In love and war, it’s always the innocent that suffer. In this case, that suffering befalls a LaFerrari that’s been confined in a South African warehouse since 2014. If that’s not bad enough, word on the street is that this exceptionally rare hypercar will likely be crushed by the South African government.
Fin24 reports that the owner of this multi-million pound Ferrari failed to follow the proper procedures for importing the vehicle back in 2014, including paying duties and taxes. Apparently the owner took no action for three years, until filing export papers in February to take it to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The car was then released to the owner where it exited the country through the Beitbridge border crossing. It would need to travel through Zambia and Zimbabwe before reaching Congo.
As much as we’d like to end the story there, said owner then attempted to bring the car back into South Africa through the same border crossing. Considering only a day (yes, one day) had passed since he took the car out, authorities suspected something fishy.
The South African Revenue Service then seized the Ferrari and served the owner with a letter of intent. The contents of that letter are unknown, but according to Car Buzz, the next stop for the LaFerrari will be the crusher if the owner cannot justify importing the car.
We have no idea why paying the required fees was such an issue for someone who could afford a seven-figure Ferrari. Perhaps the owner should've been satisfied with a 1:8 scale model LaFerrari if customs and duties were going to be such a fiasco.
Only 500 LaFerraris were built, so perhaps that can be the justification South African authorities need to save this one from oblivion. We’re certainly hoping for the best.
Gallery: Ferrari LaFerrari
