A Ferrari Mondial that was reported missing 26 years ago and was accidentally fished out of the IJ by the Amsterdam police in mid-July, is being demolished after all. An attempt by the wrecker to save the car by displaying the vehicle in the aquarium at Artis Zoo has failed.
Demolitioner Lowie Hoedt Jr of car dismantling company De Ooyevaar had been ordered by the police to destroy the 1987 Ferrari Mondial, but postponed the demolition. Hats Jr. could not get it “in his heart” not to return the car to Amsterdam. According to him, a place in Artis’s aquarium was ideal, because part of the stay is dedicated to Amsterdam’s underwater life. The police were also prepared to make an exception.
However, the location of the Ferrari depended on the zoo’s renovation plans. These have been put on hold due to the corona crisis, because Artis misses a lot of income and is heading for a million deficit, other media reported earlier.
Photo: Lowie Hoedt jr.
“We cannot wait any longer. We do not know when the renovations will be over, that could take another year,” said the demolisher in conversation with NU.nl. According to Hoedt Jr. it is now ‘100 percent certain’ that the car will be taken apart. Artis was not available for comment on Thursday.
De Ooyevaar was inundated with reactions in mid-July after reports came out about the possible demolition of the car. However, no one could tell how and why the car ended up in the IJ. The police pulled him out of the mud with great difficulty, after which it was determined that the Ferrari had been stolen. The crime was time barred.