1 Million Dollars up in smoke Ferrari F40

[Mark Gregory]

Note the guy on the balcony with hose.

 

Burning rubber! £1MILLION rare Ferrari F40 is destroyed after bursting into flames in Monte Carlo

• Italian sportscar sent flames and a plume of smoke into the air after the back ignited in Monte Carlo, Monaco
• When the flames were finally extinguished the car was left as a blackened and melted hulk on the road
• Ferrari only made 1,311 F40s in the late 1980s and early 1990s, meaning this car is one of a treasured few

[Matt Harwood]

Love the guy with his garden hose on the balcony trying to put out the fire.

[HarryLime]

Now it is just a "dumpster fire" . Heavy fines for that in Monaco.

[1937hd45]

Must be some magnesium in there. Bob 

 

 

Fun to back things up with a Google search;

 

“The eight-cylinder 478bhp twin-turbo was a derivative of the 288 GTO Evoluzione’s,” says Bonfiglioli, “but a number of innovative contents enabled the F40 to become the first production Ferrari to exceed 320 km/h [200mph]. We paid maximum attention to the weight of the engine, thanks also to the extensive use of magnesium, such as oil sump, cylinder-head covers, intake manifolds, and gearbox bell-housing were in this material that cost five times as much as aluminium alloy and that was never used in such quantities in subsequent production cars.”

Edited February 20, 2020 by 1937hd45 (see edit history)

[54vicky]

adds new meaning to the term hot car

[1937hd45]

Checked to see what adding water to a magnesium fire does...…………….makes it worse. Bob 

[3macboys]

I like the beat up rent a car van following the tow truck at the end - looks like that's what the driver get's to use now

[Matt Harwood]

If just one headlight bulb survived they'll build an all-new F40 from it and Ferrari Classiche will certify it as correct and original.

[1937hd45]

Wayne Carine named his shop after one. Bob 

[Jim Skelly]

I wonder if the owner will be charged for the road repair

[wayne sheldon]

8 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Checked to see what adding water to a magnesium fire does...…………….makes it worse. Bob

 

 

Oh so very long ago in my pathetic little life. Seriously, just out of high school, almost fifty years ago (probably about '73?). I have said it before, I was a strange kid. Late one afternoon, wintertime, after work, I headed across town (San Jose Califunny) to a large Salvation Army store that was known to often have really good collectibles, vintage clothing, and other items of interest (I bought several hundred 78 rpm records there over the years!). They were open until fairly late,  so it was well after dark when I headed back towards home. I only got a few blocks when I realized there was a very ominous glow in the near distance. As I got closer, it started to become apparent that there was a large fire ahead, and that it was awfully close to the street I usually cut across to reach the Alameda ( a very old and famous thoroughfare). I decided to cut across a few blocks early, in order to avoid being near where all the emergency vehicles were and likely road closures. So I was about three blocks away when one of the loudest things I ever heard went BOOM and I glanced over my shoulder to see a fireball going up about two hundred feet! Three blocks away, and the shock wave shook my car (a '52 Chevrolet fastback) more than a bit.

The article in the SJ Mercury paper the next day gave some details (someone could possibly today search out that archive online?). Almost miraculously, nobody was seriously hurt. Two firemen were way up on a ladder extended from their multi-story ladder truck and spraying water on the fire, at an autobody repair and customizing shop. Fire officials speculated that the explosion was caused by spraying water on magnesium wheels inside the shop! The miraculous part? The two firemen were out on the ladder, hanging on and holding the high pressure hose. One of the men was hanging onto the ladder hard enough that he was able to cling to the ladder and stay. According to both men, the other was blown straight up, and as he then began his fall down, the two men managed to grab each other, therefore saving the other man from what probably would have been a fatal fall!  (May be hard to believe, but that is what the paper said?) And, yes, it was later said that there were broken windows for a block around.

 

So, naturally, I see a photo of some guy hosing such a car fire, a car I know used some fair amount of magnesium, and my first thought is that he is very lucky that he didn't blow the balcony clear off his building!

Also, never forget! Gasoline and oil fires CANNOT be put out by hosing them down with water! Gasoline and oil float on the water and the water WILL carry them downhill to wherever else that they can ignite, therefore spreading the fire rather than putting it out. In a pinch a towel or large enough rags or cloth soaked in water can SMOTHER a gasoline or oil fire. The water can delay burning of the cloth, long enough for the fire underneath to smother (I did that once on a neighbor's car fire after the only available fire extinguisher FAILED!). Warning, water also can turn to steam very quickly, and steam scalds horribly fast! Be prepared, be fast, and be careful.

[jackofalltrades70]

15 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

Checked to see what adding water to a magnesium fire does...…………….makes it worse. Bob 

I work in aluminum die casting.  While working in Mexico, at one of my previous employers facilities, a small splash of aluminum fell on a pallet of scrap magnesium parts we used to maintain our aluminum within specs.  The only way to calm a mag fire is to smother it.  By the time I had it smothered, I had melted the tires completely off of our skidsteer, the whole back wall (30 feet) of our building was melted off and I nearly had to beat a fireman to death with his hose.  10 days later, the internal temp of the dirt piled over the magnesium was still over 1800 deg f.  
 

Mag is very dangerous if not handled accordingly

 

Matt

[8E45E]

Magnesium gives off a very blinding white light when it ignites.  (Don't ask me how I know!)

 

Craig

[46 woodie]

When I was a firefighter we had a "Class D" extinguisher on our rig to be used exclusively for car engine fires. Never use water for a magnesium fire!

[avgwarhawk]

Should buff out.  

[Graham Man]

Probably wishes he had a Class D fire extinguisher in his car... I have been adding fire extinguishers to all my old cars, cheap insurance.

[Matt Harwood]

Our science teacher gave us these little tiny tabs of magnesuim in high school chemistry class. We lit them with a bunsen burner and watched them burn white hot. A buddy and I figured that was just too cool so we stole the whole roll of the stuff from the teacher's desk. We lit it in the locker room and it lit the place up like a searchlight and we were afraid the teachers would see the light through the crack under the door, so my buddy threw it in the toilet.

 

You know what happened next. We ran out of there as fast as we could and neither of us came to school the next day, just in case. But yeah, that toilet blew up.

 

Burning magnesium is not a toy.

[46 woodie]

Mathew, 30 days detention and an essay on why it's bad to light things on fire!

[JamesR]

I saw a scene very similar to this when I was in Ireland in the 1990's. (Not terrorism, but a car just catching on fire...and not a Ferrari, of course.) I tried getting closer to the car because I was worried that someone might still be inside, but I found out later everyone had escaped. Big explosion, too.

 

You can't imagine the heat that this kind of fire generates. It was too intense for me to get closer than 40 feet, so that guy using the hose on the Ferrari was probably feeling what I felt times two or three. Probably trying to keep his house/business from burning. Looks like nobody was hurt, thank goodness.

[jerry k]

Ran when parked

 

 

[John_Mereness]

On 2/20/2020 at 11:03 AM, Matt Harwood said:

Love the guy with his garden hose on the balcony trying to put out the fire.

If he keeps at it long enough he will get the fire out too.