Owner/Driver, writes off barnd new Ferrari, after just 1 hour.

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Wonder if he had GAP insurance?

Police said..."Over the past couple of weeks there has been a number of collisions where driving styles have not reflected the road and weather conditions."
 
I like the bit about police asking what car it was, prancing horse emblem on bonnet maybe a clue :doh:
 
For those that like this sort of thing?:cool:
Ferrari 430 Scuderia | Order Online Eurospares
While the "saddlebags" ? configuration of the fuel tanks either side of the engine block might be good for weight distribution one wonders if their proximity to the engine wouldn't be a fire hazard in the event of a major collision or accident. A lot of these supercars seem to go up in flames after relatively small impacts/roll overs etc. :dk:

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Guys wallet far out weighs his ability to drive a high powered sports car in wet conditions.
 
I'll bet the stress of the phone call to his wife (waiting patiently for him to return home in the new motor) was far worse than the actual crash.

"Hi Hunny, I've,,,,,err,,,,scratched the new car..............."
 
For those that like this sort of thing?:cool:
Ferrari 430 Scuderia | Order Online Eurospares
While the "saddlebags" ? configuration of the fuel tanks either side of the engine block might be good for weight distribution one wonders if their proximity to the engine wouldn't be a fire hazard in the event of a major collision or accident. A lot of these supercars seem to go up in flames after relatively small impacts/roll overs etc. :dk:

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I'm sure that I've seen a video of something exotic going up in smoke somewhere like Dubai, I guess that plastic bumpers or even body panels don't help.
 
I wonder, given the car's grip and brakes, if he was obeying the speed limit as I find it hard to believe that such a car could become suddenly airborne under normal driving conditions, and I expect that his insurers will take a similar view and say a firm no if he wasn't.
 
I'll bet the stress of the phone call to his wife (waiting patiently for him to return home in the new motor) was far worse than the actual crash.

"Hi Hunny, I've,,,,,err,,,,scratched the new car..............."

We all know what she said " I told you not to buy it ,that is the trouble you think you are a F1 driver,why don't you just grow up ,I hope it was insured, oh and are you hurt"
 
That is the problem with very high powered sports cars,a fair few drivers can drive them ok in the dry but get any moisture at all on the road and it becomes a whole new ball game,and in rain,you need great skill and a very very light right foot and no sudden changes of direction.
 
For people who have never driven a car like this before it can be a challenge in the dry, never mind the rain.

All standard type road cars have large amounts of under-steer built in making them 'easy' to handle and not very pointy. They are designed as a soft compromise to make the safe in all conditions and suit the majority of drivers.

Cars like this have large amounts of over-steer and huge amounts of grip in the dry, not so much so in the rain. The suspension, tyre type and pressure make a huge difference to the feel and control of the car. The balance is borderline on the throttle and revs. There is little if any compromise. They are completely flat bottomed making them more prone to aqua-planing. That is all with the TC switched on. Turn that off and many will drive straight to their accident.

Basically an accident waiting to happen. I have no idea what this chap was doing to have such a big shunt? I did read that the Police were asked to withdraw their comments that suggested that he may have been at fault?

I used to attend some of the Ferrari days at Brands Hatch etc. I would say that on every one of these you find a Ferrari stacked in a ditch somewhere near to the event.
 
For people who have never driven a car like this before it can be a challenge in the dry, never mind the rain.

All standard type road cars have large amounts of under-steer built in making them 'easy' to handle and not very pointy. They are designed as a soft compromise to make the safe in all conditions and suit the majority of drivers.

Cars like this have large amounts of over-steer and huge amounts of grip in the dry, not so much so in the rain. The suspension, tyre type and pressure make a huge difference to the feel and control of the car. The balance is borderline on the throttle and revs. There is little if any compromise. They are completely flat bottomed making them more prone to aqua-planing. That is all with the TC switched on. Turn that off and many will drive straight to their accident.

Basically an accident waiting to happen. I have no idea what this chap was doing to have such a big shunt? I did read that the Police were asked to withdraw their comments that suggested that he may have been at fault?

I used to attend some of the Ferrari days at Brands Hatch etc. I would say that on every one of these you find a Ferrari stacked in a ditch somewhere near to the event.
I still see in my minds eye a Ferrari 456, bent in the middle like banana after colliding with a barrier end during a track day at Knockhill. :eek:
 
Tricky things to drive the 430 Scuderia apparently especially in the wet. Very hard suspension, track biased tyres and very heavy rain (according to the police) and no indication of excess speed.

Maybe this guy's mistake was to take this out the car in the pouring rain in the first place.
 
We can speculate all we want but he said the car was one hour old, I wonder how many miles that was on brand spanking new tyres ?

I know these days the release agent (if any) used in tyre manufacture is not as 'slippy' as it was years ago added to the fact you have a powerful but light car on a wet motorway, a small tap on the accelerator just as you hit a puddle could have you spinning in no time at all.

I had an hour or so on public roads in a Ferrari 458 Spyder once and at no time was I allowed to take the Manetti switch off 'WET' setting.

It was a dry sunny day, so I guess it's best not to play around until you know what you are doing.

It would be nice to get a bit of this guys car ownership history. I would guess that someone who buys a car like this has moved up the ladder of performance cars and has some experience of them.

Or he could have won the lottery and come straight out of a Honda Jazz. :eek:
 
I'm sure that I've seen a video of something exotic going up in smoke somewhere like Dubai, I guess that plastic bumpers or even body panels don't help.

I think the carbon fibre has something to do with that. I know somebody who has a very expensive Ferrari and he tells me that they have a lot of carbon fibre.
 
I think the carbon fibre has something to do with that. I know somebody who has a very expensive Ferrari and he tells me that they have a lot of carbon fibre.

I believe it is simple logistics.

You have very small, very lightweight carbon shell with no chassis (as such) built around a very strong monocoque tub. Add in a very large and very thirsty engine with the saddlebag fuel tanks that are required to feed it. In an impact like this, where the car "flew" down a 50ft embankment, then it is almost impossible for it not to spill fuel.

In the recent accidents that I have seen featured on here. The cars have all had massive destructive impacts that in truth would probably set a any car alight.

I will still hazard a guess that the driver simply could not control the car (for whatever reason, probably aquaplaning on fat tyres, with a flat bottom and no suspension travel).

No doubt he will have time to reflect and come up with a better/more convincing version of events for his insurance company.

The driver of the recently trashed Maclaren apparently was driving within the speed limit, when he was surprised by a woodland creature, that ran directly in front of him. Not wishing to injure the creature (possibly a Unicorn) or damage his car, (huh huh) he swerved into some very slippy grass (damm that slippy grass), that carried the car into somebody's poorly placed house. It then unfortunately caught fire, having destroyed the front the house and most of the car in the impact. Obviously a low speed collision Hmmmmmm.
 
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Hmm, Richard Cranium strikes again.

Good that he walked away. Not good that the car caught fire. Seems to me that the driver didn't have enough talent and respect for the car or the conditions.
 
I don't know how effective Ferrari's traction control is, but I can imagine it's in the same league as that fitted to MB/AMG.

On my AMG Experience (C63) one of the Stig's tricks was to take it on the skid pan (water continuously sprinkled onto an oily base) with ESP off and just tickle the throttle. The car performed several pirouettes and was completely out of control. He switched it on and floored it, whereupon the car went smoothly round the skidpan with the tail nicely out, all completely under control.

Top Gear and in particular that oaf Clarkson have a lot to answer for.
 

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