Somewhere outside of the Prague is a police impound yard. Like thousands of other yards like it around the world, cars come and go in and out of that yard. Some are wrecked, others are stolen, some are impounded from drunks and druggies. And then there is something like this Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren which has been in the impound yard for six years and is not going anywhere fast.
The story is this. In 2009 famous Czech footballer, Tomas Repka, bought himself a toy car. That car happened to be this white Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. It was perfect – fast but relatively understated, exotic but not obnoxious. He bought it used which means he probably got a great deal on it. Except he did not.
Being a famous athlete with a new used SLR, he did the most obvious thing – he had a hot model do some kind of a photo or a video shoot with the car, because social media fame and all that. Everything seemed cool. The pictures and video went out to all the tabloids, internets, and obviously become widely shared. Because B-list celebs, bikini, and a supercar.
The pictures became very popular and were seen all over the world. One of the people seeing the pictures was a Middle East Sheikh who recognized the 617-horsepower SLR as his own. The vehicle was stolen from him some time before. It was then, supposedly, transported to Europe, laundered physically and legally, and was now in the hands of the soccer player and the silicone infused leggy girl.
Obviously the Sheikh was having none of that. The Sheikh’s people contacted the local police and an investigation was started. It was determined that the vehicle owned by Repka was indeed the same car that was stolen from the sheikh. The vehicle was then impounded. And this where things got really messy.
Because Repka financed or leased the vehicle, it is owned by a bank in Europe. The company that sold the car to Repka is obviously involved, too. The whole thing is a mess and it is moving at the snail pace of the Czech legal system. In the mean time the car is in a judicial custody and courts have yet to allow the vehicle to be released to the original owner. And so it sits there, slowly dying.
The vehicle has been in this impound yard for so long that it has become itself internet famous. Pictures of it exist in different stages of decay with various other, some exotic, machinery next to it. No one knows when it will be released, so the pictures will keep on coming.
Repka is now retired. But at the time of the photo shoot, sparks flew between Repka and the model, Vlaďka Erbová. They obviously banged, Repka got a divorce, and the two later got married. Repka, thankfully, has made enough cash to be able to afford many other exotics. I’m sure he now does more diligence in verifying his cars’ histories and probably skips on photo shoots, too.
Here is the SLR is in its better days.
Source: magazin.prodriver.cz
Impounded Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Left to Die
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11 responses to “Impounded Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Left to Die”
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How would you know that was the same car stolen from you? Are they that customized? Why did the Sheik not spot it when it went up for sale? Why are models always knock-kneed? If there were no footballers, who would models marry?
The internet is confusing.-
Let me explain:
-How would you know that was the same car stolen from you? Are they that customized?
“Hey Sheik, this car here is white and red – didn’t you have a white on red Mercedes, too?”
“Let me lo -yes! It even has the same wheels! Bring my lawyer!”
-Why did the Sheik not spot it when it went up for sale?
The footballer surely bought it from CL/CZ, or from the text-only classifieds of the local papers. Some sheiks chat czech, several strand.
-Why are models always knock-kneed?
Those knees are often the residual of former obesity, that was “healed” by anorectic disorder.
-If there were no footballers, who would models marry?
Rock stars. Oh, and sheiks.-
I can model like she does.
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Wow. That’s a crazy situation. My major takeaway, though, is WHY is that car still sitting out in that lot?? It seems that it has been established and agreed upon that this car is, in fact, the same one that was stolen from the Sheikh in question. Given that, no matter what other legal jiggery-pokery was involved, how many resellers/banks/shell companies/whatever participated in this, etc., should the logical action not be to return the car to the Sheikh, who has been established as its rightful owner? Maybe once the rest of this mess sorts itself out, he can then pursue some sort of legal action against whatever entity/entities are found to be at fault, but in the meantime, that’s his property, and it should be in his possession, not sitting there decaying while bureaucrats figure out all the whys and wherefores. Maybe I’m being naive or missing something, but this just makes me frustrated for him. If I were that car’s owner, I’d be MAD.
…of course, in this particular case, if I were that car’s owner, I’d also be a presumably-very-rich Sheikh, so perhaps I’d be more willing to shrug it off. Doesn’t make it right, though.-
Might well be that he owns the bank that leased out the car – he’d pay forfeit to himself, plus taxes. Or, along your last §, he’d already ordered the Sterling Moss edition, and silver is looking so much better on red interior.
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The sheikh is probably so rich that he could just afford to buy another one. Anyway, if it had been insured, the sheikh would have been made whole, and the ownership of the vehicle, when located, would transfer to the insurer.
It is a shame, though, that it’s sitting in a field. As valuable as it is, it should be stored indoors – you would think that the government entity (city of Prague?) has some place like a facilities warehouse where it could sit, instead of being out in the elements.-
I once towed cars for the City of Milwaukee. All cars 36 months old and newer went in a warehouse.
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“…understated, exotic but not obnoxious.”
Yeah. That’s the ticket. -
“…understated, exotic but not obnoxious.”
That’s the ticket. -
And, looking at the pictures of that model on Google, those things are definitely fake. I just don’t get why women do that. I’ll bet they were decent, even before the work.
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Maybe deliberately sized to be attractive to football players?
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