Wealthy Parisian Nearly Loses His Maserati
Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 5:05 am
Wealthy Parisian Nearly Loses His Car
LONDON — When authorities towed a $160,000, limited edition Maserati from the streets of London, they assumed the car's owner would show up to pay his many parking tickets and unpaid congestion charge fines.
But Bertrand Des Pallieres, a wealthy Parisian, didn't claim his Maserati Cambiocorsa for three months - and then only because the Evening Standard newspaper tracked him down and told him the car was about to be auctioned.
Des Pallieres, 39, was quoted by the paper on Tuesday as saying he quit Deutsche Bank with two colleagues in April to set up their own hedge fund, and was so busy traveling the world to raise money that he didn't have time to worry about the car when it was towed in May.
He said he also didn't have a secretary at the time to look after his life's "domestic things" - such as the approximately $10,000 he reportedly owes in unpaid parking tickets, congestion charges and a road tax,
"Normally when the owners of towed cars ignore letters warning about the fines they owe, the vehicles are destroyed or auctioned in about two weeks," Tim Cowen, spokesman for NCP Services, the towing company, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.
"But in this case the car was so valuable government officials asked specialist car dealers to value it and consider selling it. But the owner contacted us today - probably after seeing the Evening Standard article. Assuming he pays the fines, he should get the car back soon," Cowen said.
Source: http://wral.com/news/national_world/wor ... y/1727221/
LONDON — When authorities towed a $160,000, limited edition Maserati from the streets of London, they assumed the car's owner would show up to pay his many parking tickets and unpaid congestion charge fines.
But Bertrand Des Pallieres, a wealthy Parisian, didn't claim his Maserati Cambiocorsa for three months - and then only because the Evening Standard newspaper tracked him down and told him the car was about to be auctioned.
Des Pallieres, 39, was quoted by the paper on Tuesday as saying he quit Deutsche Bank with two colleagues in April to set up their own hedge fund, and was so busy traveling the world to raise money that he didn't have time to worry about the car when it was towed in May.
He said he also didn't have a secretary at the time to look after his life's "domestic things" - such as the approximately $10,000 he reportedly owes in unpaid parking tickets, congestion charges and a road tax,
"Normally when the owners of towed cars ignore letters warning about the fines they owe, the vehicles are destroyed or auctioned in about two weeks," Tim Cowen, spokesman for NCP Services, the towing company, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.
"But in this case the car was so valuable government officials asked specialist car dealers to value it and consider selling it. But the owner contacted us today - probably after seeing the Evening Standard article. Assuming he pays the fines, he should get the car back soon," Cowen said.
Source: http://wral.com/news/national_world/wor ... y/1727221/