Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Supercars, BMW, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ferrari

The exotic cars caught up in the Philippine smuggling controversy from Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, and others were spared due to pending legal action. The owners of those high-end rides are hoping the legal system can help them regain their cars. Standing firm on her plan to crush the cars to discourage the rampant skirting of the law and smuggling of goods, Philippine President Gloria Arroyo went ahead with automotive destruction as planned, while the exotics sat out this round.

It didn’t turn out to be quite the example-setting display of authority that President Arroyo had hoped. She didn’t show - her backup helicopter was suffering a mechanical malady - and the officials that did attend took a few hours to get their act together and decide to smoosh some vehicles in the name of deterring smuggling. 18 vehicles eventually met the business end of a trio of backhoes, sending the message that Arroyo would rather forego the estimated $2 million US dollars the cars would have brought at auction. Instead of a multi-million dollar windfall, it looks like there’s a new environmentally hazardous site at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s impound, and the cars will be sold for scrap for the paltry sum of 150,000 Philippine pesos, a little more than $3,200. Finance secretary Margarito Teves acknowledged that the government would be foregoing revenues to send an anti-smuggling message.

Thanks for the tip, Alex!

[Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer via Autojab]

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Auto Show, Podcasts, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Crossovers/CUVs, Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Bugatti, Dodge, Ford, GM, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mercedes Benz, MINI, PSA, Volkswagen, Volvo, Renault, Brabus

We’re back with Autoblog Podcast #77, and it’s a Frankfurt-recap extravaganza. We discuss our favorite picks, as well as touching on some of the numerous highlights from the monster-sized show. We got a glimpse of the Jaguar XF in person, and it’s better in person, but can it save Jaguar? BMW unveiled the X6, it’s own AMC Spirit ripoff, not to be left behind by the Audi Cross Coupe Quattro from Shanghai. We continue on about exotic sheetmetal from Brabus, Schnitzer, Bentley, and Aston Martin, to name a few. On the more mundane tip, the Mazda 6 rocked, the Aveo was ugly, the Journey landed on its face, and could we please, please knock it off with the front quarter panel vents? After Alex’s speed-round wrapup, we discuss a solitary piece of non-Frankfurt news, the Jeep J8. Yes, it’s awesome, no, you can’t buy one. Damn, that’s stupid, Chrysler. Onward!

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