- Four kids caused damage to a $530,000 Ferrari 488 GTB in China.
- The supercar suffered deep scratches and a cracked front bumper.
- Their parents didn’t agree to cover the full costs, triggering a lawsuit.
Imagine returning from a business trip to discover that your shiny supercar was used as a playground. This is what happened to a Ferrari owner from China, who is now taking legal action against the parents of the kids that caused thousands of damage to his prized possession.
The incident took place in the city of Kunming, at the Yunnan province of Southwestern China in late May. Four neighborhood kids reportedly aged under 10 years old spotted a red Ferrari 488 GTB that was parked in an outdoor space, with its aerodynamic silhouette sparking their curiosity.
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As seen on CCTV footage that surfaced on social media, the boys climbed on the mid-engined Ferrari, took a short break on the windshield, moved on the roof and then used the rear glass as a slide before being stunned by the view of the V8 underneath. They also appear to touch the bodywork with long bamboo poles.
When the owner returned from his work trip, he reportedly found deep scratches across the hood, roof, fenders, taillights and windows of the vehicle alongside a cracked front bumper. Still, being a father himself, he allegedly tried to handle the situation with leniency.
Speaking to local news outlets the owner revealed that he avoided taking the supercar to a Ferrari dealer, as he estimated that repairs would cost over ¥100,000 ($14,700). Instead, he visited local bodyshops and opted for aftermarket parts resulting to a more sensible bill of ¥29,360 ($4,300).
Naturally, the owner took the receipts to the police station where he met with the parents of the kids that caused the damage in two sessions. However, according to South China Morning Post, the parents only offered a sum of ¥5,000 ($730) for compensation, and didn’t bring their children apologize. This made the Ferrari owner withdraw from the negotiations and move forward with a civil lawsuit seeking the full repair amount.
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According to the Chinese law, children under 14 years old are exempt from administrative detention, leaving the civil court system as the only route for property owners to seek accountability from their legal guardians.
As for the Italian supercar, the Ferrari 488 GTB had is fitted with a twin-turbo V8 engine producing 661 hp (492 kW / 670 PS). It remained in production between 2015 and 2020, replacing the 458 Italia before passing the torch to the F8 Tributo and the electrified 296 GTB. According to the Chinese owner, he paid ¥3.6 million ($530,000) when he bought it new and had never scratched it before.
