This is not fun to watch, but you can’t take your eyes off of it. This pristine white 458 Ferrari Spider gets mangled in a wrecking yard before being crushed. But why crush this Ferrari? Here’s what we know.

The owner, 35-year-old Zahid Khan, was convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud, perverting the course of justice, and concealing and converting criminal property through a license plate scam. He was also ordered to pay a confiscation order over $163,000 or face 14 additional months in prison.

This all happened in the UK. After Khan was convicted he fled the country. Facing 10 years in prison he has ended up in Dubai a free man. He lodged a letter of claim to the West Midlands Police which was denied. 

In 2017 Khan illegally parked his Ferrari in front of Birmingham Crown Court

According to Birmingham Live, back in 2017 “the fraudster” Khan parked his Ferrari at the steps of the Birmingham Crown Court. Because it was parked illegally it was seized by the police. When the police ran the registration they found there was no insurance for the car. It also determined it was a Category B vehicle. That means it is unroadworthy due to damage of some sort. A Category B determination means the car must be destroyed. 

Now Khan has started proceedings against the West Midlands Police for unlawful conduct. Khan values the Ferrari 458 Spider at $200,000. The police have received the proceedings notification and said, “We will respond to the claim via the court process in due course.” 

The YouTube footage of Khan’s Ferrari being clawed was taken in 2018 at a local Midlands scrapyard. You can see that the workers have no concern for destroying the rare Ferrari. They make sure it is damaged beyond saving even before crushing it. 

The big question is why was the Ferrari crushed?

The big question we have is why was the Ferrari designated a Category B? What was unroadworthy about it besides it was not insured? “Unroadworthy” would mean something mechanical makes it dangerous to drive, but we don’t make the laws. 

The police may define anything that isn’t licensed or insured as unroadworthy. But in the case of a collectible and desirable car, one would think they would auction it off? Maybe give the money to some charity or plow it back into the city for improvements? But destroying it if only because it wasn’t insured seems drastic and dramatic. 

West Midlands Police say they know where Khan is in Dubai. It may seek extradition back to the UK. Between provoking the police parking the Ferrari in front of the court and then initiating proceedings against the police Khan seems to be playing fast and loose. Especially for someone who has been convicted and is facing 10 years in prison. Maybe he should savor his freedom and give up on the Ferrari.