Ferrari automobiles founder Enzo Ferrari has been resting peacefully in a tomb in Modena, Italy, for nearly 30 years, and will continue to do so after police foiled an elaborate plot to steal his casket and remains.
Thirty four people were arrested in the bust this week. The accused belonged to the Anonima Sequestri, a Sardinian criminal organization that has a history of kidnap-for-ransom crimes.
Italian State Police say the group wanted to steal Ferrari’s casket, which contains his body, and then blackmail the Ferrari family for its return.
CNN has reached out to the Ferrari family for comment.
The would-be robbers should have known Ferraris at rest tend to be difficult marks: In 1977, notorious Beverly Hills socialite Sandra West was buried in the front seat of her beloved powder blue 1964 Ferrari 250GT. She’s not going anywhere, either — to deter car thieves, the whole display was entombed in solid concrete.
And, if you are going to steal a Ferrari (human or automobile) it sometimes ends up six feet under anyway. In 1978, a Ferrari Dino 246 GTS that was stolen four years prior was found buried, inexplicably, in a California backyard. It was restored and ran for decades afterward.
That’s a much better crime story than simple casket theft and extortion, if we’re being honest.
