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£170,000 supercars have design fault which can make them burst into flames

Ferrari recalled more than 400 luxury Italia cars today after reports that a design fault could cause them to catch fire.

The first incident occurred in July, when the driver noticed the rear panel of his 458 Italia was on fire while he was driving in Paris. A passerby used a fire extinguisher to douse the flames.

A few days later the engine of an Italia driving up a mountain pass in Switzerland caught fire. Last month a 458 in China and one in the US burst into flames.

After sending its engineers around the world to investigate the reports of "thermal incidents", Ferrari asked the owners of more than 1,200 of the supercars, including around 50 in Britain, to bring them in for modification work. Louis Saha, the Everton footballer, Eric Clapton, the rock star, and Chris Evans, the broadcaster, are among the car's owners.

Ferrari said the problem had been traced to adhesive used in the wheel-arch assemblies. In certain circumstances the glue can begin to overheat, smoke and even catch fire. In extreme cases, the melting of the adhesive can lead the heat shield – the liner protecting the engine – to deform and move closer to the exhaust, causing the lining to catch fire.

The owners who first reported the fires will now receive a new model, Ferrari said. A 458 Italia typically costs £170,000.

The other cars will be modified to replace the adhesive with mechanical fasteners. To add to the embarrassment of the company known by its prancing horse, photos of the burning Ferraris have surfaced on the wreckedexotics website, which has also catalogued the various accidents involving the Italia 458. In the past 90 days, the website reports, there have been nine wrecks.MotoringMotoringMark Tran
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