Philippines Customs Crushed A McLaren 620R, $1.2 Million in Cars

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softail
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This display of destruction is the latest in an oddly long lineage of spectacular public crushing of illegally imported cars. In this case, the Bureau of Customs in the Philippines crushed a total of $1.2 million in cars over two separate incidents. One featured 14 Mitsubishi Jeeps, while the other starred seven cars headlined by the McLaren. 

This particular crushing is part of a lasting campaign to crack down on illegal car importation, an issue apparently very close to the heart of Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte. He ordered a similar crushing in 2018, an event that involved a tractor driving over a startling $8 million of cars in a monster truck-like exhibition of punishment. This particular crushing is less destructive, but there is something particularly cruel about smashing the roof of each car individually for the sole purpose of destroying something.

That is the point, of course. All the smashing is meant to discourage importation by showing that the end result for anyone who tries is a car crushed in front of them for the whole world to see.

The Philippines Bureau of Customs notes that the crushing also involved the destruction of a Lotus, a Bentley, a 911, an SLK, a Genesis Coupe, and, somehow, a Solara convertible. But the track-focused 620R is by far the most rare thing crushed. Just 350 were produced, and the loss of this one means that number is down even further.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a36765968/philippines-customs-crushed-a-mclaren-620r-dollar12-million-in-cars/

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Old55
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Softail, could it be those vehicles were stolen from another country? Once they were intercepted by customs perhaps Interpol was informed and they requested they be destroyed? Just a wild guess on my part?

On the other hand it is Philippines..... :whatever:

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softail
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37 minutes ago, Old55 said:

Softail, could it be those vehicles were stolen from another country? Once they were intercepted by customs perhaps Interpol was informed and they requested they be destroyed? Just a wild guess on my part?

On the other hand it is Philippines..... :whatever:

i have no doubt but what you are right. It would be nice if, in fact they are stolen, that they would contact the owner and give them the option to pay to have them shipped back home.

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Shady
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Seems a better idea would be to auction them off, but that would break another weird rule that cars imported into the PH can't be sold for 3 years.

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OnMyWay
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3 hours ago, Old55 said:

Softail, could it be those vehicles were stolen from another country? Once they were intercepted by customs perhaps Interpol was informed and they requested they be destroyed? Just a wild guess on my part?

On the other hand it is Philippines..... :whatever:

 

2 hours ago, Shady said:

Seems a better idea would be to auction them off, but that would break another weird rule that cars imported into the PH can't be sold for 3 years.

Not stolen.  This is a Duterte thing.  When they first started, I remembered reading something about how he thought this way would avoid corruption being involved if they tried to sell them.

That may be true, but it would be easy to have a plan to sell them on the condition they are legally exported to another country by the buyer.  The original illegal import would still feel the same pain financially and sure they would be heavily fined.

How many vaccines could that money buy?  How many people could it feed?

 

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Snowy79
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He's probably increased the value of the remaining McLaren 620Rs by a substantial amount. 

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graham59
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More idiocy.

There are people here in need of money and government services...vaccines even.

Please start using your intelligence, government. :rolleyes:

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Dave Hounddriver
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13 hours ago, softail said:

He ordered a similar crushing in 2018

Sohe gets the "sound bite" then nothing changes and it is business as usual for 3 years.  Now he has done another bit of drama the illegal importers can feel confident they are good for another 3 years or so,

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Dave Hounddriver
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15 hours ago, Shady said:

Seems a better idea would be to auction them off

They used to do that but that is what the customs corrupt count on.  They allow the cars in, have an auction and arrange who will get the cars at a good price then pocket the profits.  The only way to beat that is to crush the source of the corrupt profits.

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hk blues
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7 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

  The only way to beat that is to crush the source of the corrupt profits.

Agreed.

The argument that ill-gotten gains should be sold off and the income used for good causes is noble but... 

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