20th anniversary: The most famous unknown car in Switzerland
In the newly opened Museum of Communication, there is a Fiat Fiorino that is half black. At first glance, it looks unspectacular—but behind it lies Switzerland’s biggest con story.
On the morning of September 1, 1997, a small white Fiat Fiorino delivery van pulls into the driveway of Zurich's Fraumünster post office. A Telecom sticker, post office license plates and an employee ID card clear the way to the courtyard, making the biggest robbery in Swiss history possible. Five unmasked men jump out of the car, wave pistols around and pack boxes into the Fiat Fiorino in the courtyard. A short time later, the packed Fiat roars out of the courtyard again - with 53,000,000 francs on board. The mail robbers leave further boxes containing 17 million francs because there is no more room for them in the small vehicle.
However, it soon becomes clear that the coup of the century is no masterpiece. The perpetrators leave behind numerous traces. Even the attempt to burn out the vehicle used in the crime fails miserably - what remains is a charred Fiat Fiorino, an important lead for the investigating officers. A short time later, four of the bank robbers were caught, the fifth remained missing for 15 months. In the end, love led him to make crucial mistakes that led to his arrest. However, a large part of the 53 million remains missing.
After the investigation was completed, the Fiat Fiorino was added to the collection of the Museum of Communication. Anyone who wants to see the getaway car from this unique story can do so since August 19, 2017 at the completely renewed Museum of Communication will do. "A museum tells stories and this charred car has plenty of them," says museum director Jacqueline Strauss. "It therefore quickly became clear that we wanted to show this unique piece in the new core exhibition."
