One of the rarest Italian sportscars which can accelerate to speeds of over 225 miles per hour was seen by HelloMonaco, who were one of the first on the scene, sending towering plumes of smoke into the sky after the back of one of the Prancing Horse’s finest vehicles burst into flames in the city of Monaco.
It is one of just over 1,300 F40s made between 1987 and 1992 which are among the fastest cars on the road.
HelloMonaco was able to immediately post pictures to Instagram showing shooting tongues of orange flame, just before four in the afternoon, spurting out of the back of the classic car as it tragically melted on Princess Grace Avenue in Monte Carlo near the Portier roundabout.
Dark black mixed with grey smoke rose into the sky from the burning wreck, with the right-side door left open after its occupant took flight to safety. One onlooker even tried unsuccessfully to rescue the vehicle by spraying the fiery scene with water from a garden hose.
Fortunately the two occupants of the vehicle including the owner from Monaco, reported as Bernd and his companion Katalin by the French press, were able to rapidly eject themselves from the cabin as the flames increased in intensity and they were able to escape without injury, one to the Japanese garden and the other to a nearby building.
These rare collectors’ classics are valued around 1 million euros – the Ferrari F40 with a little over 70.000 kms on the odometer is rare indeed. So sad to see its blackened and melted remains on the street.
About fifteen Monaco firefighters, quickly descended on the scene and extinguished the fire using foam lances to contain and ultimately smother the blaze.
It was all over before 17.45 pm when the burnt-out hulk of the vehicle was removed by a tow truck and the road cleaned up. Monaco Public Security agents had been able to regulate traffic at this busy artery in the Principality during the incident, closing off one lane. Early speculation as to the cause of the conflagration includes a theory of escaping fuel near the hot motor. An inquiry is underway.
Thankfully there were also no injuries to bystanders and no damage to nearby buildings. Just a scene that would bring tears to the eyes of Enzo Ferrari just following the Prancing Horse’s 90th anniversary!
