Thirteen high-end sports car owners – and one driver of a Toyota Prius – were probably close to tears last night after a 4 million motorway pile-up.
A single miscalculation from a Ferrari driver leading a convoy of sports car connoisseurs left a trail of twisted Italian and German metal trailing across this motorway in Japan.
Ten people were rushed to hospital after the smash on the Chugoku Expressway in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, yesterday afternoon, but none of their injuries were said to be serious.
Not so sporty now: Japanese police and rescue teams investigate damaged Ferrari cars at the site of a traffic accident on the Chugoku Expressway in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture
Tears: Ten people suffered mild injuries in the pile-up. But the damage to the owners’ wallets could be worth somewhere in the region of £2.5million, according to estimates
But the damage to their wallets may be far more grievous. Among the wrecked vehicles were eight Ferraris, three Mercedes, a Lamborghini, and a Skyline, as well as a Prius hybrid that was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Police said the accident occurred on an uphill curve when the 60-year-old driver of the Ferrari leading the pack lost control while trying to overtake another vehicle.
The trailing cars then proceeded to crash one by one, with the ensuing carnage closing down the express way for six hours while emergency services cleared up the mess.
Wiped out: Police said the accident occurred on an uphill curve when the 60-year-old driver of the Ferrari leading the pack lost control while trying to overtake another vehicle
Smash: There was also a Nissan Skyline GT-R – the only current Japanese supercar – involved in the crashThe cars involved in the epic smash included at least two Ferrari F430s, two Ferrari 360 Modenas, two Ferrari F355s and a Lamborghini Diablo.
There was also a Nissan Skyline GT-R – the only current Japanese supercar – and two Mercedes Benz, while the cheapest involved in the crash was the Toyota Prius hybrid.
Sports Nippon estimates the value of the vehicles to be 300million yen (4 million).
Written off: Sports Nippon estimated the value of the vehicles involved in the crash to be 300million yen (4 million)