Ferrari Damages Ancient Chinese Wall During Publicity Stunt [Video]

Someone at Ferrari decided that it would be a good idea to have one of its cars drive on top of an ancient wall in China. Unsurprisingly, Chinese citizens are furious now that Nanjing’s centuries-old city wall has tire tracks all over it.

The AFP reports that a domestic sales agent decided to have one of the cars driven on top of the ancient wall for a promotional event. The stunt left possible permanent damage to the wall, as well as Ferrari’s image.

The BBC reports that a crane hoisted the Ferrari up onto the wall. The car then drove over the ancient bricks, doing burnouts and 360 degree turns. The following day, Ferrari tried in vain to scrub the wall clean.

One Nanjing resident said:

“We cannot tolerate that Ferrari used the ancient city gate to make a show and ruined it. If you do not respect the city, you do not deserve to stay here.”

The BBC notes that Ferrari shouldn’t be receiving all of the blame for the incident. City officials reportedly agreed to the stunt for $8000. Nanjing Cultural Relics Bureau Captain Wu Jing denied that Ferrari was given permission for the stunt. Jing said:

“No enterprise or individual is allowed to use the city ramparts in Nanjing for commercial purposes.”

The damaged section of the wall dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1369-1644).

Ferrari has apologized for the stunt, saying:

“Ferrari has always respected Chinese traditional culture and values the protection of historical and cultural relics… Ferrari deeply regrets the incident.”