Built specifically for the purpose of eliminating all driver aids in order to provide the purest experience possible, the Veritas RS III is already headed to a limited-production run of just 50 cars. Unfortunately, one $500,000 prototype has already met its demise, ending up in a crash in Moenchengladbach, Germany. A pair of over-enthusiastic men talked the keys out of the garage manager of the dealership where the car was on display and within minutes of starting it up had crashed into a light pole.

They surely arrived in a hurry as the car's 473hp V8 is capable of 0-62mph (0-100km/h) runs of just 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 205mph (329km/h). Their test drive would likely have been even shorter if they'd managed to get behind the wheel of the V10-powered version of the car. The carbon-kevlar body and tube-frame chassis may not be a total loss, as the 'mangled wreck' is being 'salvaged by mechanics' according to Ananova.

A particularly succinct police spokesman summed up the incident: "The car is immensely powerful and they grossly overestimated their driving skills." The men attempted to flee the scene of the accident, but were apprehended and arrested.

How two men managed to take a single-seater for a test drive is still a mystery, though that may have been the start of their problems, as it's surely much harder to drive properly with a middle-aged man on one's lap.

For more on the Veritas RS III, including a video of the car in action, check out our previous coverage.

Veritas RS III