51 Ferraris Written Off

Many of you may already know, but due to the recent Typhoon No. 21, 51 Ferraris at an authorized Ferrari dealership on Rokko Island in Hyogo Prefecture were completely damaged by seawater flooding. The article states the total damage was in the billions of yen, but some say it could be as high as 3 billion yen.

The dealership had prepared for the typhoon by laying blue tarps and sandbags at the entrance, but the storm surge far exceeded their expectations and flooded the store. The shop was submerged up to about one meter, and all the Ferraris soaked in seawater were written off, including some cars that had already been sold.
*Article source: [Typhoon No. 21] All 51 Ferraris Total Loss, Damage Estimated in Billions of Yen — Authorized Dealer on Rokko Island, Kobe

Thinking about the feelings of the dealership staff and those involved… it’s more than just shocking. Who could have imagined the typhoon would cause such devastating damage?

The Situation on Rokko Island That Day

Rokko Island is an artificial island jutting out into the sea. On September 4, when Typhoon No. 21 struck directly, the island was quickly flooded by the storm surge, and many containers were swept away.

*https://article.auone.jp/detail/1/2/2/101_2_r_20180905_1536154372255827

*https://mainichi.jp/graphs/20180905/hpj/00m/040/002000g/12

It wasn’t just the Ferrari dealer; various shops and companies also suffered damage.

What About Porsche and BMW?

While browsing online articles, I suddenly wondered:

“Wait, aren’t there Porsche and BMW dealers around there too?”

Curious, I first looked into Porsche. As expected, the dealership was temporarily closed on September 4 due to the typhoon…

But by yesterday, their social media was already posting used car listings as if nothing had happened. So they were okay.

I also checked BMW, and similarly, they were posting weekend event info as if all was normal.

Even though the Ferrari, Porsche, and BMW dealerships on Rokko Island are just a stone’s throw apart, being on the seaside versus slightly inland made all the difference in their fate.

Nearby Luxury Foreign Car Dealers

“Come to think of it, aren’t there Mercedes-Benz and Bentley dealers around here too?” I wondered and looked it up (I’m from Hyogo Prefecture but still not very clear on the exact locations of these islands and lands). Here’s what the map looks like:

Ferrari, Porsche, and BMW are on “Rokko Island,” Mercedes-Benz is on “Port Island,” and Bentley and Lamborghini are near “Meriken Park.” The Mercedes-Benz dealer on Port Island likely also faced significant storm surge risk, but

they say, “We’re open and thriving as usual!”… That resilience almost brings tears to my eyes.

Learning from Typhoon Preparedness

Although other dealers besides Ferrari didn’t suffer major damage this time, we can’t be complacent. I recently spoke with someone working in construction in Kyushu who said:

“I saw news footage of the big damage typhoons caused in Kansai, but their typhoon preparedness is way too lacking. We live in Kyushu where typhoons come every year, so we take much more thorough precautions. People in Kansai should really study typhoon preparedness going forward.”

That’s true. Just as power outages gradually recover and we start to feel safe, a major earthquake hits Hokkaido. We really need to seriously reconsider where we live, where we park our cars, and how we prepare for future typhoons.

I’ve also heard that residential areas along the coast south of my home, like Ashiyahama and Nishinomiyahama, suffered severe flooding, and the artificial island Kansai Airport is also in a tough spot. Maybe luxury car dealers shouldn’t set up shop on coastal or artificial islands after all.