Wonder if this is an aftermarket accessory issue added to this F430 Scuderia?
Yes, there have been fires before with supercars and also modern, technology filled cars around Malaysia who have had aftermarket accessories fitted by unqualified mechanics and accessory shops employees who are not trained to check and verify the electrical systems in these new tech-filled cars.
Gray Car Warranty Issue?
This is why in recent years, car manufacturers have been very strict with warranty claims when these cars get tuned and ‘turned over’ by ‘tuning shops’ who really do not know what they are doing but claim they are professional tuners with extensive training.
Then there are recalls on supercars which Malaysian grey used (AP) luxury car buyers will not know about as their cars are not registered with the authorised importer (Naza Italia) and so when there is a global recall for a particular part that could cause a ‘fire like this’, they will not know about it and continue to drive their used imported car unaware.
Not The First
An unfortunate Ferrari has been the recent hot topic on the Malaysian news due to it going up in flames on the Kulim-Butterworth Expressway. Occurring near the Permatang Pauh exit of the highway in Penang, this F430 Scuderia caught fire at around 2.08 p.m. on the 27th of January (Wednesday).
Fire & Rescue
According to Penang Fire and Rescue Department officer Supt Nafis Ariff Abdullah, the Ferrari was already 80 percent destroyed when fire fighters arrived at the scene. Thankfully however, no one was injured as a result of this unfortunate incident.
As for the cause of this Ferrari spontaneously going up in flames, this matter is still under investigation at time of writing. Seeing however that there were no other vehicles involved in this unfortunate incident, a collision could be ruled out as one of the reasons causing the fire.
Furthermore, given that the back portion of the F430 bore the brunt of the destruction by the flames, it would be reasonable to assume that the fire originated somewhere from the 630hp 4.3 litre naturally aspirated V8.
This is of course not the first time a Ferrari has been too hot to handle, as there actually has been a well documented history of prancing horses going up in flames. The most recent of which lead to the recall of over a couple thousand of its supercars worldwide due to a manufacturing defect with the fuel vapour separator, which could cause the cars spontaneously catch fire while on the road.
Happened Before
In fact, speaking of this model specifically, this isn’t even the first time an F430 has gone up in flames in Malaysia. The previous reported case was yet another red one that burnt down in an even more severe fashion while out on an exotic car convoy back in 2012.
Having said all that however, for the driver/owner’s sake at least, one can only hope that this Ferrari’s insurance policyhas fire coverage. That said though, to anyone looking for a cheap front end of a F430 Scuderia, a half cut of one could well be making its way to a breakers yard very soon.
Research and Text by Joshua Chin
