The South African Revenue Service says that it has intercepted a LaFerrari that the owner was attempting to smuggle into the country.
According to Eyewitness News, the unidentified owner first brought the hypercar into South Africa in 2014, but failed to follow the correct import procedures, which included paying the necessary customs duties and VAT.
So, SARS put the limited production, 708 kW hybrid hypercar into a bonded warehouse for three years as the owner struggled to finalise the “required customs processes”, SARS spokesperson Sandile Memela told the African News Agency.
But in February this year, the owner declared that the vehicle would be exported to the Democratic Republic of Congo instead, via the Beitbridge border post.
“A day later, there was an attempt to have the vehicle return to South Africa through the same border post,” Memela explained.
The revenue service then seized the LaFerrari at the border, before issuing the owner with a letter of intent as part of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act No 3 of 2000 to enable them to make a representation to SARS.
New, LaFerrari pricing started at $1,35-million (about R17,6-million in today’s money), although at the end of 2016 the 500th unit produced sold for a whopping $7-million (around R91,2-million) at auction.
