Jinx of flaming Ferraris
A HIGH performance car is being plagued by a mysterious jinx.
In the past three months, six Ferrari 458 Italias have been in accidents, three have caught fire, and one was wrecked in a warehouse blaze.
There is no apparent technical fault with the £170,000 car.
When the 200mph model was launched in the spring, Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson called it as “one of the all-time greats”.
The first crash was in Poland in May and in July a 458 with a £65,000 Dolce and Gabbana interior was wrecked in a warehouse blaze at Heathrow Airport. Another four have crashed in the past 10 days. Last week, the first British crash saw a 458 smash a bumper in Marlow, Bucks.
The “Flaming Ferraris” was a tag given to a group of share dealers who earned huge bonuses in the City.
A Ferrari spokesman said: “We are still investigating the fires but they are not related. The crashes had nothing to do with the car, but how people drive.”
Greg Carlson of the website wreckedexotics.com said: “This is not uncommon – owners are still getting the feel of the car.”