Why did they bother to film in that particular location just to erase a rather large and notable landmark?
Porsche’s new ad celebrating 60 years of the model 911 has angered some social media users after airbrushing out the 90-foot Cristo Rei (Christ the King) statue in Lisbon, Portugal.
The video shows a clip of a woman driving her red Porsche 911 on a road that features Lisbon’s 25 de Abril Bridge in the background. Normally, from that vantage point, you can see the iconic Cristo Rei overlooking the city.
The ad does show the 75-foot concrete plinth that the statue stands on.
Porsche has come under fire today over claims it has airbrushed out the famous Cristo Rei landmark in Lisbon in a video celebrating 60 years of the iconic 911 sports car.
The controversial ad, which features luxury Porsche cars cruising along the mountains in Portugal, has been deleted from the manufacturer’s YouTube channel but remains on their website…
…The promotional video features the new Porsche 9/11 S/T model which costs £231,600 [$295,700 USD] and can reach 186mph, although just 1,963 models have been produced. The 911 model has been the identity of the Porsche brand since 1963.
Source: Daily Mail
Inspired by the Cristo Redentor (Chirst the Redeemer) statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Catholic Church in Portugal wanted their own statue of Christ as an expression of gratitude that Lisbon had not been bombed during WWII as other European capitals had been because Portugal had remained neutral. The statue was unveiled in 1959.
Some social media users expressed their confusion or outrage that the iconic statue was airbrushed out, while others noted that it was to be expected in our current “woke” cultural moment.
Hey, @Porsche , why did you erase the statue of Jesus Christ from your video filmed in Lisbon? pic.twitter.com/VxcfUBrN8D
— Alex B. (@maisumcarneiro) August 5, 2023
https://twitter.com/silvestru/status/1688158326566146048?s=20
They could have just filmed a different area, but no.
Have to cut it out instead.— RickNotRockets 🌻 (@rjward1775) August 6, 2023
Wow and that’s a beautiful statue to see in person. I drove on that bridge and it’s truly amazing. I’m marking Porsche off my list of future purchases. They should be ashamed!
— Luis Costa Jr. (@Luiscostajr) August 6, 2023
That’s just ridiculous, to remove a iconic statue from a commercial
— Sharon 🏝️🐬🐚☀️ (@usamabroad) August 5, 2023
We all know why.
The real question, now, is why would anyone buy that trash vehicle after knowing this
— AltPractice (@GB9958) August 6, 2023
Because Porsche is woke.
— Carlos Correa 🇺🇸 (@CarloscorreaUsa) August 6, 2023
Germany was a Christian country when Porsche was established pic.twitter.com/t2v4fkz0Ci
— Mikal (@mikarafu) August 5, 2023
Come try that in a small town…
— Kev (@KedNYC) August 6, 2023
A spokesperson for Porsche responded to the Daily Mail article saying that airbrushing the statue of Jesus out of the ad was “a mistake.”
“In a previously-uploaded version of the 911 S/T launch film, a landmark was removed. This was a mistake, and we apologise for any offence caused. The original film is online now,” said the statement to Daily Mail.
Here at ClashDaily, we’ve just got one thing to say to Porsche…
