Stay of execution: Ferari, Lambo and Porsche escape Philippine crusher
The exotic cars caught up in the Philippine smuggling controversy from Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, and others were spared due to pending legal action. The owners of those high-end rides are hoping the legal system can help them regain their cars. Standing firm on her plan to crush the cars to discourage the rampant skirting of the law and smuggling of goods, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo went ahead with automotive destruction as planned, while the exotics sat out this round.
It didn't turn out to be quite the example-setting display of authority that President Arroyo had hoped. She didn't show - her backup helicopter was suffering a mechanical malady - and the officials that did attend took a few hours to get their act together and decide to smoosh some vehicles in the name of deterring smuggling. 18 vehicles eventually met the business end of a trio of backhoes, sending the message that Arroyo would rather forego the estimated $2 million US dollars the cars would have brought at auction. Instead of a multi-million dollar windfall, it looks like there's a new environmentally hazardous site at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority's impound, and the cars will be sold for scrap for the paltry sum of 150,000 Philippine pesos, a little more than $3,200. Finance secretary Margarito Teves acknowledged that the government would be foregoing revenues to send an anti-smuggling message.
Thanks for the tip, Alex!
[Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer via Autojab]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kyle J. Krenz 2:46PM (8/17/2007)
In the headline, you misspelt Ferrari. Just a pointer.
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StinkyPete 3:22PM (8/17/2007)
Why don't they just crush the smugglers they catch? Why do these innocent cars and the environment have to suffer?!
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Chris 3:39PM (8/17/2007)
What kind of message does this send, exactly?
That a government is too stupid to realize an opportunity to make some money at auction? These cars were seized from smugglers who received no money for them.
Anti-smuggling? How is this going to stop a smuggler? Either a) they're getting caught, the government is taking their car and selling it at auction, or b) they're getting caught, the government is destroying their car, and not taking any money for it.
Either way, they're getting caught!
Now, I'm no greenie, but the government is creating an almost useless shell of a car that is an environmental hazard.
Smart. Real smart.
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thesawzall 3:51PM (8/17/2007)
The great thing about the Philippines is that there seem to be no car junkyards. Instead shadetree mechanics in each town keep the old junkers running. I guess that's why they're using backhoes to crush these.
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tony2x 4:16PM (8/17/2007)
The article itself mentions the Toyota Estima and the BMW X7. I know the Philippines is a reasonably poor country but i'm not sure if even there a rubbish mid-90s mini-van qualifies as a "prestige car". The X7? Do they know something we don't? :)
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Nico 5:15PM (8/17/2007)
I doubt that the smugglers care about what happens to the cars after they are caught and the cars are impounded by the government.
I second StinkyPete's call to crush the smugglers instead.
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kballs 5:40PM (8/17/2007)
Don't they know they're supposed to drain the fluids and remove the batteries before crushing? They're lucky they didn't get a spark lighting up the whole pile (it looks like gasoline is leaking out of the X5 in the picture)... but that would probably be better for the environment than letting it all leak into the ground as-is.
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bmw D 11:06PM (8/17/2007)
I guess it was too hard to sell them to and then utilize that money to help some of the country's people in need. Yeah, thats a smart president!
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nosmas 4:59AM (8/18/2007)
Yeah, 2 mil might not go far in the US, but it could help ALOT of poor people in the Philippines.
Philip 11:07PM (8/17/2007)
It looks like they have more money than sense.
The Estima is basically a Previa from what I understand.
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Chris G. 12:31AM (8/18/2007)
What a waste.
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