ROME -- Italian investigators said on Tuesday they had foiled a plot to steal the body of legendary Formula One racing pioneer Enzo Ferrari and demand a ransom.

Ferrari, founder of the company that produces some of the world's fastest and most expensive cars, died in 1988 at the age of 90 after making the company's prancing horse logo an internationally recognized brand.

Police in Nuoro on the island of Sardinia told a news conference they suspected that a gang had planned to demand a ransom from the Ferrari family or company after spiriting away the body.

They gave no further details about the plot but said it was discovered during an investigation into arms and drug trafficking that led to a number of arrests.

Ferrari is buried in an above-ground family tomb in the San Cataldo cemetery in Modena, near the Ferrari plant at Maranello in central Italy.