Williams Racing, a British Formula 1 team, is suing Peter Thorpe, former owner of Autotech Performance Ltd, for £1 million over a historic FW23 racing car valued at £750,000 that vanished after being loaned out to the garage in 2015. The lawsuit claims Thorpe removed the car from the premises and falsely claimed ownership during liquidation proceedings, though he denies wrongdoing and states he cannot recall telling anyone he owned the vehicle or where it is now.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Williams F1 team is suing Peter Thorpe, former owner of Autotech Performance Ltd, for £1 million over the disappearance of a historic racing car. The FW23, valued at £750,000, was loaned to Autotech in 2015 to be displayed as a showpiece at their garage in Telford. However, when Williams requested its return six years later, they received no response. Autotech has since gone into liquidation and been dissolved. Williams alleges that Thorpe removed the car from the garage after claiming ownership of it personally during liquidation proceedings, despite not actually owning it. Thorpe denies these claims, stating he never told anyone he owned the car because "he knew this to be untrue," and also says he does not know where the car is due to memory issues following a stroke.
Written for “Williams F1 Lawsuit Over Car Vanishing” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
British F1 team Williams is suing a garage owner for £1million after a historic Grand Prix car they loaned to him vanished.
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they → sue → him
The £750,000 FW23 – driven by 2001 World Championship drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya – was lent to Autotech Performance Ltd in 2015 to become a showpiece at the firm's garage in Telford.
But Williams received no response when it asked for the car – only one of nine manufactured – to be returned six years later.
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car → drive → nine
Autotech has since gone into liquidation and been dissolved.
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Autotech → go → liquidation
The iconic racing firm is now demanding that the garage's former owner and shareholder, Peter Thorpe, either return the car or pay £1million in a High Court lawsuit.
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owner → demand → lawsuit
Lawyers for Williams claim that the businessman has had the car removed from the garage, having wrongly claimed to his company's liquidators that he is the owner of it personally.
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he → claim → it
But Mr Thorpe, 58, who says he now lives abroad, is fighting the claim, insisting in his defence that he never told anyone that he owned the car, 'because he knew this to be untrue'.
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this → say → car
He claims that he doesn't know where the car is and has a poor memory after suffering a stroke.
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car → claim → stroke
Williams' £750,000 FW23 - driven by 2001 World Championship drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya - was lent to Autotech Performance Ltd in 2015
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FW23 → drive → 2015
The F1 team is now suing the Autotech's former owner Peter Thorpe (pictured) for £1m after the car 'vanished'.
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car → sue → m
Mr Thorpe is fighting against the claim
Mr Thorpe added that he cannot remember speaking to liquidators and that the car was still on site the last time he went there in the summer of 2021 before the company was dissolved.
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company → fight → 2021
Setting out the claim in its case papers, Williams' barrister Richard Clegg said: 'The car is part of the claimant's unique collection of its own heritage cars, the use or sale of which it strictly controls inter alia to ensure so far as possible that they are preserved.
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they → set → alia
In 2015, the claimant agreed to loan the car to Autotech on the terms of a document entitled "Historic Car Loan Agreement" which terms were known and agreed to by Autotech.'
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terms → agree → Autotech
He said Autotech had been allowed to keep the car until October 2021 when Williams wrote to the firm seeking to inspect it and terminating the loan, but received no reply.
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Williams → say → reply
He said Mr Thorpe had 'wrongfully claimed' to a valuer involved in Autotech's liquidation that he was the rightful owner of the car, having bought it himself.
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he → say → it
'The car remained at the premises at all material times until the voluntary liquidation of Autotech...On a date unknown after the commencement of Autotech's voluntary liquidation, or thereabouts, the car was removed from the premises,' he continued.
'
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he → remain → premises
When the liquidators contacted the defendant about the whereabouts of the car, the defendant claimed that he had moved abroad to work and would refer the matter to his legal representatives in the UK.
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he → contact → UK
However, Duncan MacPherson, for Mr Thorpe, said the business leader does not know where the car is and denies claiming to own it, since he cannot now remember speaking to the valuer.
'
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he → say → valuer
He does not know who in fact owned the car then or now.
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who → know → car
The defendant closed the business of Autotech on 30 June 2021.
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defendant → close → June
The defendant suffered a stroke on 7 October 2018 that caused him cognitive impairment,' he said.
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he → suffer → impairment
The defendant admits that the car was at the premises on 8 August 2021, but does not admit whether it remained there until December 2021, because this lies outside his knowledge.
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this → admit → knowledge
The defendant did not return to the premises after 30 June 2021 except to attend for the valuation of Autotech assets by C & K Recoveries Ltd on 8 August 2021.
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defendant → return → August
He said he 'believes that he has not told anyone that he owned the car, because he knew this to be untrue' and that the car could have been removed at some point after he last attended and before the liquidation.
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he → say → liquidation
He said Williams is not entitled to any order against him, while also disputing the alleged £750,000 value, claiming that the vehicle was a show car without an engine.
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vehicle → say → engine
Williams' claim against Mr Thorpe was filed at the High Court in London, but the case has not yet gone before a judge for a full trial.
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case → file → trial
A Williams spokesperson said: 'We have initiated proceedings to recover a car that was lent to a third party and not returned to us.
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that → say → us
As the proceedings are active we will make no further comment but have full faith in the legal system to resolve this matter.'
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we → make → matter
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