Ferrari Sent Deadmau5 a Warning After He Made This Hilarious Mod to His 458 Italia
You’ve probably heard of the TSA’s no-fly list, but what about Ferrari‘s no-buy list? Buying a car should be as simple as going to a dealership and signing on the dotted line, as long as you have the money to make the payments, of course. But Ferrari disagrees, and Deadmau5 got in trouble with the Italian automaker after the DJ/producer made a hilarious modification to his 458 Italia.
Ferrari has high standards
If you’re interested in buying a new car from Ferrari, prepare for a background check. According to Autoevolution, the automaker doesn’t allow anyone to buy one of its legendary vehicles until they’ve passed a thorough background check.
If you’re considered worthy of owning a Ferrari, forget about reselling it within the first year. If you decide to resell it soon after you’ve got the title in hand, you’d better read the fine print. You might be required to alert Ferrari to your plans.
Reportedly, you can also forget about buying a new Ferrari if you own even one Lamborghini. The Prancing Horse might let you buy one of its mainstream models, but you won’t be able to purchase a limited edition.
Finally, you must never, ever, under any circumstances make any big modifications to your Ferrari. If you think you’ve got enough celebrity status to get away with it, you’d be wrong. Deadmau5 learned the hard way.
Deadmau5 got in trouble for tricking out his 458 Italia
Joel Zimmerman, a Canadian electronic music producer better known as Deadmau5, did the unspeakable. He added a Nyan Cat vinyl wrap — complete rainbow trail and stars — to his sky-blue 458 Italia. If that wasn’t bad enough, Deadmau5 also swapped the car’s Prancing Horse badge for a leaping cat emblem.
It was his tribute to a 2011 YouTube video featuring an animated cat with a pink Pop-Tart body flying through space. The feline, which became known as Nyan Cat, left a rainbow trail behind it.
To say that Ferrari execs were not pleased was an understatement. Part of the agreement of buying one of the automaker’s cars is that owners will not cover up the badges, much less change them out for a cat. To add insult to injury, Zimmerman added a custom tag that read, “Purrari.”
Ferrari swiftly sent a cease-and-desist letter ordering him to remove the wrap and custom badges. He complied, but his chances of buying another car from the Italian automaker are slim to none, HotCars reported.
A lucky few can own the rarest Ferrari models
Though buying a new Ferrari might be hard, it’s not impossible. Well, it is for most people. But for famous car enthusiasts like Gordon Ramsey, it’s a reality.
The celebrity chef is the proud owner of two rare models — an F12tdf painted a pearlescent white called Bianco Fuji and a LaFerrari example in Grigio Silverstone — along with other exotic cars.
Another celebrity worthy of owning a Ferrari is Kylie Jenner. Though rumors abound that the automaker gives men over 40 preferential treatment, Jenner proves that theory is at least partially wrong. She owns a customized 458 and a 488 Spider. Plus, boyfriend Travis Scott gifted her a $1.4 million LaFerrari.
Another woman who gets the VIP treatment is Cornelia Hagmann, HotCars reported. The Austrian artist is well known for her stunning landscape paintings. She’s also a huge Ferrari fan. Her husband gave her a LaFerrari painted in classic Rosso Corsa red, and it’s one of her most prized cars.
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