Bugatti CEO Mate Rimac's Chiron stolen from Zagreb site; Austrian police stop car near Graz

The theft near Zagreb

On Wednesday, 28 October, a Bugatti Chiron worth about three million euros disappeared from the premises of Bugatti Rimac near Zagreb, Croatia. Rimac, the 38-year-old chief executive of Bugatti and Rimac, has said the site has no fence and anyone can walk onto the grounds, while only staff with access badges can enter the buildings. The car was parked outside. Staff first assumed a colleague had taken it for a trip, since many people use the company's vehicles, and the theft was only suspected after someone reported seeing an unknown man at the wheel.

Keys left inside

Rimac has said he routinely leaves keys in his cars, including the Chiron and the electric Rimac Nevera, so that employees can move or test them without tracking him down. He said he often did not know where the Chiron was at any given time, and that he would probably not have noticed its absence had someone not alerted him. Once the car was reported missing, a group chat among friends and colleagues was used to ask whether anyone had seen it, without result.

“Like always, I left the keys in the car. Croatia is a very safe country, and I have always done it this way.”

Telemetry and the chase

When Rimac understood the car had been taken, he called the police, and staff began checking the telemetry data that the Chiron sends to company servers. The data showed the car's position, speed and fuel level, and indicated it was heading for the Slovenian border with little fuel left. Rimac took his own Porsche 911, which had a full tank, and set off after it. He said the driver had a lead of about one hour. According to Rimac, the driver stopped at a petrol station on the way and refilled the Bugatti's tank to half, without paying.

Arrest near Graz

The Chiron crossed Slovenia and entered Austria, where Austrian police stopped it on the A9 motorway near Graz. The car was recovered with minor damage to its front. The driver, a 36-year-old Croatian man, was detained and is suspected of the theft. Rimac said the man had come to the company to ask for a job, and had seen the car with its keys inside. The man reportedly confessed to the theft.

Rimac's response

Rimac posted surveillance video and a statement on Instagram on 29 October. He said he had wanted to drive the man home and had decided against filing a complaint, because the man appeared to be in personal difficulties.

“I wanted to drive the thief home. Anyone who does something like this has enough problems in life.”

Austrian authorities nonetheless opened an investigation on their own initiative because of the car's value. The Chiron has been returned to Rimac, and the case is continuing in Austria.