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Ferrari 599 GTB goes up in flames on delivery drive

Ferrari 599 GTB goes up in flames on delivery drive

Nelson Ireson May 18th, 2008 Nelson Ireson By Nelson Ireson Author May 18th, 2008
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December 31st, 1969 It was just another day in Martin Bullen's rather fortunate work life - driving a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, and getting paid to do it. Of course, he was driving it to the repair shop, but still, there are worse ways to make a living. And then, while stopped at a traffic light the car made a noise, then burst into flames, destroying the Italian supercar right before his eyes. Bullen was then faced with the difficult call to his boss, made just minutes after firefighters arrived on the scene, too late to save the car, reports the UK newspaper The Sun. Fortunately the owner of the car, Paul Jaconelli, proprietor of Romans International, a Surrey, UK supercar garage, took the sad news in stride, expecting insurance to pick up the bill. And Jaconelli will have a strong case to present to the insurance adjuster, should one come knocking to investigate the £250,000 ($488,000) payout. Ferraris are not alone among supercars for their rather pyrophilic reputations - and the 599 is certainly not exempt from the list of past offenders. What precisely caused the fire is yet undisclosed, but since the car was on the way to the repair shop, it seems likely that whatever was amiss went from bad to catastrophic failure in a matter of moments.
Ferrari 599 GTB goes up in flames on delivery drive

Ferrari 599 GTB goes up in flames on delivery drive

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It was just another day in Martin Bullen's rather fortunate work life - driving a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, and getting paid to do it. Of course, he was driving it to the repair shop, but still, there are worse ways to make a living. And then, while stopped at a traffic light the car made a noise, then burst into flames, destroying the Italian supercar right before his eyes.

Bullen was then faced with the difficult call to his boss, made just minutes after firefighters arrived on the scene, too late to save the car, reports the UK newspaper The Sun. Fortunately the owner of the car, Paul Jaconelli, proprietor of Romans International, a Surrey, UK supercar garage, took the sad news in stride, expecting insurance to pick up the bill.

And Jaconelli will have a strong case to present to the insurance adjuster, should one come knocking to investigate the £250,000 ($488,000) payout. Ferraris are not alone among supercars for their rather pyrophilic reputations - and the 599 is certainly not exempt from the list of past offenders.

What precisely caused the fire is yet undisclosed, but since the car was on the way to the repair shop, it seems likely that whatever was amiss went from bad to catastrophic failure in a matter of moments.

Tags: Safety, Odds and ends

Posted in: Ferrari, News


Comments (20 total)

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  1. By JSR #1, Posted: 5/19/2008

    that sux bc it's such a beautiful car.

  2. By Wizards Lore #2, Posted: 5/19/2008

    burn baby burn hahaha

  3. By Ivan #3, Posted: 5/19/2008

    I don't understand it. I see news of ferrari cars spontaneously combusting almost every day.
    What's the deal with it? You would think that $500K cars would not do it. Do regular cars burns just as much, but don't get this coverage in media or it's Ferrari's fault?

  4. By steve #4, Posted: 5/19/2008

    This has happened a few times now!
    Damb those wonderful machines!
    I hope the bloke doesn't lose his job, i feel sorry for him and the poor bloke who lost his new 599!

  5. By Renton #5, Posted: 5/19/2008

    God.....the 599 is my favorite car built right now.

    This is sad. Please stop posting this stuff. It is offensive and upsetting.

  6. By Don Vito #6, Posted: 5/19/2008

    Am sorry for u mate...
    this news shock me...
    sorry again

  7. By MyWheelsOnWalls.com #7, Posted: 5/19/2008

    My be tow it to the repair shop next time!

  8. By lexlife #8, Posted: 5/19/2008

    Most Ferrari's have very few miles which speak to their lite wear/tear and they are meticulously cared for by their owners. General road cars, let alone ones that cost $500K+ are not suppose to just burst into flames. Very beautiful cars but they will forever be eye candy for me due to this safety concern. Ferrari needs to do some explaining to the public and correct the issues as this could have a fatal consequence one day.

  9. By Gus #9, Posted: 5/19/2008

    It's true, you see this a lot with supercars, especially the Murcielago.
    When I drove my friends Lambo, you would not believe the heat that comes off of that engine bay.
    I think it's just a case of a LOT of power and compression packed into a VERY tight space.

  10. By Raptor #10, Posted: 5/19/2008

    Bugatti Veyron's engine produces... what, around 1500 kW of heat? And none of them caught fire yet :D

  11. By Trevor Green-Smith #11, Posted: 5/19/2008

    That's terrible.
    Poor guy...
    Best wishes
    http://www.carfanaticsunleashed.blogspot.com/

  12. By alatros #12, Posted: 5/19/2008

    lambos are burning so often....
    quite rare to see this happening on a ferrari!!!

  13. By Ultra #13, Posted: 5/19/2008

    nice , ! hell ya . Italian garbage is overpriced overhyped , just because they look nice, Or should I say used to look nice.

    Every car company knows the formula to build a supercar . They just dont do it because its to expensive , Ferrari just happened to look nice and the name sounds cool also.

  14. By Mach5Motorsport #14, Posted: 5/19/2008

    Supercars bursting into flames....is that why they often come equipped with fire extinguishers????? ;)

  15. By Wizards Lore #15, Posted: 5/19/2008

    can i just say though...i think the sound that a Ferrari makes under full thottle - namely an F430 is truelly aweful....sounds like a lawnmower and very tinny. give me a fuull blooded growl from a Porsche, Audi RS, MercBenz AMG or an Aston Martin thank you every time

  16. By kukucau #16, Posted: 5/20/2008

    Even when they are equipped with fire extinguisher, it would have been too late and the car was totaled almost in an instant.....

  17. By Mach5Motorsport #17, Posted: 5/20/2008

    Tighten those fuel lines

  18. By Taylor #18, Posted: 6/7/2008

    That poor, poor car!!!! I feel really bad for the guy who originally bought the car.

  19. By Adam #19, Posted: 7/14/2008

    Looks like a spy shot of a Ferrari "external combustion" engine.

  20. ma_mburleigh8 avatar by mburleigh8 #20, Posted: 12/30/2008

    If this is a common problem, Ferrari might want to do a recall on these and figure out what the problem is and fix it.

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