The team has filed a claim against the former owner of a British garage to which it lent the car for display in 2015. Williams says it received no response to a request for its return. The defendant denies the allegations and says he does not know where the car is.
The dispute concerns a rare FW23, one of only nine examples made. Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya drove the car during the 2001 Formula One season. Williams values it at £750,000 and is seeking its return or compensation and related costs.
The car was lent in 2015 to Autotech Performance Ltd for display at the company’s garage in Telford. In October 2021, Williams asked to inspect it and terminated the loan agreement. The team says it received no response. Autotech was later liquidated and dissolved.
Williams alleges the car disappeared after the liquidation process began. The team says former Autotech owner Peter Thorpe told a valuer that he personally owned the vehicle. The claim also alleges Thorpe removed the FW23 or arranged for it to be removed. Those are allegations, not findings by a court.
Thorpe denies the claims and says he does not know where the car is. His lawyer, Duncan MacPherson, said Thorpe closed the business in June 2021 and suffered cognitive impairment after a stroke in 2018. Thorpe says he last saw the FW23 on August 8, 2021, when the company’s assets were being valued.
Thorpe does not admit that the car remained at the garage after that date and denies claiming ownership. His defence also disputes the car’s valuation, saying it was a show car without an engine.
The claim is before the High Court in London. A full trial has not yet taken place. Williams said it has faith in the legal system to resolve the dispute.