Ferrari apologises for 458 burning rubber on Great Wall of China (video)

Ferrari 458 'damaging' the Great Wall of China

Ferrari hired a section of the Great Wall of China for a publicity event, but an employee damaged the Great Wall by burning rubber in a 458 Italia.

China is a very big deal for Ferrari, as evidenced not only by rising sales but by the special editions Ferrari sells in to the burgeoning luxury car market in China, like the 458 Italia China Special Edition.

Sot it’s no surprise that Ferrari wanted to hire out a section of the Great Wall from local authorities in China for a bit of an ‘event’. A small payment of $12,000 secured a section of the iconic Great Wall for Ferrari’s use, but it all went a bit wrong when an over-enthusiastic employee from the Ferrari dealership got a bit carried away in a 458.

The resulting damage to the Great Wall was small – just burnt rubber on the surface – but the damage to Ferrari’s reputation was much greater; you can’t mess with China’s heritage.

Ferrari has been quick to apologise for the incident, although distancing itself from direct blame. A statement from Ferrari said:

Unfortunately, an employee of the dealership – not a Ferrari employee – took it upon himself to drive the car in the way that you will see in the video, with the very regrettable result that tyre marks were left on the ancient monument,” the company said in a statement.
Ferrari SpA has unreservedly apologised to the Chinese authorities and local community for any damage and offence caused, and has promised to work with the necessary officials to repair any damage caused by the negligence of this individual.

The event – to to celebrate 20 years since it sold its first car in China, a 348 TS to a buyer in Beijing – was cancelled following this silly faux pas.