You might want to read this one sitting down. As this gorgeous red LaFerrari you see here is destined for the crusher. According to Fin24, on a fateful day back in 2014, the owner attempted to bring the LaFerrari into South Africa. Inexplicably, he failed to cough up the cash for customs duty and VAT. So the Italian hypercar was held in a bonded warehouse where it has remained for the past three years waiting for the owner to pay the necessary fees for its release.

Presumably it's taken that long for the owner to hatch a plot to get his ride without having to pay up. As in February this year, he made a daring attempt to get the LaFerrari into South Africa. Declaring the car was to be exported to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Ferrari was released and allowed to exit South Africa through the Beitbridge border post in the north of the country, where it would then have made its way across Zimbabwe and Zambia before entering the DRC. However, a day after passing into Zimbabwe, there was an attempt to smuggle the LaFerrari back into South Africa through the same border post.

According to SA Revenue Services (SARS) spokesperson, Sandile Memela: "When it was first brought into the country, the owner failed to follow correct import procedures including paying the necessary customs duties and VAT. As a result, the vehicle stayed in a bonded warehouse for three years because the owner could not finalize the required customs processes. Then in February 2017, the vehicle owner submitted an export declaration to take the car to the DRC through Beitbridge border post. A day later, there was an attempt to have the vehicle return to South Africa through the same border post." The vehicle has been detained, and according to SARS the owner has been issued with a letter of intent.

Should the owner not be able to justify the import of the car, it will be taken away and crushed into a cube. Another problem for the LaFerrari owner is that as with all LaFerraris, it's left hand drive. And since around 2004, importing LHD cars into South Africa is an illegal offense, punishable by death (i.e. the car will be crushed). In South Africa, the LaFerrari is worth around R40 million, or around $3.1 million. It appears that by trying to avoid paying the taxman a few hundred grand, the owner is set to lose millions and the world will be a worse place for it with one less LaFerrari on its streets. Hat tip to Chris for the story!