Ferrari 599 GTB goes up in flames on delivery drive

Posted Mon May 19 2008 12:47 AM by Nelson Ireson

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.

Reader Comments

Mon May 19 2008 3:13 AM
JSR says

that sux bc it's such a beautiful car.
Mon May 19 2008 3:38 AM
Wizards Lore says

burn baby burn hahaha
Mon May 19 2008 10:42 AM
Ivan says

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?
Mon May 19 2008 10:49 AM
steve says

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!
Mon May 19 2008 12:30 PM
Renton says

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

This is sad. Please stop posting this stuff. It is offensive and upsetting.
Mon May 19 2008 1:08 PM
Don Vito says

Am sorry for u mate...
this news shock me...
sorry again
Mon May 19 2008 1:14 PM
MyWheelsOnWalls.com says

My be tow it to the repair shop next time!
Mon May 19 2008 1:28 PM
lexlife says

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.
Mon May 19 2008 2:10 PM
Gus says

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.
Mon May 19 2008 3:09 PM
Raptor says

Bugatti Veyron's engine produces... what, around 1500 kW of heat? And none of them caught fire yet :D
Mon May 19 2008 4:58 PM
Trevor Green-Smith says

That's terrible.
Poor guy...
Best wishes
http://www.carfanaticsunleashed.blogspot.com/
Mon May 19 2008 5:47 PM
alatros says

lambos are burning so often....
quite rare to see this happening on a ferrari!!!
Mon May 19 2008 7:59 PM
Ultra says

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.
Mon May 19 2008 8:48 PM
Mach5Motorsport says

Supercars bursting into flames....is that why they often come equipped with fire extinguishers????? ;)
Tue May 20 2008 1:41 AM
Wizards Lore says

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
Tue May 20 2008 7:26 AM
kukucau says

Even when they are equipped with fire extinguisher, it would have been too late and the car was totaled almost in an instant.....
Tue May 20 2008 2:08 PM
Mach5Motorsport says

Tighten those fuel lines
Sat Jun 7 2008 7:48 PM
Taylor says

That poor, poor car!!!! I feel really bad for the guy who originally bought the car.
Mon Jul 14 2008 2:05 PM
Adam says

Looks like a spy shot of a Ferrari "external combustion" engine.
Tue Dec 30 2008 12:06 PM
mburleigh8 says

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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