After a few back-stage sleuths blew the whistle on Top Gear Live for not using real Ferraris in its stage show, it seems the Italian supercar manufacturer and the British show’s producers have, well, exchanged words.

Ferrari reportedly requested that for the final stage of the Top Gear Live world tour in Hong Kong, real Ferrari cars be used. Top Gear admits having been in contact with Ferrari, but won’t go so far as to say why.

Needless to say that by the time the stage show was performed in Hong Kong the problem was solved. Top Gear simply scrapped the Ferrari part of the show entirely, replacing the Prancing Horces with drift cars which, Top Gear claims, was done to make the show more suited to the local audience.

Will “Ferrarigate” jeopardise Top Gear’s chances of future co-operation with the Italian automaker, or will the franchise’s broad appeal and immense audiences force Ferrari to submit to the likes of Clarkson and co?