Supercars targeted by vandals

OWNERS of luxury and supercars are reporting increased damage to their cars brought on by jealousy. Many don’t bother to report damage to their cars to the police now as they accept it as part of the risk of owning an expensive car.

Called ‘car hate crimes’, the damage to cars such as Porsches. Bentleys and Range Rovers, as well as classic cars, can range from people spitting on the windscreen to puncturing tyres and pouring paint stripper on the bodywork. Other typical damage includes pulling off door mirrors and scratching the paintwork with a key or coin.

One owner of a McLaren Spider even reports seeing a teenager jumping up and down on his car while he was enjoying a meal in a restaurant. This act of vandalism caused £100,000 worth of damage.

A survey of luxury, supercar and classic car owners was conducted by Flexed, which found that 67% of owners of these types of car report they have suffered from car hate crime.

Flexed’s Johnny Ratcliffe said: ‘The root cause is that expensive cars betray a large disposable income. To some self-appointed class warriors, that makes them a legitimate target for their criminal activity. It's pure and simple jealousy. People are still angry at rich bankers and want to take it out on someone.

‘Insurance for top-end sports cars is expensive enough as it is. The last thing even the richest drivers want is a steady stream of claims putting up their premiums year-on-year. This is why fewer and fewer owners are reporting these crimes.’

By Press Association reporters