Job Seeker Steals Bugatti CEO’s £2m Car After Finding Keys Inside

A man who reportedly visited the headquarters of luxury car manufacturer Bugatti in search of employment allegedly drove away in the company chief executive’s £2 million sports car after discovering that its keys had been left inside.

The incident involved Mate Rimac, the Croatian businessman and chief executive of Bugatti, whose personal Bugatti Chiron was stolen from the company’s production and technology campus near Zagreb, Croatia.

The suspect, a Croatian man in his mid-30s, reportedly entered the facility looking for a job before spotting the high-performance vehicle with its keys inside and driving away.

Rimac disclosed the incident in a series of posts on Instagram, explaining that he had routinely left the keys inside his vehicles because he considered Croatia a safe place.

He admitted that the habit had continued for years without any incident until the Chiron disappeared.

The theft was discovered after an employee alerted colleagues that an unfamiliar person had driven away in the expensive vehicle.

Rimac immediately contacted the police and used the car’s built-in tracking and telemetry system to monitor its movements.

The tracking technology provided information about the vehicle’s location, speed and fuel level, allowing the Bugatti team to follow its journey and share updates with law enforcement officers.

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After discovering that the stolen vehicle was heading towards Slovenia, Rimac jumped into a Porsche 911 and pursued it.

The pursuit continued across borders, with the Chiron eventually reaching Austria. Rimac and his team maintained communication with the police through a group chat, providing updates that helped Austrian officers locate and intercept the vehicle.

The suspect was subsequently arrested in Austria, where Rimac later met him at a police station.

According to the Bugatti boss, the man explained that he had initially visited the company’s premises to seek employment but decided to take the car after noticing that its keys were inside.

Rimac said he was not planning to press charges against the suspect. However, he acknowledged that the man could still face prosecution because of the high value of the stolen vehicle.

The CEO also revealed that he had considered giving the suspect a lift home to his family but police officers did not allow him to do so.

The recovered Chiron sustained some damage during the incident, although Rimac said it could be repaired.

The businessman thanked the Austrian police for their intervention, saying he was relieved that nobody was injured during the incident.

He also admitted that the experience had taught him an expensive lesson, promising never again to leave the keys inside his vehicles.

The Bugatti Chiron, unveiled in 2016, is one of the world’s most powerful luxury hypercars. The model has a starting price of about €2.4 million, equivalent to approximately £2 million, and a manufacturer-limited top speed of 420 kilometres per hour.

Bugatti operates under Bugatti Rimac, a joint venture in which Rimac Group holds a majority stake.

The unusual theft has attracted international attention because of the vehicle’s value, the suspect’s reported reason for visiting the facility and the extraordinary cross-border pursuit involving the Bugatti chief executive.