A Ferrari Monza SP2 valued at £3.7million has been confiscated by the Metropolitan Police after officers discovered the person behind the wheel held nothing more than a provisional driving licence and no insurance cover.
The rare supercar, one of just 499 examples produced by the Italian manufacturer, was the most eye-catching vehicle caught up in a major operation tackling reckless and unlawful motoring across some of central London’s wealthiest neighbourhoods.
According to the police, the driver had been at the wheel for fewer than 30 minutes when they were pulled over, while the car itself had only arrived in the UK the day before.
Officers impounded a total of 90 vehicles with a combined value exceeding £8million during the three-day operation, which ran from Friday through to Sunday.
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The crackdown focused on the streets of Kensington, Chelsea and the area around Hyde Park, with officers targeting uninsured drivers, those behaving anti-socially or posing a danger to others.
A total of 15 cars were taken off the road using recently introduced powers that allow officers to immediately seize vehicles linked to anti-social behaviour, rather than issuing a warning first.
The force said both the volume and total value of cars confiscated represented the highest figures recorded in the operation’s five-year history.
Special Chief Inspector Geoff Tatman, who was in charge of the operation, said: “We regularly hear from local people who are fed up with people driving cars dangerously in the area, or with modifications which make them a nuisance to those who live nearby.
“Through operations like this, we’re arresting these drivers and seizing their cars so we can keep our roads safe and send a clear message that we won’t put up with their reckless and dangerous behaviour.”
Among the other high-end marques impounded were a Lamborghini Revuelto, a Ferrari 812, a Porsche 911 GT3, a McLaren, a Rolls-Royce Wraith, a Bentley Continental and a Ferrari Purosangue.
A Range Rover Sport fitted with a body kit was stopped on Park Lane, while a Mercedes GLC was pulled over on Vauxhall Bridge.
One man was detained on suspicion of handling stolen goods and money laundering after officers found him carrying 19 bank cards registered to other individuals, along with more than £2,500 in cash.
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A separate driver, initially pulled over for having no insurance, was arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs with intent to supply.
Officers made a further arrest relating to the use of words and behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress, while one other person was taken into custody on suspicion of committing an immigration offence.
Seized vehicles were taken to a temporary pound set up at Wellington Arch in central London before being removed for storage.
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