There’s something strange going on with Ferrari’s latest model, the 458 Italia. In the mere 90 days since the first examples were delivered to well-heeled customers, 458s the world over have been the victim of an inordinate amount of crashes, fires and other mishaps, the sheer number of which seem to indicate a mechanical flaw rather than mere “driver error”. While some of the accidents were obviously just that, viewed as a whole the picture is nonetheless disturbing.
Ferrari reps have said only: “We are taking it very seriously and investigating each incident but we have no comment to make at this time.” Designed by famed styling house Pininfarina, the 458 has a 4.5-litre V8 engine boosting it from 0–62 mph time in 3.4 seconds with a top speed of 202 mph. With the help of the London Sun we’ve compiled a timeline of the 458 incidents:
Wreck 1: May 20, Poland — Red 458 involved in collision with VW Bora
Wreck 2: June 1, Spain — Red 458 spotted on the back of a tow truck
Wreck 3: June, Czech Republic — Red 458 crashes on wet race track
Wreck 4: July 8, Paris — Parked 458 catches fire spontaneously (above)
Wreck 5: July 9, London — Yellow bespoke 458 destroyed in Heathrow warehouse fire
Wreck 6: July 14, Switzerland — Red 458′s engine catches fire on a mountain pass
Wreck 7: August 9, Italy — One-day-old red 458 crashes outside Ferrari factory in Maranello
Wreck 8: August 11, England — Black 458 hit roadside barrier during wet weather in Buckinghamshire
Wreck 9: August 18, California — Red 458 catches fire in California
Wreck 10: August 21, Czech Republic — Six-hour-old car with 200 miles on the clock ran into ditch
Wreck 11: August 23, China – Red 458 catches fire in China (see video)
