If you’re a supercar lover of a squeamish disposition, you might want to look away now! This is a story about a beautiful blue Ferrari 360 Spider that got on the wrong side of the law in the Philippines.
What are we talking about? Well, the Philippines has a problem with crime at the moment and, as a result, the government is taking a very hard line and making examples out of anything that they can find. An illegally imported supercar is a perfect opportunity to send a message that this will not be tolerated.
Auto Parts
It would appear that the car was declared not as a car as such, but as auto parts, thus avoiding the taxes that come with imported vehicles. Tax on importing cars into the Philippines is very high, hence the trend for illegal imports such as this.
The Ferrari was ceremoniously crushed on camera, in front of the Customs Commissioner and also a close aide of the President, in a deliberately high-profile fashion. We are told that it is not the first such incident, with Mercedes and Porsche models having recently undergone the same fate, and in one case at least a number of quality vehicles were crushed in one go.
Bulldozer vs. Ferrari
The video shows a bulldozer crushing the Ferrari – which is missing its doors and other parts, although we’re unsure if this was done for the crushing or otherwise, and it is believed this is the first such crushing that focuses on one car, presumably as it is a Ferrari. In another incident, no fewer than 68 cars were crushed by the bulldozer driving over them.
We appreciate the Philippines taking a hard stance on smuggling and crime, but we raise the same question that has been asked by many others who have reported this and other similar incidents: rather than crush the cars, why not auction them and use the money to help alleviate the rampant poverty that many of the Philippines people suffer from?
Meanwhile, it’s a sad end for a beautiful car, and if you can’t bear to watch, we understand!
