Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac recently had one of his extremely expensive supercars stolen from his company’s headquarters in Croatia. Even more bizarre, the thief apparently didn’t have to work too hard to steal it.
That’s because Rimac had left the keys inside his Bugatti Chiron, a hypercar worth millions of dollars.
When he found out someone had stolen it, he jumped into a Porsche 911 and chased the thief himself, as one does when someone steals your Bugatti. (Until recently, Porsche owned 45% of Bugatti Rimac, the company that makes the Chiron.)
Bugatti CEO Chases Thief Who Stole His Multi-Million-Dollar Chiron
Mate Rimac explained in an Instagram video that he routinely leaves the keys in his vehicles at the company’s campus.
The reason? Employees frequently need to move or test the cars, and Rimac doesn’t want them having to track him down every time.
And that system apparently worked just fine until someone decided to take advantage of it.
An employee discovered the theft when they noticed an unfamiliar person driving the Chiron away. After checking with other employees and realizing nobody knew who was driving the car, Rimac contacted the police.
Fortunately, the Bugatti had telemetry that let the company track its location, speed, fuel level, and other information. Unfortunately, the thief already had about a one-hour head start.
So, Mate Rimac climbed into his Porsche 911 and chased the stolen Chiron as it headed toward Slovenia. The thief eventually crossed into Austria, where police intercepted the supercar.
At one point, Rimac said he and investigators hoped the suspect would be caught when the Bugatti ran low on fuel. Instead, the thief reportedly stopped, filled the tank halfway, and continued driving.
“I guess he didn’t pay for the fuel; he just filled up half the tank and continued onwards,” Rimac said. “Eventually, the Austrian police did a fantastic job. One of the officers was in our group chat, had an update on the location all the time, and they caught him.”
Bugatti CEO Says He Won’t Be Leaving His Keys In His Cars Anymore
After police recovered the stolen Bugatti Chiron, Mate Rimac reportedly met the suspect, a Croatian man in his 30s. Rimac said he didn’t want to press charges, although the man could still face prosecution.
He also warned anyone thinking about stealing his cars in the future. “Don’t try it; we have all the data, and you can’t do anything with the car without us,” he said. He also said he won’t leave the keys inside his cars anymore.
For those unfamiliar with Mate Rimac, his company also produces the Nevera, one of the world’s fastest electric hypercars.
As previously reported, the Rimac Nevera has set numerous performance records. It also made headlines for its performance against the Tesla Model S Plaid.
So, as strange as it may be, chasing a stolen Bugatti in a Porsche probably wasn’t the most unusual driving experience Rimac has ever had.