A luxury auto dealer says a $420,000 Rolls-Royce Cullinan on its way to the dealership was stolen by an experienced thief, who texted the driver to drop it off at another location and sent photos admitting he had removed the vehicle’s trackers.
Stephen Waisman, the general manager of Limited Spec Automobile, said the car, a black 2022 Rolls-Royce Cullinan with white interiors, was purchased in Michigan and supposed to arrive in Miami at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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“We set up transport with a transporter we’ve used in the past,” Waisman said. “On Saturday morning around 9 a.m., the driver received a text message from a different number, stating to meet him at a different location.”
Just like that, the driver took the car to that location, instead of to Limited Spec Automobile. By the time the dealership asked the transporter about the car at 4 p.m., Waisman said, it was too late.
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“We’re like, ‘Hey, where’s my car?’... He told us, ‘Oh, we already delivered your car.' That's when we were like, what are you talking about?” Waisman said. "It was that easy to steal the car. I don't understand how the driver didn't confirm anything."
The general manager said they have exchanged messages with the phone number that reached out to their driver. It belongs to someone entirely unaffiliated with Limited Spec Automobil, Waisman said.
“This gentleman, you can tell he’s a professional,” Waisman added. “He sent us pictures of the trackers that were on the car, and he’s like, ‘I got your trackers.’”
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The Rolls-Royce was not the first vehicle to be stolen from the dealership. Waisman believes the same thieves made off with a Mercedes Maybach GLS.
The Mercedes was later recovered, but the thieves may have been caught in the act.
“When that car was stolen, the transporter took pictures, and in the background you saw the gentleman that took that car,” Waisman said. “And [the thefts] are connected to our knowledge.”
Miami-Dade County police are investigating.
Waisman also does not believe the usual safety measures taken to prevent these thefts made much of a difference–which is why it’s time for the matter to be escalated.
“I think this is an FBI matter, because this is something that’s already happening a lot, so bigger people need to get involved,” he said.
Moving forward, the general manager of Limited Spec Automobile said the business will start using bigger delivery companies, even if it costs more. They have reported the theft to the transporter's insurance company.
“At the end of the day, it’s better to make sure the car gets here safely than doesn’t get here at all,” Waisman said.
Though he believes the cars may be covered up or in a shipping container somewhere, there is still hope that they are found. Limited Spec Automobile has offered a reward of $40,000 for the missing Cullinan.
