More wanton automotive destruction is afoot in the Philippines. Jalopnik picked up on a story from The Philippine Star that details the death of a Ferrari 360 Spider by bulldozer – a decidedly unfitting end for the suave supercar. The news outlet also posted pictures on its Facebook page, though the sickening sound of twisted metal in the above video from GMA News is considerably more traumatic.
What is this all about? In short, the Philippine government is taking a hard stance on crime, including the illegal importing of vehicles into the country. We don't have all the info on specific rules, but apparently, fees and taxes regarding vehicle imports are rather high. In the case of this Ferrari, it was reportedly imported under the guise of being auto parts as opposed to an actual car. The video and photos show the 360 missing its front and rear fascias as well as the doors prior to being crushed. Whether this was done as part of the auto parts declaration is unclear, but in the end, it doesn't matter. The poor Ferrari never stood a chance against the dozer.
We've witnessed some very public car crushing displays from the Philippine government in the last few years. All kinds of Mercedes-Benz models and at least one Porsche 911 GT3 were some of the previous casualties, though this is the first such display that focused on a single car. Officials seek to send a stern message to smugglers that their efforts will result in the destruction of their goods, but more than a few people question the motivation behind all this. Once the vehicles are confiscated, the smugglers already lose. Why not auction these vehicles and actually do something good with the money earned?
There's no denying that this kind of grandstanding certainly garners attention. However, it's apparently having no effect on smugglers since this Ferrari is arguably the most exotic machine we've seen needlessly destroyed thus far.
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