The mother-in-law of Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has been kidnapped in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the daily Globo reports. Aparecida Schunck Flosi Palmeira, 67, was reportedly seized by unknown assailants in Sao Paulo last Friday.
Reports claim the kidnappers have contacted the family and are demanding a ransom of 28 million pounds, or approximately $36.5 million, to be paid in pounds sterling and to be provided in four bags. The Telegraph notes this is the largest-ever ransom demand in the country's history.
Police have not commented on the reported kidnapping.
Schunck is the mother of Ecclestone's wife, Fabiana Flosi, whom he met in 2009 and married in 2012 after divorcing Slavica Radic after 23 years. Flosi lives in London, though her mother is said to keep a home south of Sao Paulo, from where she was reportedly abducted.
Kidnappings of wealthy individuals are relatively common in Brazil and have seen a surge amid the country's economic crisis, worsened by the 2016 Olympics. Still, the types of kidnappings that involve an abduction are less common; in most cases, victims are driven by criminals to get cash out of an ATM.
In 2010, Formula 1 driver Jenson Button escaped an attack in Sao Paulo after gunmen approached his car in heavy traffic. Button was returning from practice with three others in an armored Mercedes-Benz B-Class provided by McLaren. Gunmen approached his car and displayed a pistol as it was sitting in traffic, prompting his armed driver to make a hasty and successful getaway.
Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum. Despite being followed around by French cars for the past decade, he has somehow been able to avoid Citroën ownership, judging them too commonplace, and is currently looking at cars from the former Czechoslovakia. Jay has been with Autoweek since 2013.
