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'Ferrari' is an oft-banned search term in China, but why?

The Internet has been a boon for car enthusiasts; after all, information about any car ever made is available at a few taps of the keyboard, whenever you'd like. Unfortunately, some Chinese motor heads are not quite as lucky because state censors have been intermittently banning searches for Ferrari on the country's micro-blogging sites, according to Time.
The problem has nothing to do with Maranello's supercars; it's what they represent. The Prancing Horse has become the symbol for so-called "princelings," wealthy young Chinese who use their parents' privileges in the Communist elite to afford luxuries.
The first bout of censorship came in 2011 when the son of then-high-ranking politician Bo Xilai was spotted cruising around Beijing in a red Ferrari, a vehicle much more expensive than he should have been able to afford. It started trending on Chinese social media, and censors began blocking searches for Ferrari in the car's red color. The Italian brand was censored again briefly in 2012 when a Chinese investor crashed his Prancing Horse into two other cars in Singapore.

White Christmas: Miami Vice Ferrari Testarossa on eBay for $1.75M

Were the eighties responsible for more iconic television cars than any other decade? Without even thinking about it we can reel off B.A. Baracus' GMC van, the Knight Industries Two Thousand and General Lee, Hardcastle and McCormick's Coyote, Magnum P.I.'s Ferrari 308. That's before we dip into personal favorites like The Fall Guy's GMC and the Dodge Ram Power Wagon from Simon and Simon, or hop over to cartoons like Transformers, the GoBots and MASK. And then there was this, among the top rung of eighties memorabilia, a 1986 Ferrari Testarossa claimed to be one of two used in Miami Vice. You'll remember that the show began with James "Sonny" Crockett driving a black Daytona Coupe, but it was a replica built on C3 Corvette running gear. The story is that Ferrari sued the replica maker and made the show's producers an offer: blow up the replica on the show in return for two Testarossas to use. And that, it's said, is how Crockett's convertible got hit by a missile during an undercover assignment with an arms dealer. The original cars were Carbon Black, but the show's cameras couldn't keep up with them at night, so director Michael Mann had them painted white. For sale on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $1.75M, the seller says he has the all of the service history paperwork and documentation from Ferrari North America. According to the seller, he bought it about three years ago; before that, it was last sold in 1991 and sat in a Miami garage for years, so it has 16,000 miles on the odometer. The Hagerty Price Guide Report shows Testarossa values have nearly doubled in four years, but a pristine find should still only fetch about $93,500, just to make sure you're clear on the seller's Hollywood premium. Nostalgia awaits you in the gallery, and perhaps a new car at the link. Featured Gallery 1986 Ferrari Testarossa from Miami Vice View 12 Photos News Source: eBay via Car and Driver TV/Movies Ferrari Auctions Coupe Luxury Performance eBay ferrari testarossa

Ryan Tuerck's Ferrari-powered Scion drifts, crashes, fixes, and drifts again

We were pretty astonished when Ryan Tuerck and Gumout shoved a Ferrari 458 V8 into a Scion FR-S. And as awesome as that fact alone may be, it's even more amazing that it's a fully functional drifter, not just a show car. Tuerck recently took it out to Portland, Ore. to do some sweet drifting on a mountain road. Unfortunately for him and the car, he did something substantially less sweet right off the bat. As you'll see in the video, in just the second corner of the course, Tuerck drives the front corner of the GT4586 right into the dirt cliff on the side of the road. For a moment, it looks like things are all right, but the car starts pulling to the right and he stops the car for repairs. After fixing bits including a thoroughly bent tie-rod, the GT4586 is good as new. We're glad the car wasn't down for long, because the drifting show following the repairs was fantastic. In the video, Tuerck throws the Scion into high-speed, super smoky drifts. And all of it happens to the tune of a shrieking Ferrari V8. It's well worth a few minutes of your time to watch. Related Video: Image Credit: YouTube / Donut Media Ferrari Scion Coupe Racing Vehicles Videos toyota gt86 toyota 86