The Newshound

Williams F1 sues Telford garage owner for £1m after Ralf Schumacher race car vanishes on loan

From the Newshound archive · first published 7 October 2026.

Peter Thorpe, the former Autotech director who denies knowing the whereabouts of a historic Williams F1 car worth £750,000, citing memory loss following a stroke.
Peter Thorpe, the former Autotech director who denies knowing the whereabouts of a historic Williams F1 car worth £750,000, citing memory loss following a stroke.

Peter Thorpe, 58, faces a High Court lawsuit over the £750,000 Williams FW23 — one of only nine ever built — which disappeared after being loaned to his Shropshire firm Autotech Performance Ltd in 2015. Williams sought the car's return in 2021 but received no response; Autotech has since entered liquidation and been wound up. Thorpe, now reportedly living abroad, says he has no idea of the car's whereabouts and suffers memory problems following a stroke.

The FW23 was driven by Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya during Williams's 2001 World Championship campaign.

Williams's lawyers allege Thorpe had the car removed and wrongly told liquidators he personally owned it.

Thorpe denies ever claiming ownership — 'because he knew this to be untrue' — and says the car was still at the site on his last visit in summer 2021.

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