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Williams Begins £1 Million Legal Case over Missing FW23 F1 Car
Williams says the rare FW23 vanished after a 2015 loan to Autotech, and it is seeking the car’s return or more than £1 million.
- British Formula One team Williams has launched a High Court case against former Autotech Performance Ltd director Peter Thorpe, seeking return of a historic car or payment exceeding £1 million after it vanished from a Telford garage.
- In 2015, Williams agreed to loan the FW23 chassis to Autotech under the "Historic Car Loan Agreement," but the car went missing after the garage entered liquidation in 2021.
- Williams' legal team alleges Thorpe "wrongfully claimed" ownership to liquidators, but Thorpe, who suffered a stroke in 2018, denies saying he owned the car "because he knew this to be untrue" and disputes the £750,000 valuation.
- Legal proceedings are active at London's High Court, where Williams seeks the car or more than £1 million, while Thorpe's defence maintains he does not know the car's location or remember speaking to the valuer.
- The vehicle is one of only nine FW23 models produced by Williams, used by Ralph Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya during the 2001 World Championship, and remains part of the manufacturer's unique collection of "heritage cars.
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Leaning Left3Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Center
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
L 38%
C 50%
12%
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