Car enthusiasts everywhere will shed tears at the fate of a rare Porsche 918 Spyder that caught fire just north of Toronto this weekend.
The US$845,000 hybrid supercar burst into flames at an Esso gas station in Caledon, Ontario, and the entire event was caught on camera by a passing driver.
The local fire chief said that the fire was a result of an overflow at the gas station, and did not come from the 918’s engine or components. Witnesses reported that there was an overflow of gas, which then ignited from the heat of the exhaust – since the 918 uses a unique exhaust layout, with the exhaust pipes exiting upward, rather than out the back. The question still remains though: was this the driver’s fault or the fault of the car?
The remnants of the 918 have been taken into custody, pending an investigation. The police department, fire department and Porsche have all refused to make a statement about the event until the pending investigation is complete.
The owner of the supercar is Michael Wekerle is a Canadian financier and a star of the CBC show Dragon’s Den. Fortunately, there were no injuries as a result of the fire.
Whether it’s an overheating heating or a just freak accident, high-performance, exotic cars have a tendency to go up in flames a lot more often than your typical family sedan, like the Ford Fusion. Porsche already had fire troubles this year with its 911 GT3; the solution was to replace all the GT3 engines.
You can watch the Porsche 918’s destruction in a video below:
