Westwood2006

iTrader: (1)

Whooops

A garage worker wrecked a client's £200,000 Ferrari after he took the supercar for a spin on the road to "put it through its paces" following an MOT.

The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, which has a top speed of 196mph, was being driven by a road tester from a local MOT centre when it smashed into a lamppost and flew over a two-foot wall into the middle of a roundabout.

The dark blue vehicle, one of only a handful of models in Britain, was seriously damaged after the crash in New Malden, Surrey, in which the driver, in his early 20s, was unhurt.

A source said the car was being given a "quick road test" before being returned to its owner, who is "obviously not happy that their pride and joy has been wrecked".

A Ferrari spokesman said the car was not being driven by a member of staff from Ferrari or an official Ferrari dealership, and added the company would help police with any inquiries.

Police said the incident was being treated as a "one car accident" and that an investigation was unnecessary.

The driver was treated for shock by paramedics at the scene.

Gary Adams, who witnessed the incident, said: "He was driving along one minute and the next the car was in the middle of the roundabout.

"He looked pretty stressed out when he realised the car was wrecked and kept saying his bosses would kill him."

Another eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said: "He just lost control and smashed into a lamppost and then the car mounted the roundabout and ended up in the middle of it.

"There were no other cars involved – he just lost it as he went round the roundabout."

P1 Daveyboy

OMFG would not like to fill in the ins claim form for this

dunx

iTrader: (3)

My MOT tester Ben, doesn't like driving mine, but then he is an Ev* fan.....

LOL

dunx

billythekid

When my Pork goes for its MOT I stand with it the entire time. I know its sad, but I know for a fact if I did not wait with it then they would be down the local bypass at a ton. I dont mind the car being driven for what it was intended for but I do mind if the above happens! I know insurance is there to pay out but some people spend a lot of time and money looking after their cars and the insurance company are not going to pay me that back!

dazzaturbo

unbelievable. Does this mean that im going to have to wait with my scoob during my next mot just incase they fancy putting it through its paces.

Westwood2006

iTrader: (1)

I have always hated leaving my cars with anyone... But what can you do? Hide a switch in the wire from the speedo to the ECU so it stays in launch control mode? That would slow them down a bit.

R1CH D

iTrader: (8)

Thats the problem with our cars, they gota take them out to brake test them as they cant use the rollers

Xx-IAN-xX

EFA

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

You mean you don't already!!!

How do they do your brake test?? 4wd on some 2wd rollers and hope they don't pop your transmission. Or do they do a tappy (sp) brake test on the road as they should do - which does mean driving your car!!

austinwrx

my car once broke the mot testers brake rollers.

he got an old wooden box out, with some sort of glass ball thing in it.

think a ships compass in a gimble.

we went for a drive and did the braking and it showed the efficiency.

clearly what they once did many yrs ago.

Richy P1984

My Scoob was fully 'road tested' when it went for its MOT. Thing was still ticking and pinging when i went to pick it up an hour later

billythekid

You mean a tapley brake meter.

All MOT stations have one.

4x4 vehicles and cars with LSD cant go on the rollers so they use the tapley.

my94wrx

iTrader: (4)

if they put you impreza on the brake rollers im surprised they didn't brake the gearbox, all imprezas should be brake tested on the road, the thing you are talking about is a decelerometer used to measure braking efficiency.

Leslie

Cross your fingers that the transmission was not damaged!

Les

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

I wait with mine every time ... unless its with Scoobytechnix .. I don't trust the scallies at the local garages not to **** about.

Westwood2006

iTrader: (1)

Subaru 4 You MOT'd my car 4 years in a row at the MOT station next door. They never once took it out.

T5OLF

iTrader: (4)

F40's are to wide for the brake tester also and have to road tested. My mate had one in last week and the owner drove with the mechanic in the passenger seat. Only made it 500 yards down the road before ripping the front and back off it along with a few yard of dystone wall. Just short of half a million quid smashed to bits.

I have the pics but he's not keen on them being posted up.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

New car needing an MOT? story doesn't add up to me.

bigsinky

wouldn't happen in Northern Ireland. We have specific MOT centres. you drive it in, get out and wait until it goes through the test, you drive it out when its finished.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

Tester has put his foot down and didn't know what to do when the power came in, tis the reason I don't let people drive my car.

Jaybird-UK

Id prosecute the little oik for taking without owners permission as the article stated "put it through its paces following an MOT." so the MOT had finished, there was no reason to road test it

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Our MOT is tester is 64 yeras old; You'd be lucky seeing him doing over 25mph

People really are fickle; We have Bentleys, Ferraris, Porsches, Merc 55/65 AMGs and the owners of these really aren't bothered; they drop off the keys and all they expect is the car to be ready when we say it is.

Then we get the Ford RSs, Rice boxes, Imprezas, EVOs etc drop in and the owners are often extremely **** about anyone except themselves touching their car. Being honest, and I'm not trying to be snobbish here, but we're just not bothered about them, because: a) we're too busy to prat about, and b ) When we have AMGs and Bentleys etc coming and going, a scraggy old Impreza is not worth a second glance yet alone a test drive (unless its absolutely required).

In the end of the day, if you don't trust your MOT tester - find one that you can trust.

Westwood2006

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, but on the whole Bentley, Ferrari, Pork etc owners are a lot more well healed that the average Impreza owner.... they prob have more than one car, lots of money etc etc etc.. and they probably never get their hands dirty on it!

I'm sure I can speak for many here when I say I spend a LARGE proportion of my income and time on my ONE and only car. I couldn't afford for it to be trashed. Thus my **** approach.

Statistically speaking you'd be more likely to be punched by an Impreza owner for crashing his car than your average Ferrari owner!

Leslie

Unfortunately I have never driven a Ferrari but I have been told that although their handling is as good as you might expect, the power available is such that it can easily cause the car to breakaway uncontrollably if you are being a bit "previous" with the throttle. Maybe it comes on cam with a bit of a rush.

Don't give much for that mechanic's chances anyway!

Les

General-Lee

iTrader: (2)

I have to agree with you there I work hard and long hours to run and keep my car and worry that some ****** will thrash it!!

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Nice thing about my Audi is I get free MOTs now (approved used) if I go to an Audi dealer. Plus I get the car picked up and returned to work, so there is no inconvenience for me

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

Your garage may be different, but these usually work out as "free MOT with sodding big bill for stuff that did not even need doing". That's how it worked out with my dad's car. In the end the garage admitted what they said needed doing did not actually need to be done. It was "pre-emptive" maintenance that his rear wishbone should be changed as they have had to change lots of them....

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

It's a good point, but the car is also under warranty so any repairs needed to get it through the MOT would be paid for by Audi

Westwood2006

iTrader: (1)

What's one of them?