---
title: "Philippines Government Crushes 14 More Smuggled Luxury Cars With a Bulldozer"
description: "Among the cars selected for annihilation were a Maserati Quattroporte, a BMW B12 Alpina, a Porsche 911 GT3, a BMW Z1, an Opel Manta, a Renault R5, and a two-door Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen."
date: "2018-03-15"
modified: "2018-03-15"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/19274/philippines-government-crushes-14-more-smuggled-luxury-cars-with-a-bulldozer"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "crusher"
  - "imports"
  - "impound"
  - "smuggling"
  - "The Philippines"
---

# Philippines Government Crushes 14 More Smuggled Luxury Cars With a Bulldozer

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/03/20180314-ph-alcain9.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

The Philippines [continued its quest](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/18312/philippine-strongman-duterte-crushes-30-smuggled-luxury-cars-with-a-bulldozer>) to eradicate every cool car in the Asian archipelago this week, with controversial President Rodrigo Duterte staging another public ceremony where authorities used heavy construction equipment to crush 14 perfectly good luxury cars that had been smuggled into the country.

State broadcaster [*RTVM* reports](<https://www.facebook.com/rtvmalacanang/videos/417518805374266/>) the clinically-named "Condemnation and Public Destruction of Contraband Vehicles" took place at Port Irene in Cagayan province on Wednesday. Among the cars [selected for annihilation](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/17954/it-hurts-to-watch-australian-police-crush-these-jdm-treasures>) were a Maserati Quattroporte, a BMW B12 Alpina, a Porsche 911 GT3, a BMW Z1, an Opel Manta, a Renault R5, and a two-door Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen.

As with [last month's crushfest,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/18312/philippine-strongman-duterte-crushes-30-smuggled-luxury-cars-with-a-bulldozer>) officials invited a host media and other onlookers to join Duterte in wearing a hardhat and watching a bulldozer and a backhoe flatten the cars with brutal efficiency. The vehicles had been illegally imported into the country from Japan and Korea, violating a law that prohibits importing used cars except in very specific circumstances. The ban is designed to prop up the domestic car sales industry.

https://youtube.com/embed/qMPZ3f0FCho

"The destruction of these contraband luxury vehicles signifies our strong resolve to restore good governance, preserve our nation’s dignity, and safeguard our people’s welfare," Duterte said at the event.

![message-editor%2F1521099308921-20180314-ph-alcain8.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521099308921-20180314-ph-alcain8.jpg>)
*The pain is real., *Presidential Communications**

It goes without saying that crushing $500,000 worth of perfectly functional and undeniably cool cars is wasteful and unproductive. However, it would appear that the Philippine government is just getting started: A further 841 vehicles are slated for destruction once all the paperwork is processed, according to *RTVM*. So don't be surprised if these amateur [Monster Jam](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/8678/watch-the-first-ever-monster-truck-front-flip>) knockoff sessions continue in the near future.

![message-editor%2F1521099365168-20180314-ph-rey2.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521099365168-20180314-ph-rey2.jpg>)
**Presidential Communications**

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)