tiriac Revealed He Forgot a Ferrari F40 for a Decade in a German Garage
Anyone who has a car has probably experienced the scene of driving in circles in a parking lot without remembering where they parked. This still happens today, even with cell phones that allow you to take pictures of the spot. Now imagine forgetting not just the location, but an entire car for years.
In the 1980s, without technology to help, this kind of confusion was even more common. And that’s exactly what happened to Ion Tiriac, a former Romanian athlete who started in ice hockey, participated in the 1964 Winter Olympics, and later shone as a professional tennis player.
He won Roland Garros, competed in Davis Cup finals, and, after retiring, became part of the elite group of the greatest collectors of luxury automobiles.
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Passion for Exclusive Cars
Just as other successful athletes invest in yachts, Tiriac has always preferred rare cars.
Today, at 86 years old, he showcases around 400 models in a museum on the outskirts of Bucharest, considered one of the most significant automotive collections in Europe.
In a recent interview, the former tennis player revealed a curious story: he forgot that he had purchased a Ferrari F40, leaving the car parked for a decade in a garage in Munich.
From Tennis to Supercars
During the Cold War, traveling to the West was complicated for athletes from the Soviet bloc. Therefore, Tiriac chose to settle in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where he still lives.
There, he began to train other tennis players and give private lessons. It was in this environment that he became acquainted with the world of collectors and started his own journey by buying Ferraris.
First, he acquired a Testarossa. Later, he wanted to negotiate an F40 with Stéfano Casiraghi, husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, but they couldn’t reach an agreement.
Determined, he found another F40 on the market, even paying US$ 700,000 – well above the list price, which was around US$ 200,000.
Ferrari F40: The Forgotten Car
Despite his passion, Tiriac faced a problem: he didn’t have space to accommodate his rapidly growing collection. Therefore, he left the Ferrari F40 in a garage in Munich and continued with his busy routine.
Ten years later, the owner of the parking lot, a German named Mr. Becker, got in touch. He informed that the sports car was still parked in the location.
That’s when the former tennis player realized: he had forgotten the Ferrari for a decade.
Inevitable Sale
Without the means to keep it running and still without a suitable space, Tiriac decided to get rid of the car immediately.
The reason was simple: the vehicle would need to return to the factory in Maranello for the engine to be disassembled and restored after so many years of disuse.
Today, with a fortune estimated at around US$ 2.2 billion by Forbes, Tiriac looks back and remembers the situation as an anecdote. If he had taken a picture of the spot, perhaps the story would have been different.
With information from Xataka.
Deveriam verificar as matérias antes de publicá-las. Esse citado na matéria jamais ganhou Roland Garros.
Ele venceu em duplas em 1970