If a report published by Italian newspaper Il Giornale is to be believed, pop sensation Justin Bieber has been blacklisted by Ferrari from buying or driving its vehicles. Reportedly, the iconic Italian marque was fed up with Bieber’s bad behavior with its cars which was in violation of Ferrari’s ownership rules, leading to the Canadian singer getting banned. In case you’re scratching your head trying to think what part of Bieber’s long list of PR disasters bothered Ferrari so much that it took such a drastic step, let me tell you the music artist did not destroy a Ferrari supercar by lighting it on fire for views on YouTube (a very popular trend amongst rich influencers), nor did he do anything, in particular, to mock the brand with the prancing horse logo. All he did was temporarily misplace his Ferrari 458 Italia for a few weeks!
The real-life “Dude, Where’s My Car?” incident happened with Bieber back in 2015 when he had completely forgotten where he had parked his neon-blue Ferrari after a night of partying hard in Beverly Hills. According to reports, the pop star wasn’t reunited with his heavily decked-out Ferrari for several weeks, which brings us to another reason why Ferrari was miffed at Bieber. The Italian marque firmly believes that the supercars that roll off its factory floors are pieces of artwork that shouldn’t be altered in any way. The easiest way to piss off Ferrari is by modifying or customizing its cars without consent. Bieber being Bieber didn’t pay heed to it and got his 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia F1 Edition customized by none other than West Coast Customs, which included ugly-looking flared fenders, a neon-blue wrap, aftermarket rims, and a lot more. That’s an immediate red flag for Ferrari as the brand treats it as sacrilege.
To make things worse, Bieber broke another very important Ferrari ownership rule by auctioning off his 458, again without the automaker’s consent, which proved to be the final nail in the coffin. If you’re wondering how can all these things be considered serious offenses to be blacklisted, you see Ferrari takes its public image and brand value very seriously; probably, more seriously than any other business around the world. The marque actually makes its owners sign up contracts before selling them cars, which includes adherence to Ferrari ownership rules and guidelines. For example, there’s a clause in the agreement that prevents owners from reselling their car in the first year. In addition to that, Ferrari reportedly also has made its buyers in the US sign an agreement stating the automaker has the right to buy the vehicle back.
Justin Bieber is not the first celebrity to be punished by Ferrari for violating its rules. Fellow Canadian music artist Joel Thomas Zimmerman, known professionally as Deadmau5, famously got embroiled in an ugly tussle with Ferrari in 2014 after getting his Ferrari 458 covered in a Nyan cat-inspired wrap and naming it Purrari. In fact, there are several such instances where Ferrari went on to sue the owners of its supercars for breaking its rules; you can read more about it here. Many celebrities have vocally expressed their annoyance with such stringent ownership rules set by Ferrari along with its strong vetting process for buyers, including Jay Leno who recently revealed why he doesn’t own a single Ferrari. Maybe Bieber should get some car buying tips from the legendary American talk show host and well-known car fanatic.
