ROME — The Canadian singer Justin Bieber has been banned from Ferrari dealerships after infringing the luxury car-maker’s code of conduct for its drivers, Italian newspapers have reported.

 The Maranello-based manufacturer of sports and racing cars has strict rules intended to preserve the prestige of its brand, only available to customers with extremely deep pockets.

 Among Bieber’s alleged breaches of the Ferrari code were his decision to repaint his Ferrari 458 Italia F1 Edition from its original white to neon-blue, and the occasion when he parked the car in Los Angeles before partying and couldn’t remember where it was for several weeks.

 The final straw came when Bieber sold the vehicle at auction without the manufacturer’s consent, albeit to raise money for charity. Bieber, 28, has frequently invested his music royalties in luxury cars, including Lamborghini, Maserati and Rolls Royce in his collection. His first Ferrari was an F430, bought at the age of 16 and repainted in opaque black.
 The Milan newspaper Il Giornale was the first to report the Bieber blacklisting claim.

 Among Ferrari’s rules is a commitment not to sell a vehicle in the first year of ownership and to inform the manufacturer of the intention to sell thereafter, so it has the option of repurchasing. Unauthorised modifications are frowned upon and the company is said to be unkeen on the colour pink, preferring the flame red indelibly associated with the marque.

 The website luxurylaunches.com said Bieber appeared to have forgotten about these constraints when he had the car customised in California. Modifications included “ugly-looking flared fenders, a neon-blue wrap, aftermarket rims, and a lot more,” according to the publication. “That’s an immediate red flag for Ferrari as the brand treats it as sacrilege.”

 Numerous celebrities have reportedly fallen foul of the Ferrari style rules, including the rapper 50 Cent, the boxer Floyd Mayweather, the actor Nicholas Cage and the socialite Kim Kardashian.

 Bieber’s fellow Canadian musician Joel Thomas Zimmerman, better known as Deadmau5, received a cease and desist order from Ferrari after covering his F458 Italia with alternative logos and a cat image, and renaming it a Purrari.

 The German fashion designer Philipp Plein was also sued by Ferrari over unauthorised use of a car to promote his creations, including sneakers shown off beside a bright green vehicle. A court in Milan ordered him to pay €300,000 in compensation.

 Fabio Barone, the president of the world’s largest Ferrari drivers’ club, said he fully supported the company’s efforts to preserve the dignity of the brand.

 “When the founder, Enzo Ferrari, was alive, kings and Hollywood celebrities would wait in line for a meeting or for the chance to buy a car,” Barone said. “A Ferrari is a work of art, so it’s right the manufacturer sends the message that it has to be protected.”

 pw-cc