Mechanic crashes rare Ferrari F40 during unauthorised drive in Houston
A mechanic in Houston took a customer’s Ferrari F40 for a joyride while the owner was abroad, crashing the £1m supercar and raising questions over workshop trust.
A Ferrari F40 valued at around £1 million suffered extensive damage in Houston when a workshop mechanic crashed the car during an unauthorised drive. The incident occurred while the owner was out of the country, leaving the prized supercar in for service.
According to reports, the mechanic took the F40 out for what was described as a joyride rather than a test drive. The car left the road at speed, resulting in substantial damage to the front end. No injuries were reported, but the crash left one of Ferrari’s most collectable models in need of major repairs.
The Ferrari F40, produced between 1987 and 1992 in a run of just 1,311 cars, has become a blue-chip classic. Its 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 produces 478hp, sending power to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox. The car’s low weight and lack of electronic driver aids make it a demanding drive, even for experienced hands.
Original tyres and speed blamed for crash
Sources suggest that the F40 was still running on its original, decades-old tyres at the time of the crash. Combined with excessive speed, this likely contributed to the loss of control. The incident echoes other high-profile F40 crashes in recent years, including those in Germany and Canada, highlighting the risks of driving classic supercars on aged rubber.
- Ferrari F40 crashed in Germany after driver lost control (/ferrari-f40-crashed-in-germany)
- Ferrari F40 crashed in Vancouver after wet-road loss of control (/video-ferrari-f40-crashed-in-canada)
Implications for owners and workshops
With F40s now trading for seven-figure sums, owners face difficult decisions about entrusting rare cars to third parties. The Houston crash raises questions about workshop protocols and insurance coverage for high-value classics left in their care. While the F40 is expected to be repairable, the incident is a reminder that even routine servicing can carry risks for valuable supercars.
