Luxury carmaker Ferrari has come under fire in China after one of its cars was filmed performing wheel spins on an ancient city wall in the town of Nanjng.
The car was lifted by crane onto the 600-year-old wall, where it performed 360-degree spins, leaving black tire marks on the surface of the historical structure.
According to Ferrari, the car, a limited edition Ferrari 458 Italia worth some six million Yuan (US$950,000) was being driven by an employee of the local Ferrari dealership, not one of its own staff, when it drove over the monument.
Local residents are furious that Ferrari was allowed to drive the car on the wall, and that local authorities apparently gave their consent for the stunt, which took place shortly before a planned event celebrating 20 years since Ferrari entered the Chinese market. The event was subsequently cancelled following public outcry when a video of the stunt was posted online.
Nanjing Cultural Relics Bureau Captain Wu Jing told the BBC: “No enterprise or individual is allowed to use the city ramparts in Nanjing for commercial purposes.
"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.
"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,” he added.
Anger was also attributed to the growing divide between China’s rich and poor. According to the BBC, the word Ferrari has now been blocked on Chinese microblogs.
The limited edition Ferrari 458 Italia was being launched in China to celebrate 20 years since Ferrari entered the China market, where 20 of the cars will go on sale.
