It’s not just Tesla owners who have to fear that seawater could set their cars ablaze or Audi buyers that must remain fearful that circuit issues could spell disaster for their EVs, the owners of gas cars also must be aware of the fire risk that comes with their cars. In fact, one Ferrari owner learned this the hard way last week when their F430 was destroyed in a blaze.
A Ferrari owner in Tennessee was shocked to learn last week that filling their car with highly flammable gasoline could lead to disaster, reports Road & Track. The owner of a Ferrari F430 was refilling their car at the Citgo/Hill Top Market in Signal Mountain, Tennessee, last Thursday, reports the site.
While filling the Italian supercar, presumably with premium gas, the mid-engined Ferrari caught on fire. The blaze quickly spread through the car’s rear end. By the time Signal Mountain Fire Department arrived, the car was fully engulfed.
The fire department explained in a post on social media that the fire started while the car was refueling, resulting in “major damage” being caused to the early ’00s supercar. The filling station’s pump and canopy were also damaged in the blaze, which led to the closure of the pumps and the South Bound Ridgeway “for a period of time,” first responders added.
The cause of the fire has not yet been identified by first responders, but R&T reports that some Ferrari F430 owners and fans have been speculating about the cause online, as the site adds:
At this point, we can only speculate what may have led to the fuel stop fire that destroyed the Ferrari. Back in 2009, Ferrari recalled 1,950 F430 Spiders from the 2005 to 2007 model years. The recall was due to hydraulic hoses that could rupture from the heat of the engine and leak fluid which could lead to a fire. However, the F430 that burned at the Signal Mountain Citgo station appears to be a coupe.
Some members of the Ferrari community, FerrariChat, have discussed possible fire risks with the F430 for several years now. Some have even reported that they experienced fires while refueling. Theories vary from aged fuel filler necks and lines to a design flaw that allows a hot exhaust manifold to contact fuel or oil and cause a fire. These remain just theories and there is no evidence that a Ferrari F430 has a greater chance of catching fire than any other car.
Thankfully, the flames were quickly controlled and nobody was injured as a result of the fire, however we’re pretty sad to hear of the demise of this wonderful Ferrari and its glorious 4.3-liter V8 motor.
Car fires have been a big topic of discussion in recent weeks, with industry experts warning of the dangers of electric vehicle fires and convicted felon Donald Trump even arguing that hydrogen cars are, pretty much, bombs on wheels. Let’s hope reasonable thinkers like that don’t hear about this gas-powered car blaze, or who know what kind of policies they might dream up to avert the risk.