Porsche 918 Spyder Catches Fire and Burns to the Ground
Earlier this year Porsche recalled every single version of its GT3 sports car because the engines were catching fire. And now this has happened.
The 918 Spyder, a hybrid supercar valued at $825,000, caught fire yesterday at a gas station near Toronto, Canada.
According to witness reports, the gas overflowed and then ignited from the heat of the exhaust. The 918 uses a unique exhaust layout, with the exhaust pipes exiting upward, rather than out the back.
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The car is believed to belong to Michael Wekerle, a man described as “Mick Jagger meets Warren Buffett” and the CEO of investment firm Difference Capital. Wek, as he’s known, is also a star of the hit CBC show “Dragon’s Den”.
When asked for comment Porsche Cars Canada public relations manager Patrick Saint-Pierre said that the automaker is aware of the incident. “Porsche is very concerned but cannot comment as we have no other source of information except these media reports at this time,” he said. “We are first and foremost happy that apparently no injuries and other damage have resulted from the incident as reported. Porsche is prepared to bring its technical resources to help all authorities who are investigating the matter.”
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GALLERY: Porsche 918 Spyder Fire
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With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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:( sad way for a great car to end. Porsche is not immune from errors, but you would think with all the testing and media this car has received that an issue like this would have been detected already.
Imagine you got gas adjacent to this car and while filling up the car's gas tank burst into flames. That situation can be sticky at that moment. I would have to stop pumping gas and hurry up and get out of there or just leave the vehicle and run.