- Audi supercar recovered 1,856 miles away undamaged in Athens car park
- Arrest made within two hours of Greek police being informed
- CobraTrak protects drivers from cross border thefts of high value cars across 36 European countries
The recent recovery, in Athens, of a £112,000 Audi R8 Supercar stolen in Paris thanks to an Audi CobraTrak vehicle tracking system fitted to the vehicle, underlines the increasing prevalence of organised cross border trafficking of high value vehicles.
Thieves stole the Audi R8 Spyder’s keys from the owner’s handbag and in a short period of time had driven it 1,856 miles from Paris to Athens, from where it would likely have been shipped to the Middle East for onward sale.
Fortunately for the driver and the UK leasing company who owned the car, it was fitted with the Audi CobraTrak GPS vehicle tracking system, which covers 36 European countries, plus Russia and South Africa.
After receiving the driver’s report of the car being stolen, the leasing company contacted the French police who were able to act once they had received the vehicle’s information and status from Cobra’s accredited Secure Operating Centre.
Cobra handed the incident over to its Greek Secure Operating Centre (SOC). Within less than two hours local police located the undamaged car in a multi storey car park, an arrest was made, and the vehicle was secured and moved to a police compound.
Cobra is unique in operating its own network of SOCs across 36 countries all working to agreed and well established procedures with local police, and providing seamless customer service even when a stolen car crosses multiple borders.
“A record 50% of stolen cars are never recovered, as a growing number are quickly moved across borders and then sold using falsified documentation,” explained Andrew Smith, Cobra UK’s Managing Director.
“With high value cars stolen to order by professional crime rings, and long lead times on prestige vehicles built to order, investing a comparatively small amount in a tracking product such as CobraTrak can reap dividends in minimising the stress and hassle of having to replace a stolen vehicle,” he added.
