Having a multi-million-dollar supercar stolen would be a nightmare for any owner, but imagine being the CEO of Bugatti and discovering that your own personal Chiron has disappeared.
That’s exactly what happened to Mate Rimac, who found himself at the center of an extraordinary international car chase after a thief drove away in his prized hypercar.
Rather than simply waiting for the police, Rimac jumped into a Porsche 911 and set off in pursuit.
Why, you ask? He was using the Chiron’s built-in tracking technology to monitor its exact location, speed and movements, allowing him to follow the stolen hypercar across international borders.
How a Thief Managed To Steal a Bugatti Chiron
The incident began at Bugatti Rimac’s facility in Croatia, where a thief spotted Rimac’s personal Chiron parked outside with the keys still inside.
Incredibly, there was no complicated break-in or elaborate plan. The thief simply climbed into the car and drove away. The reason the keys were so easily accessible was somewhat embarrassing for Rimac, who admitted to having a habit of leaving them inside his vehicles to avoid accidentally locking himself out.
The stolen Chiron was no ordinary getaway car, either. Equipped with a 1,479-horsepower engine and worth approximately €2.4 million (around $2.7 million), it was one of the most valuable vehicles someone could possibly steal.
Fortunately, someone noticed the hypercar speeding away and quickly alerted the team through the company’s group chat.
A Porsche 911 and a Cross-Border Pursuit
With the thief already enjoying a significant head start, Rimac decided to take matters into his own hands. He jumped into a nearby Porsche 911, which conveniently had a full tank of gas, and began chasing the stolen Chiron.
The thief was heading toward Slovenia, but Rimac had a major advantage: the Chiron’s built-in telemetry system.
This technology allowed him and his engineering team to monitor the vehicle remotely, providing valuable information about its location, speed and fuel level. The team then passed these details to police, helping authorities track the stolen hypercar as it crossed international borders.
The pursuit eventually continued from Croatia into Slovenia and then Austria. At one point, the thief reportedly stopped at a gas station and put approximately half a tank of fuel into the Chiron before driving away without paying.
Despite the information available to Rimac, catching up with the vehicle proved difficult. The thief had a substantial head start, and the chase had become an international police operation.
Eventually, Austrian police intercepted the Chiron at a gas station near Graz, Austria, bringing the extraordinary pursuit to an end.
An Unexpected Reaction From the Bugatti CEO
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The story took another surprising turn after the vehicle was recovered.
Rimac met the suspect, a 36-year-old Croatian national, at an Austrian police station. The man claimed he had originally visited the company looking for a job before spotting the keys and deciding to take the car.
Rather than responding with anger, Rimac showed an unexpected level of sympathy. He said he did not intend to press charges and even offered to drive the man home to his family. However, police would not allow him to do so, and the suspect still faced prosecution.
The Chiron was eventually recovered, although it had sustained some damage, including to its front bumper.
For Rimac, the experience provided an expensive lesson in vehicle security. Although he described Croatia as a very safe place and suggested that leaving keys inside cars was relatively commonplace, the incident has made him reconsider his habits. He admitted he would think twice before leaving the keys inside his vehicles again.
It’s certainly not every day that a Bugatti CEO has to chase his own multi-million-dollar hypercar across three countries in a Porsche 911.
But thanks to modern tracking technology and quick police intervention, this extraordinary theft had a relatively happy ending.