In what might be the most expensive way to test roadside infrastructure ever attempted, a Ferrari F40 worth approximately $2.5 million has just had an intimate encounter with a British light pole. And by intimate, I mean it's now worth considerably less than $2.5 million. The story starts, as all good disaster stories do, with someone saying "I'm sure it'll be fine." A service technician, who's probably updating his LinkedIn profile as we speak, was taking the F40 for what should have been a routine test drive. What happened next has been captured in a video that will make any car enthusiast feel physically ill. The footage shows the F40 - one of the most legendary supercars ever made - suddenly deciding that going straight was boring. The rear wheels break traction, and in the sort of split-second that usually precedes very expensive insurance claims, the car performs what can only be described as an interpretive dance with a light pole. The result? Well, imagine taking $2.5 million in cash and putting it through a wood chipper. The front clamshell - that's Ferrari-speak for "the expensive bit at the front" - was completely removed from the car in a way that Ferrari's engineers definitely didn't intend. The F40, registered as 'F40PRX', ended up lying on its side like a wounded animal, probably contemplating its life choices. And let me ramble on about why this is significant. This is not just your run of the mill california T or 488. This is THE ferrari, more so than the La Ferrari. It was made between '87 and '92, and was the last project that Enzo approved in the flesh. It has a 3-litre V-8 churning out 471 ponies. In modern terms that might not sound like much, but this car weighs about as much as a packet of crisps. And it has all the driving aids of a shopping trolley. In other words, it's more than enough to remind you of your very human mortality. The good news, if there can be any in this situation, is that nobody was hurt. Well, physically at least. I suspect the technician's pride, career prospects, and ability to ever look at a Ferrari without breaking into a cold sweat have been severely damaged. The exact cause of the crash is still unclear, although physics suggests that applying too much throttle in a 30-year-old supercar with turbo lag and no traction control might have something to do with it. It's like trying to ride a tiger that's had too much coffee - eventually, something exciting is going to happen. Now, somewhere in Maranello, there's probably an old Ferrari mechanic looking at these photos and muttering "Mamma mia" while pouring himself a very large glass of Chianti. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go lie down in a dark room and try to forget what I've just seen.
