$3 Million Dollar Pile-up: World’s Costliest Crash?
EmailA weekend outing of sports car enthusiasts turned into a multi-million dollar pileup in southwestern Japan, damaging eight Ferraris, three Mercedes Benz, and a Lamborghini. The cost of the damage was thought to be about $3 million, though police refused to give an exact estimate.
The driver of one of the Ferraris triggered the 14-car pileup when he lost control while trying to change lanes, according to officials. That sent the luxury cars smashing into each other, and shut down the Chugoku Expressway, a major highway in the Yamaguchi Prefecture, for nearly six hours.
Broadcaster NHK showed scraps of metal scattered along a major stretch of the highway, air bags deployed on some of the cars, while a few of the Ferraris appeared totaled.
Nobody was seriously injured in the crash, but 10 people were treated for minor cuts and bruises.
The financial impact on drivers involved, will be far more significant. The Ferrari F-360, one of the cars involved, retails for more than $200,000.
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A couple Bentleys on the autobahn would probably cost more than that …
Posted by: yeah.i.said.it | December 5, 2011, 11:40 am 11:40 am
This has to be one of those priceless moments. All that money and you buy more car then you are capable of driving. The one can’ t change lanes and the others all following too close. They could have learned this lesson a lot cheaper on scooters.
Posted by: frankblourtango | December 5, 2011, 11:46 am 11:46 am
I guess they should just be glad a Bugatti Veyron wasn’t involved…I’ve heard you can’t even get insurance for those.
Posted by: LW | December 5, 2011, 11:48 am 11:48 am
@ yeah.i.said.it: Note – Bentley’s are $250K new and fixable. Ferrari’s aren’t.
Posted by: Kiddanger | December 5, 2011, 12:15 pm 12:15 pm
how munch revenues from the speeding tickets are collected ? the insurance companies will pay for the repairs and the costs will definitely be passed on to all innocent consumers !
Posted by: money & cense | December 5, 2011, 12:15 pm 12:15 pm
Tiger’s crash cost quite a bit more than this didn’t it?
Posted by: jeffu | December 5, 2011, 12:16 pm 12:16 pm
Non-Drivers! You’d figure with cars like that they would know how to drive them! Geesh!
Posted by: Mix74 | December 5, 2011, 12:19 pm 12:19 pm
a ferrari f360 probably is worth $80,000. were they $200,000 when new? seems a bit high to me.
Posted by: joe blowsky | December 5, 2011, 12:33 pm 12:33 pm
the asian driver jokes would be far too easy.
Posted by: superdave | December 5, 2011, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm
How interesting, they’re all red. What’s up with that?
Posted by: howdymo1 | December 5, 2011, 1:33 pm 1:33 pm
I think the damage estimate is way too high. I don’t see any really expensive model in the photos. All Montezemolo-era Ferraris are just used cars once you drive them off the lot. No real classics destroyed here, and no tragedy either, since no one was seriously injured. I bet these guys can afford to fix or replace these cars.
Posted by: J S O'Brien | December 5, 2011, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm
They might want to peel off some of that money for some driving lessons. This is the clutch, this is the brake, this is the gas, this is you in the mirror looking like at fool.
Posted by: Ellis | December 5, 2011, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm
boo hoo, the rich crashed their cars.
Posted by: sitat | December 5, 2011, 11:53 pm 11:53 pm