In the interests of full disclosure, I should note that I rarely lock my daily driver car, my Citroën 2CV. I make this decision for a few reasons: the all-canvas top isn’t exactly an impermeable barrier, as anyone with a pocketknife or a functioning set of teeth can get access to the car through there. The doors are pretty thin and could likely be pried open, the hinged windows likely could be forced open, and so on. And, once someone gets into the car, the weird manual transmission setup is like theft control on its own, and even if that’s figured out, the manual choke should reduce the pool of possible thieves even further.
At that point, whoever thinks the car is still worthy of stealing is probably someone I already know. A Bugatti Chiron, though, is a very, very different sort of car. It’s worth about 600 times what my car is worth, conservatively, and that’s after I wash my car and leave $50 in the dash. Most Bugatti Chiron owners are unlikely to be as cavalier with their car’s security as I am with my flimsy little shitbox.
Well, most Bugatti Chiron owners. One Chiron owner, arguably one of the most significant Chiron owners out there (and keep in mind this is a set of people that includes Kylie Jenner and Post Malone), is much, much more relaxed about his Chiron, to the point where he just leaves the keys in the car. That owner? Mate Rimac, the current CEO of Bugatti. And yes, his Chiron was stolen. Here’s Mate himself describing what happened:
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…and, even better, there’s security camera footage of the Bugatti thief actually taking the car, which was just sitting there, unlocked, keys in it, beckoning, practically pleading with that hooded ne’er-do-well to get in and, you know, drive.
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That’s precisely what happened, as the guy got in the super/hyper/whatevercar and took off, eventually making it to Austria.
The car was at Bugatti’s production and technology facility in Zagreb, Croatia, a place that is generally so crime-free, according to Rimac, that there’s really no need to take your keys out of a nearly $3 million car. Except this one time, I guess.
Rimac was able to track the Chiron because, unsurprisingly, the Bugatti has GPS tracking, and, after calling police, Rimac got in his Porsche 911 and took off after the thief, who had over an hour’s head start. The Chiron-napper even stopped to fill up with gas?
After crossing through Slovenia, Police were able to catch the car thief and stop him. Rimac isn’t pressing charges, though I’d be surprised if the would-be grand theft auto-ist can just walk. Interestingly, the car thief was at the Rimac/Bugatti facility earlier to inquire about a job.
I’d be sort of tempted to give the guy a job after this incident. He’s kind of pre-disastered, after all. What can he do that’s worse than stealing the CEO’s Bugatti? Feels like it has to be all uphill from there, right?
The Chiron had a bit of lower front lip damage after the illegal joyride, but Rimac, on video, brushed it off as no big deal.
As you can see in the caption, he even says, “it’s okay, I don’t care” which is a refreshing attitude to hear about a Chiron. Must be nice.
I don’t mean to sound callous; I understand how much of a pain it is to carry around a bulky key fob in your pants pockets, especially when you’re trying to cultivate a certain sleek pants-based silhouette. That’s why I humbly suggest to Bugatti that they start offering Bugatti-branded versions of The Club, which has a much smaller traditional metal key that can disappear into even the snuggest of pants pockets.
I’m sure Winner International, makers of The Club, would be happy to appropriately vejazzle a The Club with appropriately refined Bugatti badging! Problem solved!
Top graphic images: materimac/Instagram
“And, once someone gets into the car, the weird manual transmission setup is like theft control on its own, and even if that’s figured out, the manual choke should reduce the pool of possible thieves even further.”
Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie in 2027’s room-temperaturist, slow-paced, “action” movie of the year:
Gone in 60 Minutes
There’s a lot of complacency built into the inherent safety of Zagreb that I would fully expect a large proportion of people to leave their front doors unlocked in the city.
It’s a really lovely place.
You and I have met but don’t worry, your 2CV is safe. Should the mood ever strike me, I know of several that are closer.
The thief stopped to put gas in it? Sheesh, at today’s pump prices that’s punishment enough, no reason to pile on.
Years ago as I was buying a friend’s MGB he told me that he didn’t know whether the door locks worked because he had never used them. He then added that nearly everyone carries a convertible key, which is to say a knife. He would rather have had someone open a door than slash the top and open a door.
After that explanation I never used the door locks either.
Ditto any Jeep I’ve owned with a soft top. Heck, on my Wranglers you could just unzip the windows so when someone cut them I got really upset. I was this close to putting a sign on it that said “please don’t cut the top, just open the door”.
I rarely ever lock my ’65. Mostly because the only thing they can steal in it is my sunglasses, but they’d have to figure out the finnicky glovebox. Also because it’s got a switch that cuts off the ignition completely, so they’d also have to figure out why it cranks but doesn’t start. Also, the rear sliding windows don’t have the latches on them, so you could just open them and crawl in anyways. And finally, because while I’d be sad, I’d also be relieved of a project.
My Spitfire didn’t come with door keys when I bought it 30 years ago. They are completely pointless given the top literally snaps on behind each window. You can just unsnap it, reach in and unlock the door.
If I saw a Bugatti with the keys in it, I’d assume the interior had been skunked and the owner was begging me (well, anyone) to make it disappear.
This is kind of like stealing the weinermobile. Not much you can do with it other than get caught (rather quickly).
Not interested in playing hide the sausage?
I feel like at this point, unless you are in an area with Boomer\Gen-X car thieves, a manual transmission and manual choke are near perfect theft deterrents. And in the case of my Spitfire, the choke is both unlabeled and not in an obvious location. And unless the thief had driven one before, the chances of them finding reverse are about zilch too. That last is likely true of a 2CV too.
I have the same attitude about my Ural…
I have a Ural as well and totally agree with you. Even if you know how to ride a motorcycle, most people will never figure out how to get it into a forward gear. And if they don’t know what a sidecar rig is all about, they won’t make it past that first right turn!
Exactly. I remember the first time I rode it….f-ing terrifying.
LOL – I have heard sidecars make for an exceptionally interesting riding experience, but have never had the pleasure.
I’d suggest people watch the Mate Rimac commentary before commenting below. It explains a bit better why the key was in the car. I mean, dumb to keep keys in a car but this was at the factory and gets moved around a lot. Not like he was parked at burger king.
Tomorrow’s cold start;
Does anyone know where my Citroën 2CV is?
Excellent…
*tents fingers in menacing glee*
I hope no laws were broken during the chase. It all could have gotten dangerous for the uninvolved public.
Actually the guy will likely walk, and the owner could be fined if anyone really looked into it.
Under most Euro laws one can much more easily plead a joyride or borrowing the vehicle, if it wasn’t locked and the keys were inside. And in general – it makes it very difficult to prove intent of permanently depriving the owner of their vehicle, which is way easier to prove if the vehicle had to be forced open and hotwired.
It would be even more difficult to hook the thief up for anything serious if on top of that they left the car locked once they were done with it.
And adding gas is also a civic gesture. More good will in his basket.
As for the owner – by leaving the vehicle unlocked with the key inside, they make a potential weapon available, which is endangering the community. That’s usually an administrative fine.
And before we start howling – it’s not that different in some states in the US.
I don’t think jail time for this sort of thing is the answer – too expensive and too easy on the perp.
Public caning for a first offense, then remove a hand for each subsequent one. Why yes, I am indeed an “Old Testament” atheist.
He added gas because he needed to. Options: add gas or be stranded somewhere. If he washed the car, then I’d agree with you
Jason – “thief”, not “theif”.
What an odd world it must be not to be concerned about such a vehicle being stolen. I’m still mad a coworker took my company-branded Yeti tumbler two weeks ago…
I participated in a refrigerator cleanup at work last week, and one of the things we threw out was a tumbler (brand unknown). Whatever liquid it had once contained had turned into something simultaneously gooey and furry, clinging to the sides when it was tilted.
Hope that wasn’t yours. 😉