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Ferrari 599 GTB goes up in flames on delivery drive

 
20 6,705 views May 18, 2008

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.



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Comments (20)

  1. By JSR Posted: 5/19/2008 12:13am PDT

    that sux bc it's such a beautiful car.
     
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  2. By Wizards Lore Posted: 5/19/2008 12:38am PDT

    burn baby burn hahaha
     
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  3. By Ivan Posted: 5/19/2008 7:42am PDT

    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?
     
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  4. By steve Posted: 5/19/2008 7:49am PDT

    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!
     
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  5. By Renton Posted: 5/19/2008 9:30am PDT

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

    This is sad. Please stop posting this stuff. It is offensive and upsetting.
     
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  6. By Don Vito Posted: 5/19/2008 10:08am PDT

    Am sorry for u mate...
    this news shock me...
    sorry again
     
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  7. By MyWheelsOnWalls.com Posted: 5/19/2008 10:14am PDT

    My be tow it to the repair shop next time!
     
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  8. By lexlife Posted: 5/19/2008 10:28am PDT

    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.
     
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  9. By Gus Posted: 5/19/2008 11:10am PDT

    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.
     
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  10. By Raptor Posted: 5/19/2008 12:09pm PDT

    Bugatti Veyron's engine produces... what, around 1500 kW of heat? And none of them caught fire yet :D
     
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  11. By Trevor Green-Smith Posted: 5/19/2008 1:58pm PDT

    That's terrible.
    Poor guy...
    Best wishes
    http://www.carfanaticsunleashed.blogspot.com/
     
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  12. By alatros Posted: 5/19/2008 2:47pm PDT

    lambos are burning so often....
    quite rare to see this happening on a ferrari!!!
     
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  13. By Ultra Posted: 5/19/2008 4:59pm PDT

    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.
     
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  14. By Mach5Motorsport Posted: 5/19/2008 5:48pm PDT

    Supercars bursting into flames....is that why they often come equipped with fire extinguishers????? ;)
     
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  15. By Wizards Lore Posted: 5/19/2008 10:41pm PDT

    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
     
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  16. By kukucau Posted: 5/20/2008 4:26am PDT

    Even when they are equipped with fire extinguisher, it would have been too late and the car was totaled almost in an instant.....
     
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  17. By Mach5Motorsport Posted: 5/20/2008 11:08am PDT

    Tighten those fuel lines
     
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  18. By Taylor Posted: 6/7/2008 4:48pm PDT

    That poor, poor car!!!! I feel really bad for the guy who originally bought the car.
     
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  19. By Adam Posted: 7/14/2008 11:05am PDT

    Looks like a spy shot of a Ferrari "external combustion" engine.
     
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  20. ma_mburleigh8 avatar mburleigh8 Posted: 12/30/2008 9:06am PST

    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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