Fifth Gear presenter injured in Caparo T1 fire
December 31st, 1969
The Caparo T1 supercar is in the final rounds of its testing phase but it appears developers still have some major bugs to iron out. While driving one of the final prototypes, British Touring Car Championship driver and Fifth Gear presenter Jason Plato was hurt when the car’s engine burst into flames at an estimated 150mph.
Plato received burns to his hands, face, and the back of the neck, and was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital. In a statement, he said he felt a slight loss of power, then saw smoke in the mirrors before suddenly feeling intense heat. “The car spontaneously erupted into a ball of flame and I was stuck in the middle of a fireball. I hit the brakes, brought the car to a stop as quickly as I could and jumped out,” he explained.
This will undoubtedly delay the launch of the high performance two-seater, which was supposed to go on sale by the middle of this year. The engine develops a staggering 575bhp (425kW) from its 3.5L of displacement and achieves this peak at 10,500rpm, which explains its highly stressed nature. We hope engineers can fix any issues without changing any of the final specs, which you can check out by clicking here.
The Caparo T1 supercar is in the final rounds of its testing phase but it appears developers still have some major bugs to iron out. While driving one of the final prototypes, British Touring Car Championship driver and Fifth Gear presenter Jason Plato was hurt when the car’s engine burst into flames at an estimated 150mph.
Plato received burns to his hands, face, and the back of the neck, and was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital. In a statement, he said he felt a slight loss of power, then saw smoke in the mirrors before suddenly feeling intense heat. “The car spontaneously erupted into a ball of flame and I was stuck in the middle of a fireball. I hit the brakes, brought the car to a stop as quickly as I could and jumped out,” he explained.
This will undoubtedly delay the launch of the high performance two-seater, which was supposed to go on sale by the middle of this year. The engine develops a staggering 575bhp (425kW) from its 3.5L of displacement and achieves this peak at 10,500rpm, which explains its highly stressed nature. We hope engineers can fix any issues without changing any of the final specs, which you can check out by clicking here.
Plato received burns to his hands, face, and the back of the neck, and was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital. In a statement, he said he felt a slight loss of power, then saw smoke in the mirrors before suddenly feeling intense heat. “The car spontaneously erupted into a ball of flame and I was stuck in the middle of a fireball. I hit the brakes, brought the car to a stop as quickly as I could and jumped out,” he explained.
This will undoubtedly delay the launch of the high performance two-seater, which was supposed to go on sale by the middle of this year. The engine develops a staggering 575bhp (425kW) from its 3.5L of displacement and achieves this peak at 10,500rpm, which explains its highly stressed nature. We hope engineers can fix any issues without changing any of the final specs, which you can check out by clicking here.
More from MotorAuthority
-
11/06/2009
Opel Boss Carl-Peter Forster Calls It Quits
Carl-Peter Forster, GM group vice president and president of Opel, will be ...
-
11/06/2009
GM Czar Lutz Heading Back To Europe--To Opel?
GM's sudden decision this week to reverse path and keep Opel rather than ...
-
11/06/2009
Toyota To Put 2010 4Runner Through The Baja 1000 Wringer
Toyota's involvement in motorsports has been a hot topic this week with ...
More from High Gear Media
-
TheCarConnection.com | 11/07/2009
Driven: 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid X6
BMW's X6 "Sports Activity Coupe" is a car of contradictions. Our review ...
-
TheCarConnection.com | 11/06/2009
Opel CEO Calls It Quits, Rolls-Royce Hybrid: Today’s Car News
It’s official. The boss of Opel, Carl-Peter Forster, will be leaving ...
-
TheCarConnection.com | 11/06/2009
2010 Ford Focus
2010 FORD FOCUS STYLING | [6 out of 10] Kelley Blue Book: "Improved ...



Comments (4 total)
Meet the top commenters on the LeaderboardBy biturbo #1, Posted: 10/9/2007
This is one of the greatest cars of all time. Problems happen during development of all cars. They will fix them and the car will come. The only problem I have is that I cannot afford one.
By Gus #2, Posted: 10/9/2007
This car is quite something. I don't much care for the looks, but it is form follows function in the race car world.
My sympathies to Mr. Plato, he is a cool presenter.
By addy #3, Posted: 10/10/2007
the cars looks are not the best, but the specs make up for it. The car will come soon if enough, remember all the problems the veyron had before production
By elyk-R #4, Posted: 10/10/2007
Could Jason Plato also be known as 'The Stig' ??
Post a Comment
Sign In |