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For six years, Czech police have been on the trail of a mysterious racing car driver who brazenly sped down highways in a Formula One-style vehicle, eluding capture at every turn. On Sunday morning, that long-running chase finally came to an end.
The bizarre case began in 2019, when police first received footage of a striking red racing car driving illegally along the D4 highway, which connects Prague to Southern Bohemia. The vehicle’s high speeds, combined with its resemblance to a Formula One car, instantly drew public and police attention. But despite repeated sightings and more footage emerging in later years, officers were unable to identify the driver. Each time he appeared, he wore a full-face helmet, concealing his identity and adding to his reputation as a “phantom” motorist.
That reputation cracked on Sunday at 8:15 a.m. when a caller reported the unusual car parked at a gas station near Dobříš, about 25 miles southwest of Prague. Just two minutes later, another driver phoned police to say the car had left the station and was racing southbound on the D4 toward Příbram.
The response was swift. Several patrols, backed by a police helicopter, were deployed. Within 15 minutes, the driver was located in the village of Buk, roughly 11 miles from the initial sighting. Officers apprehended a 51-year-old man behind the wheel. He tested negative for alcohol and drugs but refused to comment during questioning. His name has not been released.
Video shared on social media, reportedly by the driver and his son, shows police towing the car into a courtyard as the man protests. He can be heard accusing police of trespassing on private property and even phoning police headquarters in defiance of the officers at the scene. The standoff dragged on for nearly ten minutes before he finally exited the vehicle and was escorted away.
The racing car, while described as a Ferrari by its owners, was identified by online commentators as a Dallara GP vehicle. Either way, its presence on Czech roads was strictly illegal. According to a police press release, cars of this type cannot be registered for road use as they lack essential safety features such as headlights, turn signals, license plates, and even basic crash protections. Their sharp edges and high speeds pose dangers not only to the driver but to all other road users.
The case has now been passed to an administrative body that will determine the penalty. The offense carries a fine of 5,000 to 10,000 Czech koruna ($240–$480) and a driving ban lasting six months to one year.
After years of evasion, the “phantom” racer’s reckless joyrides appear to be over—though the unusual saga has already cemented itself as one of the strangest chapters in recent Czech traffic policing.
