Thursday 26th August 2010

'Ferrari 458 Plagued By Mystery Jinx'

(No, not really, it's a story from the Daily Mail)

---

Ferrari is taking seriously reports that several of its latest 458 models have burst into flames, and has started an investigation.

We have no idea whether there's a real problem or not, but the story has been whipped up on the internet as a result of a few flaming 458s reported on wreckedexotics.com. (We try not to go there often, to spare your pain...)

The Daily Mail picked up the story today, and broadened its scope by amusingly suggesting the 458 'is being plagued by a mystery jinx' as several of the cars have crashed as well. The Mail say there's no technical fault to blame, however even Autocar couldn't resist running an item in its generally more sober style, and has quoted a Ferrari statement thus:

"The company is currently investigating the particular incidents in which cars have apparently been involved in a vehicle fire, and it is currently treating these as separate incidents. Until these investigations are complete, Ferrari is unable to provide any further comment."

Fortunately, PHers are free to comment liberally even without being in possession of all the facts(!), but whatever the truth of the matter, it's not great PR for the Prancing Horse, is it?

Mind you, at least a fire in a metal Ferrari need not necessarily be terminal. Carbon fibre fires are a different story, at least according to one race team manager I spoke to recently who reckoned heat damage does something to the resins that makes it unstable and therefore fit only for scrap. (Can anyone out there tell us more?)

It could be food for thought for anyone thinking about a TPF&T insurance policy on a new MP4-12C...

[FWDRacer]

Can anybody ensure Clarkson is in his when it inevitably gets its "thermal event"?

[Swifty Stig]

hehe the car clearly wasnt meant to be. 355 and 430 best cars they have done. oh and as for the 458 being "the prettiest" try the 250 gto

[CiderwithCerbie]

Vengeance is mine saith the Lord!




Ceberas bursting into flames frequently never got into the Daily Fail.....

[AUDIHenry]

Swifty Stig said:

hehe the car clearly wasnt meant to be. 355 and 430 best cars they have done. oh and as for the 458 being "the prettiest" try the 250 gto

The 250 has a mystique attached to it but is hardly the prettiest. My vote goes for the 250 GT SWB.



As far as Ferraris bursting on fire, it's a good balance against all the Lambos that caught the bug in the last decade or so.

[Amizade]

Reminded me of the GTC McLaren GTR's - x2 of them combusted at Le Mans - turned out to be caused by the failure of an aero grade clip attaching the hose on the oil pump - both tubs were toast, as the carbon tubs delaminated.

Re the 458 - would be very surpised if this was a manufacturing issue, although weren't Fiat Ducatos allegedly renowned for self combusting - shared parts?

[aka_kerrly]

Not to mention the problem with the early V10 Audi R8 that burst into flames during testing to, must be jinxed to.

dave

[RenesisEvo]

The wreckedexotics website also, from memory, illustrates that its not just the 458 that catches fire on far too regular a basis. There seem to be a curiously large number of Ferraris (599s, 430s, so forth) that have self-combusted.

[drewbagz]

I think in this instance ferrari has pushed it's engine technology just one step to far. The F430 was a 4.3 V8 producing 490 BHP which is perfectly achievable by modern day standards, then the 458 comes along and blows it away with a 4.5 V8 and 570 BHP. Thats an additional 80 BHP for only an extra 200CC, and it does something like 8 MPG more the the 430 aswell, this is race engine tech with quite frankly biblical fuel enconomy (for the car type) tagged on the side. Yes i know engine tech has come along way in recent years but i think the technology used with the 458 although tested thoroughly in the 599XX on the track, in the real world can't manage the expectations, and so needs to be serviced / rebuilt like a race engine does every X hours or X miles, and because the engines aren't getting the TLC then need every 1000 miles, all these engine fires are arising.

This is my theory at least anyway, until proven otherwise.

Edited by drewbagz on Thursday 26th August 10:39

[nonuts]

I believe in another thread on this very website there is a comment talking about a new fuel breather hoses / thingy.

If fuel is spraying / sloshing around in the engine bay in certain situations I can imagine that would cause a fire pretty sharpish!

[Stu R]

musclecarmad said:

This is what Ferrari is all about - it makes me want one even more. Mmmmm so exotic - you wouldn't get a boring German car doing this

true, italian exotica :lickslips:

etc

[paulpsz008]

Who pays for these when this happens?

Do Ferrari replace/re-emburse you?
Claim on insurance?

[Rusty-C]

AUDIHenry said:

Swifty Stig said:

hehe the car clearly wasnt meant to be. 355 and 430 best cars they have done. oh and as for the 458 being "the prettiest" try the 250 gto

The 250 has a mystique attached to it but is hardly the prettiest. My vote goes for the 250 GT SWB.



As far as Ferraris bursting on fire, it's a good balance against all the Lambos that caught the bug in the last decade or so.

I'd have to go for the 250LM

[Ed.]

nonuts said:

I believe in another thread on this very website there is a comment talking about a new fuel breather hoses / thingy.

If fuel is spraying / sloshing around in the engine bay in certain situations I can imagine that would cause a fire pretty sharpish!

This one http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

It depends how many have been made, 3 out of 300 made is a cause of concern, if many more have been made less so.

[vetteheadracer]

Ferrari Four Fire Eight.........

[McAndy]

vetteheadracer said:

Ferrari Four Fire Eight.........

Well played!

[C43]

I heard yesterday that the aerodynamics on the 458 are so bad when they eventually did look into it that Ferrari ended up making up the figures for the press release...does look nice though!

[SWoll]

C43 said:

I heard yesterday that the aerodynamics on the 458 are so bad when they eventually did look into it that Ferrari ended up making up the figures for the press release...does look nice though!

Bloke in the pub?

I imagine ferrari don't bother to do wind tunnel testing or aerodynamic computer simulations on their cars during the design phase but wait until after the car is in production..........

[timewatch]

Nice!!!

Would never happen to a Lotus???????;)

TW>>>

[Amizade]

paulpsz008 said:

Who pays for these when this happens?

Do Ferrari replace/re-emburse you?
Claim on insurance?

Usually, in the absence of a recall/admission of a fault, Insurers would pay & then attempt to subrogate against the manufacturer - with little hope, as there's usually not much left for forensic examination to determine cause

[TimmmyT]

'Mind you, at least a fire in a metal Ferrari need not necessarily be terminal. Carbon fibre fires are a different story, at least according to one race team manager I spoke to recently who reckoned heat damage does something to the resins that makes it unstable and therefore fit only for scrap. (Can anyone out there tell us more?)

It could be food for thought for anyone thinking about a TPF&T insurance policy on a new MP4-12C...'


Any car catching fire and cooking up as much as that picture shows would not be a car I would want to jump back into after an insurance repair. I wouldn't give a toss whether it was metal of carbon fibre, I wouldn't want it back. I don't think I'd be all that concerned about choosing a carbon fibre car over a metal one. I would worry a little more about my pride and joy going up in smoke for no reason!