The story sounds like something out of a movie, but it's real. American YouTuber Illiminate, followed by almost 1.5 million subscribers, has finally laid his hands on his Ferrari 360 Modena, a car he thought he'd never see again. After nearly ten months of waiting, interminable delays and even a forced return of the container to Japan, his Italian supercar has finally touched down on American soil.
An incredible adventure between Japan and the United States
It all begins in January 2025, when the content creator buys his Ferrari in Japan, a car he describes as one of the most important of his life. To bring it back to the U.S., he pays over $10,000 for shipping, confident that the delivery will go smoothly.
Shortly after its departure, the container containing the Ferrari was blocked on arrival in the United States: sensors at the port detected an abnormal level of radioactive radiation. As required by American protocol, the shipment was immediately quarantined, and could not be opened, inspected or even moved without authorization. The authorities then went one step further: the container was sent back to Japan for re-inspection. The result: several months of blockage, doubts and fears for the YouTuber, convinced that he would never see his car again.
An emotional delivery
When, one morning, he finally received the long-awaited phone call, "The container is ready to be opened", the YouTubeur rushed to the Port of Oakland with his team. The scene, immortalized in his video, which you can see at the bottom of the article. With trembling hands, he breaks the seal on the container and discovers his Ferrari intact.
"I'm about to cry. Everything we've been through to get here... it's unreal."
The vehicle, which has been locked up for almost a year with the window down, has come through surprisingly well. Only a small break on the bumper is a reminder of the adventures of the journey. Once the Ferrari is out of the container, Illiminate turns the key. The naturally-aspirated V8 starts without flinching (surprising after all that time spent in a container), and the typical Maranello sound echoes through the warehouse. The YouTuber savors every second of this first drive on American soil.
"Just clutching and moving forward a meter, it was crazy. I'd been waiting for that moment all year."
With 55,000 km on the clock and a manual gearbox, the Ferrari 360 Modena is for Illiminate "the car of merit", the one he's always dreamed of owning.
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