A Ferrari dealership located on Rokko Island in Japan suffered the wrath of Typhoon Jebi, causing damages to 51 of 53 new and used Ferrari models at the dealership. According to local media, some of the destroyed Ferraris had already been purchased, and we’re just waiting to be delivered. Dealership employees tried to block the floods caused by the typhoon with tarps and sandbags. Unfortunately, none of those preventive measures worked.

This is absolutely disheartening to find out. It’s bad enough that a car dealership lost almost its entire inventory of our cars, it’s a lot worse when you realize that this is Ferrari we’re talking about. We’re not talking about Toyota Corollas or Honda Civics. We’re not even talking about BMW 3 Series units or Mercedes C-Class models. We’re talking about Ferraris. 51 of them to be exact.

Yahoo Japan reports that the typhoon caused three-foot-high storm surges on the artificial island in the city of Kobe. Unfortunately for the dealership, even the best efforts of its employees to block the surges with tarps and sandbags proved futile. Saltwater eventually found its way into the dealership, devastating a number of Ferrari models along the way. Of the 53 Ferrari units that were in the dealership, only two survived. The destroyed models were eventually sent off, presumably to be scrapped.

The authorized dealership is expected to file an insurance claim to recoup its losses, but even if it does get a generous settlement, having to go through such a harrowing ordeal is enough to leave a few emotional scars along the way.

As for owners of some of those Ferraris, well, it’s hard to imagine the helplessness they must have felt when they found out their prized Prancing Horse models were destroyed by the typhoon. Sad to say, but in the end, they’ll just have to take their lumps and move on.

As someone who comes from a place where typhoons are regular occurrences, I know from first-hand experience the damage a typhoon, let alone a super typhoon, can cause. Sure, repairing a flooded car is possible, but it’s also a lot of work, and that’s on top of the amount of money you’re going to have to spend rebuilding the engine and transmission and, if the damages are really bad, re-wiring the whole car from top to bottom.

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