Getting your car stolen is horrible. It’s probably a lot worse when the car gets stolen from inside your garage. But the caper that takes the cake took place a few days ago in Balywn North, a suburb of the Australian city of Melbourne. A bulletin posted by the Victoria Police indicates that while a family slept, a car thief sneaked onto the premises, making off with four extremely cool and a couple very high-profile cars, including the family’s 2024 BMW M3 Touring and 2011 BMW 135i. The cars are still missing as of this writing.
While the car collection is impressive, and we’ll get there, the crime itself is unique, too. Police claim that the perpetrator gained entrance to the property at around 1:30 AM. They stole four sets of car keys, a wallet, and headphones. Over the next three hours, the thief removed each car one by one from the garage and carport. All while the family slept.
Two BMWs, a Ferrari, and a Benz
While we’re most interested in the M3 Touring — verboten in these parts — and the excellent to drive 135i, we’d be remiss not to mention the other two cars. The first and most high profile is a 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista coupe sporting a black and white stripe. That’s an uncommon car with an uncommon configuration — and likely underselling it. The other car is a bit more of a sleeper, a 2009 Mercedes-Benz AMG CLS 63. Parts sharing with the contemporary E63, the CLS63 is an arguably more stylish but objectively less practical version of that same car. A throaty 6.3-liter V8 delivers prodigious power and an excellent soundtrack.
Meanwhile, police describe the M3 Touring as “green/teal.” Pictures seem to suggest Isle of Man Green, but it could be something else from the Individual program. The 2011 BMW 135i wears paint classified as “black,” and unfortunately, we don’t even get a picture of that one. The 2011 135i marked a changeover for the BMW E82 1 Series. It was the first model year to rely on the N55 engine, replacing the N54 twin-turbo unit. It also was one of a handful of sporty non-M models that got a dual-clutch automatic transmission optional. Whether you got the six-speed manual or DCT, the 135i’s a hidden gem in BMW’s late 2000s offerings.
We are not sure we would be able to sleep through a G81 M3 cold start if it was nearby. But we don’t know what the property looked like or how far exactly it was parked away from the bedrooms. We’re nearly certain we wouldn’t be able to sleep through a 488 Pista startup. Regardless, if you have any information, contact Australia’s Crime Stoppers at 1800 333 000 or submit a report online via their website.
More information: Victoria Police
