Luxury car brand Porsche is facing criticism after the company released an advertisement celebrating 60 years of the Porsche 911 that apparently edited out the Cristo Rei – a statue of Jesus Christ that overlooks the city of Lisbon, Portugal.
The German company, which is renowned for its luxurious sports cars, launched a campaign last week honoring six decades of "very fast years" for the Porsche 911 and promoting a special edition model of the vehicle, known as the 2024 Porsche 911 S/T. As part of the campaign, Porsche released a roughly two-and-a-half-minute ad depicting the evolution of the Porsche 911.
About 44 seconds into a version of the video posted on the company’s website, a Porsche 911 drives across the screen against the backdrop of the bridge and river that the Cristo Rei overlooks, but the 92-feet-tall statue of Jesus was absent from atop the concrete 269-feet-tall concrete pedestal that remains visible across the river. The missing statue was first spotted by a social media user on X whose post calling out the apparent edit went viral.
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Porsche told FOX Business in a statement, "In an early version of a film created in Europe, the Cristo Rei Statue does not appear. We are truly sorry and can fully understand the hurt this has caused. This film has been removed."
On Sunday afternoon, Porsche uploaded a new version of the 60th-anniversary video to its YouTube account in which the statue of Jesus Christ is visible atop the pedestal.
The Santuário de Cristo Rei, or the Sanctuary of Christ the King, overlooks the Tagus River which divides the Portuguese cities of Almada and Lisbon. The arms of the Christ figure are outstretched facing the city of Lisbon.
The monument was completed in 1959 to express gratitude for Portugal being spared from the destruction of World War II due to its neutrality in the conflict.
The 2024 Porsche 911 S/T model starts at a price of $290,000. It features 518 horsepower, can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, and has a top speed of 186 mph on a track in summer tires.
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Porsche wrote on its website that the latest edition of the legendary sports car is a "911 in its purest form" that "combines the essence of 60 years of the 911 with its puristic lightweight design, its breathtaking GT high performance and significantly reduced sound insulation. The result is an unprecedented combination of purism, agility and unique driving dynamics."
The Porsche 911 was first unveiled to the public in September 1963.
